Talent Matters

I hear from distributors in many channels that their newly-hired employee left them within the first year or two. They blame Gen-Z impatience and lack of loyalty. The labor market with plenty of entry-level jobs is also an enabler. One of the ways to retain your employees is to start with an effective onboarding program. A structured program helps new employees get to productivity faster and integrate with company culture effectively. According to SHRM, 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding. Here’s how to do it.

ONBOARDING ESSENTIALS

Onboarding starts well before the first day on the job. It starts when an offer is accepted, irrespective of the start date. It is common in college recruitment to make a job offer three to six months before the start date. Here are the steps and best practices:

Pre-boarding is the process of engaging your new hires from the moment they accept a job offer to their first day. It reduces rejected offers and ghosting. Tasks include sharing the company handbook and benefit guide, assigning a “buddy,” and sending a swag bag to their home with a hand-written note. In the case of college hires with several months before the start date, engage them with an invitation to company events or lunch with managers, and sending them periodic updates. One distributor that recruits at Texas A&M University even prints and ships them business cards to make them feel part of the company.

Onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee with a company and its culture, as well as getting new hires the tools and information needed to become productive members of the team, according to SHRM. Tasks include sending an advance email prior to their first day with tips on parking, dress code, check-in, FAQs, and an orientation agenda that will include short training, meeting with their team and buddy, as well as an office tour.

The first-day experience is critical. Every person has only a limited number of first days on the job in their life time – make it memorable! New hires walk in with energy and enthusiasm – we need to channel it to learning and socialization. Do not overload them with information but don’t leave them with nothing to do. Decorate the new hire’s desk and add some company swag. Make it personal with a hand-written note. Make sure the manager and most of the team is available to meet. Discuss big picture – company plans, job goals, expectations, and how the employee can help achieve the goals. Set the stage for a long-term relationship. And make it fun – maybe send them home with a welcome box of cookies!

A WELL-SCHEDULED PLAN

Create a timeline for your onboarding plan with a checklist – and digitize the list for easy tracking and updates.

First Week. Provide as much structure as possible to help them ease into their new environment. Arrange meetings with stakeholders, other departments, shadow seasoned employee, customer visits. Have check-ins with the manager – communicate and build trust.

30 Days. Plan for short informal coffee meetings with the team and stakeholders for effective assimilation. Organize job shadowing, on-the-job training, and performing some tasks with guidance. Set clear expectations, provide feedback and encouragement. Engage the new hire in a program, project, or event. Make them feel connected and contributing.

60 Days. Begin formal training – deep-dive training and learning opportunities. Give them ownership – allow them to lead a small project or part of a larger project. Don’t forget fun – help energize new hires with opportunities to experience the company culture. Conduct performance reviews with open, honest and constructive feedback.

90 Days. Emphasis is on development – competency and training assessment. Discuss their skills development in the next six months. Provide onboarding debriefs with evaluation and feedback about the whole process.

Another consideration is post-boarding to keep building on the onboarding success. These tasks include goal setting, performance targets, and discussing performance reviews and culture assimilation – engage the new hire with other teams, company events, and customers.

FOCUS ON EXPERIENCE VS. PROCESS

The success of onboarding hinges on designing an experience rather than focusing on the process or technology. You want to ensure all new employees in all branches, however remote or small, get the same consistent onboarding experience – managers play a critical role here. Think about how you will measure success – and don’t forget to seek feedback from new employees to identify gaps and ways to improve. Set up and report your key performance metrics (KPIs) to all stakeholders. And remember: Retention starts with effective onboarding.