How to Improve Onboarding Process For Candidates?
How should recruiters design their onboarding process so as to make it fruitful for candidates?
With companies recruiting new employees and using innovative hiring methods, it becomes imperative to have a proper onboarding process. Onboarding can be defined as the process of integrating a newly hired into the organization and to make them more comfortable and used to the environment, be it in-office or work from home. Companies that have an efficient onboarding process are able to provide a healthy working environment to the hires while being able to retain them for longer durations as compared to companies that focus less on Onboarding. A standard onboarding process can range anywhere from weeks to months.
As per a study conducted by Forbes, companies tend to lose almost 17% of their newly hired within their first 90days because of inefficient onboarding. Statistics released by UrbanBound stated a proper and organized onboarding increases employee retention by 50%, significantly reducing the employee turnover rate. While this becomes an extremely important factor for every business, it is severely neglected by most of them.
Here are some ways of improving the Onboarding process:
Plan Onboarding tasks before joining date
TalentVine says the most crucial period is between the acceptance and the start date since most candidates are open to other offers and there lies a risk of rejecting your offer. Express enthusiasm about their job by introducing them to the team, organizing video calls, and allotting some pre-planned tasks can keep them engaged and spike their interest. However, making sure not to bombard them with extremely key tasks is necessary.
Make activities Learning & Development (L&D) oriented
While assigning tasks, it is important to keep in mind that they should add some learning and value both for the employee and the organization, while not being repetitive at the same time. They should be able to use their existing knowledge while learning new things along the way. Be open to new ideas and provide constructive feedback.
Introduce them to the team
The first few days at work should be the most memorable to your new employees. Plan an ice-breaking session, provide them with a customized joining kit or a personalized gift on their first day, organize lunch for the entire team, and allow them to connect to individuals around them.
Avoid alignments between onboarding and actual work
Most of the onboarding assignments should be prepared keeping in mind that the employees need to develop an understanding of their workspace and the kind of work that the organization is engaged in. Not burdening them with core tasks in the first few weeks will enable new inputs from them while they are still learning.
Keeping average expectations
While it is necessary to set some basic performance benchmarks so employees know what is expected of them, it is necessary not to have high expectations during the onboarding stage as it can lead to disagreements and misunderstandings between individuals just getting to know each other. Give them time to do the job right in order to avoid disappointments.
Discovering strengths and weaknesses
You know your onboarding process is efficient when you’re able to discover the core strength and weaknesses areas of your new employees. Having a standardized metrics system enables a proper assessment of their progress, and identify specific needs that need training and modification.
Give Accountability and Responsibility
Once tasks are assigned, give your new employees the autonomy to make their judgments, but not letting their faults go unnoticed. Give them some leeway to speak their minds, apply their intuition while holding them responsible for their mistakes so the entire team does not get reprimanded later
Make regular, open communication
Hold frequent meetings and conversations with the newly hired to get updates on their tasks, keeping everyone on the same page, providing suggestions, and exchanging ideas for upcoming projects. They should feel inclusive at their new workplace.
Constantly update the onboarding process
Not everyone you hire will possess the same traits. Everyone has different needs and expectations that they wish to take away from a job. This necessitates regular updating of the onboarding process that minimizes mistakes and gives opportunities for expansion. Feedbacks from newly employed can prove beneficial.
Structure, not Stress
It is normal for every employee to feel anxious and nervous during their first days of work. It gives a negative impression to candidates whose stress increases even after a month of onboarding. Hence it becomes significant to chalk out every bit the employee spends in office- from coffee-conference Monday mornings to fun-filled Friday evenings.
It is very important for every organization to remember that their employees are the core of any business and it is they who keep the entire system running efficiently. Therefore, ensuring maximum employee satisfaction and a healthy working environment is beneficial in the long run, whether a large or small business. New employees should immerse themselves in the culture which facilitates faster achievement of goals.
Improvise. Innovate and Implement!!!
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