10 Benefits of an Effective Onboarding Process

So you finally found that rare gem? You’d better focus on your onboarding process! Did you know that a good integration program can increase retention rates by 40%? If good onboarding is said to be the first step towards retention, that is only one of its many advantages for your organization.

First impressions are crucial. Make welcoming your new employees an opportunity for them to quickly develop a sense of belonging with your organization.

A good integration plan can also be an excellent source of motivation for your new employees and stimulate them to give the best of themselves. A warm welcome favours your staff’s mobilization.

In this digital and social media age, an original onboarding process is a great way to stand out and promote your employer brand.

Your employees are your best ambassadors and most of them will be happy to help you make your organization shine.

It can be intimidating for a new employee to take his or her place and ask questions. A good onboarding process should have the benefit of encouraging employees to communicate by giving them an opportunity to do so, such as a question period. Such an initiative will promote a culture of open communication in your organization.

Did you know that more than half of all voluntary departures take place less than a year after hiring?Too much turnover can be very costly to a company and its reputation. Your integration process is an opportunity for you to present yourself in the best light, make a good first impression, motivate your new employees and get them involved in your company.

Proper onboarding trains employees faster and more effectively, leading to quicker achievement of full productivity. Numbers don’t lie: employees benefiting from long onboarding programs reach their first milestone 34 times faster than other workers. Moreover, managers are 20% more satisfied with hires who have received formal onboarding training.

Effective onboarding processes promote your company values from the get-go, and they foster a sense of belonging and an alignement with company goals. This means that your company culture will be more attractive for potential candidates, and that your new hires will become culture fits that understand your company mission and values much more quickly!

Setting up good onboarding programs shows you new hires that you value transparent communication throughout the entire employee experience. Remember to send welcome emails to make sure that your new employee feels thoroughly informed about their arrival and the steps they need to complete.

Transparent communication reduces anxiety levels and enhances ongoing engagement. It is also a great way to set up continuous feedback from the very first weeks!

Effective communication throughout the onboarding process helps your new employees comply to procedures and regulations more quickly. New hires will also get better understanding of your policies and how your company works on a day-to-day basis.

In concrete terms, better compliance implies reduced work accident rates, policy-compliant behaviours, and smooth integration into the company culture.

An onboarding process that successfully conveys the company culture and values also promotes team integration. You have to organize team-building activities throughout your onboarding plan, and effectively introduce every team member’s role and personality to the newcomer. By doing so, you will improve communication among the team and foster a culture of teamwork and healthy professional relationships.

Early identification of potential challenges and areas for development during a successful onboarding process allows for timely intervention and support. Your new hires will be effectively trained on tasks and projects they need help on, and their performance will be fairly assessed at the end of their onboarding stage, resulting in employees who are more successful in their roles in the long run!

The key to a successful onboarding for your new hires? Customization. The process has to be aligned with the company and its culture, but also with the position of the new employee and, sometimes, the department in which they are located. Although the goal of an onboarding plan is always the same, in the implementation of some of its aspects, it is important to take into account the different realities with which employees will be dealing on a daily basis. For example, the assignment of a mentor should be made according to the department.

It is also important to consider the individual behind the employee. Be flexible, offer different options. Some people will be comfortable presenting in front of a whole team, others less so. Some people learn best by reading, while others need to apply themselves to understand. Ask questions and make sure the employee is comfortable doing so as well. This is the essence of a good onboarding: helping the employee become familiar with their work environment and ensuring that they thrive in it.

Finally, a good onboarding process must be effective. The use of a human resources management software can prove to be a very interesting option, especially for setting up a structure, automating certain tasks and overall monitoring of the employee’s progress throughout the process.