Onboarding talent

- Whether onboarding new hires remotely or in person, key objectives are to get them excited about their first day on the job, to set them up for success, and to decrease the time it takes for them to become productive in their new roles. Successful onboarding programs can pay off handsomely, with as much as 50% greater employee retention among new hires and 62% greater productivity. To begin, here are six key questions to answer. One, how long will the program last, considering that it typically takes 12 months for a new employee to reach their full performance potential. Two, at the end of the first day, what impression do you want new hires to walk away with? Three, what do new employees need to know about the culture and work environment? Four, what roles will HR, direct managers, and coworkers play in the process? Five, what kinds of goals do you want to set for new employees? For example, regarding their compliance with company policies or performance expectations linked to concrete time-bound measures? Six, how will you gather feedback and measure the program's success? Answers to these questions will help HR and upper management to devise a plan of action to help new employees quickly assimilate company policies and workflow while getting fully acquainted with the organization's culture. Before new hires even begin, you should direct them to your organization's onboarding portal so they can view a welcome video, complete their initial documentation, and receive an overview of the onboarding program and their day one schedule. This is pre-boarding. It's also important to check whether all relevant stakeholders have been notified of the new hires' pending arrival. When it comes to the onboarding process, there are four key issues to consider. One, preparation is paramount. In addition to pre-boarding, be sure that new hires have the tools and technology they need immediately. Laptops, software, and access to the right platforms and databases are critical to employees' effectiveness and to their belief that you are prepared for them and committed to their success. Two, management engagement with new hires is critical because their supervisors are their lifelines to the company. The best managers are present, accessible, and highly responsive. They create personalized onboarding journeys, have one-on-ones more often, and prioritize replying swiftly to their remote team members. Three, culture is fundamental. Connecting to peers and tapping into their natural storytelling by sharing examples is a great way to identify unwritten rules, the essence of company culture. Four, build social capital, networks of people who can help a new hire learn and grow. Assign each new hire a buddy, someone who understands the organization's mission and wants to help a new hire get excited about working there. Schedule weekly buddy meetings, but recognize that each pair will develop their own process. The final step, develop a dashboard so you can see how well you achieved your onboarding goals and guide improvement over time.