Congratulations! You’ve just made an amazing new hire with talent, experience, and skills who aligns well with you, your team, and your organizational culture.
With all that in place, it’s safe to assume that all will be smooth sailing toward a future of success, right? Unfortunately, things don’t always turn out as we assume.
Nearly a third of new employees leave within 90 days of getting hired.
However according to a Gallup report, employees with a positive onboarding experience are almost three times as likely to feel prepared and supported in their role.
We now know the power of strategies beyond orientation to help new hires onboard and integrate into the organization and align with their department, team, and manager.
Best-in-class companies are often that because they have committed to and invested in comprehensive onboarding programs explicitly designed to ensure new hires have everything they need to set up for success.
Netflix is known for its unique and effective onboarding program. The company focuses on a culture of freedom and responsibility, and its onboarding process reflects this.
New hires can access extensive documentation and resources, including the company's famous culture deck, which outlines Netflix's values and expectations. Additionally, new employees are encouraged to shadow colleagues and participate in real work tasks from day one, providing them with hands-on experience and a sense of ownership over their role.
Salesforce is another company recognized for its comprehensive and inclusive onboarding program, known as "Ohana Onboarding."
The program emphasizes the company's core values of trust, customer success, innovation, and equality. New hires receive personalized training tailored to their role and career goals and access to a variety of resources and support networks.
Salesforce also fosters a sense of community among new employees through mentorship programs, employee resource groups, and regular check-ins with managers to ensure a smooth transition into the company culture.
Here are a few ways to support your new hires in their early days with your organization.
Describe your company culture, such as “how we do things around here.” Onboarding new talent should be wrapped in the culture of the organization, and core values need to be an integral part of the process.
Clearly define your company’s Core Values and give your new hire the “rules of engagement” so they understand the unwritten rules of your company and team etiquette.
Assign an onboarding buddy. Pair your new hire with a work buddy to help them feel more connected and give them a go-to person when they have questions.
Microsoft discovered that those who were paired with an onboarding buddy were 23% more satisfied with their experience than those who were left on their own.
Focus on immediate engagement from the start with clear communication about their roles and expectations.
Use strategies such as an internal onboarding meeting to cover the "who" and "what" of their new position. This helps them set clear expectations and build confidence in their role moving forward.
Focus on delivering results from the onset. Clearly define what success looks like for the new role and how it contributes to the company's desired business results.
This clarity helps new employees understand their impact and how they can contribute to the company's goals, helping them feel connected to the overall mission.
Identify a few priority coaching strategies. Once you understand your new employee’s strengths and weaknesses and how they like to be managed, identify and commit to a handful of priority strategies that will help them grow over time.
Recognize that hiring and retaining employees is a significant financial and operational consideration for businesses. The cost of replacing an employee can be substantial, so it's essential to make the onboarding process as effective as possible to retain talent.
Understanding the positive impact, both financially and operationally, of a strong onboarding program makes time and money well spent.
By considering best practices above for the early days of a new hire, you can create a comprehensive onboarding process that not only helps new employees acclimate to their roles, but also sets them up for long-term success and retention with your organization.