My disastrous first day of work
I have a fairly adventurous work history and have therefore experienced quite a few first working days at new employers. Such a first day at work does something to you, especially if it goes disastrously.
The disaster in a nutshell
On my first day at - I won't name names - a company that should know better, I was unpleasantly surprised even before entering. The barrier turned out to be the first impregnable obstacle. I was not registered and there was no place in the parking garage. I was asked to find a paid parking space on the street. Once I got to the reception desk, my CEO turned out to be in an MT meeting all morning. My HR contact was also in that meeting, but fortunately an employee of that department was quickly mobilized. There was no real place to work yet - there was a desk and a chair, but no computer, no login and no phone - and the employees in my department also seemed somewhat caught off guard by my arrival. After exchanging some pleasantries here and there, I turned right around. I suggested to the management that this day be repeated the next day, but this time properly. That one did arrive and one of the first actions we took was to better structure the onboarding program.
Structuring the onboarding
Structured onboarding is important because, as an employer, you only have one chance to make a first impression. A smooth onboarding is the way to welcome a new employee and it lays the foundation for his or her future in the company. Without structure, a new employee can feel lost and less welcome. Research shows that companies with an effective onboarding program retain 82% more employees in the long run. The short-term effect of such a program is a productivity increase of as much as 70%. It's a bit of an obvious point, of course, and everyone gets the point. No one is an opponent of structured onboarding.
How do you begin a strong onboarding program within your organization?
On necessity and usefulness of structured onboarding, we quickly agree. But what should be structured?
Step 1: The first day of work
First, a few practical things. Think of prior communication in the form of a welcome packet or an introductory email before the first day of work. Next, you can also organize the setup of the workplace in advance. Have all necessary resources such as a laptop, software and access to systems ready. For employees who do not work in the office, this may include other items such as a forklift, a truck, measuring equipment, company clothing and personal protective equipment.
Step 2: The introduction phase
Besides practical matters, you also want to structure the introductory phase. By way of introduction, you can share and discuss mission, vision and core values. This is also the time to share and agree on house rules. In this phase, you can also help a new employee with internal networking. Organize introductory meetings with colleagues and team members for a flying start.
Step 3: Training and guidance
The third pillar of structured onboarding is training and mentoring. It is a good idea to make clear what is expected of the new employee and to support his or her performance with relevant training. For example, also pair new people with a buddy or mentor for additional support.
Why go to all that trouble?
A poor onboarding program leads to low employee engagement. They feel less welcomed and valued. It also causes higher dropout rates. These employees report sick more easily and often leave the company more quickly. In addition, it takes longer for employees to be productive and effective if there are no clear expectations and proper guidance.
All in all, poor onboarding program not only affects the performance of individual employees. Ultimately, entire teams suffer from poor onboarding, especially if it is structural and continues for a longer period of time.
The benefits are there for the taking
Well-structured onboarding creates a sense of welcome and connection from day one. It gives a new employee more confidence in his or her new role and clarity about his or her responsibilities. It also makes the new employee productive faster. For the company, it also results in lower turnover and, ultimately, a better reputation.
But how do you get that done?
The reason structured onboarding often doesn't get off the ground is that companies lack executive power. The will is there, but then to get it done every time, that's a tough one. For executive power, you actually need three things. First, clarity about who is responsible.
Then an onboarding program you want to operate for the various types of employees in your organization. And finally, the onboarding apps to ensure the onboarding program rolls out flawlessly every time.
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How an HR onboarding app can create a sense of welcome and connection
ISO2HANDLE 's platform is designed to support quality and risk management in your company with automation. This often involves automating processes that are necessary to manage quality and risk consistently.
With employee onboarding, it's really no different. That is also a process with a number of steps, which you can support in an automated way. That's why the HR onboarding app in our software is often used by users of the ISO2HANDLE platform to organize HR processes - including onboarding. After all, a well-organized and executed onboarding is also a piece of quality management.
Would you like to know more about this? Then contact us soon.
