Businesses expand and prosper when they can attract and retain the best workers. According to one study, a good onboarding phase increases new employee retention by 82 percent and efficiency by more than 70 percent. The onboarding process is what brings the applicant and employee experiences together. This transitional period is subtle and brief, but it pays dividends in the long run if given due consideration and care. Hence, create an onboarding mechanism that results in employee happiness, work satisfaction, and long-term retention.

Why does it matter?

69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experience great onboarding. A successful onboarding process makes new hires feel welcomed and like they’ve been with the company for a while. It will ease their transition, make it less stressful, and eventually acclimate them to the new way of working. On the other hand, a bad onboarding experience can cause early stress and uncertainty, leaving new workers unsure if they made the right decision.

So, in order to increase your chances of the former and avoid the latter, we’ve compiled a list of best practices for your onboarding process in this guide.

5 brilliant ideas for making the onboarding process memorable

1. Begin your onboarding process early

You don’t have to wait for the first day of orientation to begin integrating new employees. Instruct them to complete HR paperwork, watch a brief video, and set up their company email, Slack, etc. Share role-relevant information and documents, as well as context on specific assignments the applicant might take once they start officially. Request that the new hire’s immediate team sends a welcome email with quotes about why they enjoy working at the company or are excited to work with the new hire. Invite the new hires and address any questions or concerns they might have. Sending flowers or welcome gifts to new employees also makes a positive impression.

2. Regular check-ins

Setting up one-on-one meetings(check-ins) would provide a safe space in which the new hire can ask you any questions that came up during the week that he/she was unable to ask you at a public meeting. A positive working relationship with the manager can significantly improve the employee’s job satisfaction. The second thing you should do at your one-on-one meeting is to let your employees share their top priorities and ask them if they need any advice on how to tackle them. A check-in can be a good opportunity to help your team members be more thoughtful about their careers and lives. This is helpful for keeping your employees motivated and on track.

3. Ensure that fundamentals are covered

Onboarding is the perfect opportunity to make a positive lasting impression on a new employee. The day the employee starts, he/she needs to feel at ease. They should feel welcomed and assured that the company has handled his or her arrival professionally. There should be a balance between welcoming new employees to the company and providing a structured, well-planned orientation that offers the required base of knowledge to help them succeed. This includes a friendly greeting, a structured introduction to pertinent information, and having the employee’s workstation, computer, phone, and passwords all set up ahead of time.

4. Deliver virtual trainings

To remain competitive, businesses should foster a learning culture within their organisations that encourages employees to proactively improve their skills and become experts in their roles. Provide virtual training through online videos, these could be about their new job, your company culture, operating procedures, and so on. Leaders should hold a debriefing after a remote worker training session to summarise and explain training highlights, address questions, discuss future directives, and develop follow-up and continued learning opportunities.

5. Collect feedback from new hires

Throughout the onboarding process, survey new hires to learn what is working, what isn’t, and where you can improve. Employees should be prioritised, and managers should be empowered. It’s one of the most basic secrets of any successful business. Managers should encourage their direct reports to provide regular feedback and hold follow-up meetings to develop collaborative action plans together. One significant advantage of upward feedback is that it sheds light on “in-the-trenches” issues that managers might otherwise be unaware of.

Conclusions and Key Takeaways

Onboarding is key to ensuring success for employees and helping them quickly learn the ropes of the company and the individuals they’ll be working with. It is a lengthy procedure that encompasses all of the procedures, services, and strategies that assist new employees integrating into a business.  However, there is a significant reward associated with a successful onboarding.  Start your onboarding process early, and be agile – improve it with every onboarding.

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