In the modern competitive talent landscape, businesses must strive to create an employee onboarding experience that can attract, engage, and retain the top talent.
The onboarding process is a critical component of bridging the gap between the employers and the new employees during their transitional phase in settling into the organization.
Although subtle and quick, it is essential to focus on engaging the new hires, especially as it helps retain them as long-term, loyal employees.
A foundational block of hiring success, a well-thought-out onboarding process can increase job satisfaction by a mile.
If your newly hired employee has impressed you enough for you to employ them, it is time to give back to them by fulfilling the promises of greatness made by your organization.
Perhaps start by closely looking at the true value of onboarding and how it makes for a memorable joining experience for your newly found talent.
Here are the seven best secrets to conducting the best, most stand-out onboarding program with a hefty dose of creativity.
Make Paperwork Seem Like a Piece of Cake
Unfortunately, there are many tedious parts to the onboarding process, especially the formidable forms and formalities that an employee must complete by spending long hours at HR.
Luckily, if you play smart, you can opt for using specialized onboarding software with a personalized system instead!
Onboarding software typically eases the process for both the employees and the employer without all the hefty paperwork to fill in.
With all information, forms, and background checks of the newly hired employees in one place, you not only save a lot of time and money but get all the new hires onboard flawlessly.
One On One Support Through a Measurable Plan
According to a survey conducted by BMS Performance, a whopping 72% of all new hires want to receive one on one support and guidance from their managers.
Not only does this help the employees feel more secure at their new job, but it is a tool for bridging the communication gap and reaching out for support when necessary.
Try establishing a measurable game plan with an entirely open-ended onboarding process.
That will help you give one on one support to your employees without overwhelming them with the crystal-clear requirements of the company.
As a manager, you need to map out the onboarding process, how long it will take, the key performance indicators that can help measure the process, and its key takeaways.
Make the Employees Part of the Bigger Picture
Everyone loves a good, detailed story of how the company came into being, how it achieved its goals, and concluded projects in a competitive environment, all while staying true to its corporate culture.
So, make sure you promote the company vision by highlighting its purpose and objectives.
That would help them see the bigger picture by understanding why the organization exists and what everyone strives to achieve.
Don’t forget, giving the new hires some purpose will provide them the incentive to work hard.
Assign a Workplace Mentor
Several pieces of research have shown that one of the most prominent reasons employees quit a new job in the early days is a lack of interaction or recognition.
In simple words, they do not feel like they fit in the company.
Accordingly, assigning an experienced employee to your new hires in the first few weeks for questions and guidance is an excellent way to make new employees feel welcome and ease the nerves when starting their new role.
Pairing your new hires with a peer buddy or mentor could help them adapt to the new working environment and better understand the organization’s values and implicit rules, all while fostering engagement and productivity levels.
Make Orientation Fun
Often, incoming employees think of orientation as a dull, yawn-inducing formality that attracts little attention from new hires.
To spike some interest and make a positive first impression, you should aim to turn the orientation into an interactive and engaging process for new hires.
Whether you welcome them with a gift, have a scavenger hunt, or set up team lunches, making the orientation day a fun and memorable experience can showcase something unique about your company and go a long way to boost retention rates.
Ice Breaking with Colleagues
Break down the initial barrier by introducing the new employees to their colleagues.
With friendly, informal introductions, they are going to feel a lot more involved with the company and its people.
Here is a tip.
You can make the process of introducing the new hires to their colleagues easier through an ice-breaking session.
Maybe try playing some interactive games that help all the employees get to know each other better – after all, these are the same people your new hires will be working with on achieving the company’s goals.
Ask for Feedback and Suggestions
During all this, do not forget to ask for feedback and an honest suggestion regarding the process.
By requesting follow-up feedback, you are opening communication lines between the management and the newly hired employees.
If anything, they will be super impressed by the organization’s desire to consider and value their opinions.
That is also an excellent opportunity for early employee recognition, which could boost engagement and decrease your 90-day turnover rate.
Plus, knowing how the onboarding process went for the employees can assist you, as a manager, in drafting an even better procedure for the next new hires.
After all, it takes time and experience to perfect everything.
Undeniably, we are in an age where companies are working hard towards investing a substantial amount of money towards building, mentoring, and most importantly, retaining human capital, precisely due to the highly competitive talent hunt.
So, what’s better than to guide the employees the right way to total success?
Though not an all-inclusive list, these are some of the best tactics to perfecting your onboarding process to truly wow your new hires.
Be sure to try your best at uplifting their spirits by helping them ease into the organization.
That will create a more positive employee experience, enhancing productivity and setting the path for the organization to reach new heights.
If you want to learn more about how to manage your business and employees check out our post here on useful ways to help manage your employees better.
