Gallup found that only 12% of employees strongly agree their organisation does a great job of onboarding new employees. That means 88% don't believe their organisations do a great job of onboarding, so where are we going wrong and what can we do to emotioneer the onboarding process?
Preparation
First impressions by the new employee are crucial, but so is the organisation's first impression itself, during the early stages of the onboarding process it is important that you firstly, prepare your current employees to welcome your new team member warmly. It is helpful for current employees to know the role the new employee will have within the organisation so that the correct people can be first to offer assistance for the starting week(s) if needed. A simple email is all that is needed with possibly a little information about the new employee, but you should primarily focus on their role in the organisation and possibly their experience.
Secondly, you will want your employee's workstations prepared and ready before they enter the organisation. One of the keys to good employee performance is having the tools necessary to effectively do their role, so it is important that any equipment that is or may be needed is available and ready during the hiring process. This includes ensuring that the employee has access to the required programmes and software so that their first day will avoid as many issues as possible in the hopes that they can focus on settling in and adjusting to the workplace rather than having to raise concerns about the available tools.
Hiring
Onboarding and hiring are often categorised separately, but many don’t realise that the majority of the organisation's first impressions are created during the hiring process so your hiring process should have as much focus and priority as the rest of your onboarding process.
The beginning stage of the hiring process is simply the job description, although 73% of job seekers say the process of looking for a job is one of the most stressful events in life, why is this and how do we solve it? Job seekers state that often, job descriptions are too vague or do not convey the information they want and need in order to make a firm decision on whether or not to apply for the job. Your job descriptions should be clear and not overly lengthy, you need to communicate a concrete list of responsibilities and plenty of information about the role and what you are looking for, the list of requirements such as the ability to drive or something similar should be noted early on in the description since these types of requirements can be an instant deciding factor on if the job seeker is suitable for this role.
During the hiring process, many organisations lack frequent and necessary communication. Most likely, job seekers aren't looking to be unemployed for too long and do not have the time to wait extended amounts of time for a response, you could lose a valuable employee simply due to another organisation being in touch earlier than your organisation. Some organisations state in their job description that it could take up to 90 days to hear back from them, but this simply isn’t realistic for the majority of job seekers who are likely looking for something to get them started within the next few weeks after applying.
Interview
It’s no secret that for a job seeker, the most stressful part of the process is the daunting interview. Remember that first impressions count even before the job seeker has been hired, the way you deal and support them with this stressful situation will say a lot about your organisation and how you treat your employees. Your comments at the interview should be encouraging and welcoming to relieve some of the tension that may be there. During the interview you will want to be as informative as possible, this is your time to go more in-depth than the job description to ensure that this role is truly suitable for the candidate, ensure that when the candidate asks questions that you don’t give short answers and always offer to further explain if further understanding is still needed.
First Week
Bigger than any of the other factors, an employee's first week is going to set the tone completely for your organisation and their place within it. No matter how independent a candidate may be, it is still important to provide every possible form of support and guidance during the first week, this can include things such as someone being there ready to greet the new hire on their first day and give them a detailed tour of the organisation, this can be used to introduce them to the current team members, especially those they will be working closely with. If their role is a largely team-based one it will be important to arrange a welcome meeting on the first day so that the new employee can begin communicating in the team setting as soon as possible, use this meeting to provide schedules, expectations and make the new employee aware of their team's roles and responsibilities so they can be aware of who to ask for help if needed.
Some independent time will be needed for the new hire to adjust, likely on the first day you will want to allow them some time to familiarise themself with their workspace and to set up any equipment or log in to various software they will be using. There is no need to hold their hand through the entire process and this is a great beginning way to show the trust you put in employees to work independently.
During the first week or month, you will want to schedule regular 1-to-1 management meetings to both create a beginning bond between employee and manager as well as offer support and guidance for their new role. In these sessions, you will want to set and visualise company goals and objectives as well as create personal goals together and discuss how you will work as a team to reach these goals.
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