Understanding Employee Onboarding Process | EmployeeConnect
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Employee Onboarding

Understanding Employee Onboarding Process

Employee onboarding focuses on the process of inducting new employees into your business. When considering what should be included in an employee onboarding program it is important to understand what the key elements and necessary steps are to ensure a smooth initiation of new employees as well as focusing on compliance from a business perspective. Throughout the onboarding process new employees should be made to feel welcome in their new role as well as receive the appropriate training, support and guidance required to ensure they feel comfortable in their new environment and that all boxes are ticked to ensure your organisation is compliant.

This brings us to the four key components of the employee onboarding process. Compliance, Clarification, Connection and Culture. Ensuring that these four elements are met in the  onboarding process will translate to the successful employee onboarding of the new recruit and a productive, collaborative employee.

Compliance 

During the employee onboarding process compliance is important as it is paramount that your business and employees follow all laws, regulations, and standards within the appropriate jurisdiction. Addressing compliance at the beginning of the onboarding journey sets the tone for how an employee will understand their employer’s priorities.

Providing employees with company policies and other important paperwork and have them sign off on all documents in the onboarding process will ensure compliance both for the organisation as well as setting a standard for employees to adhere to.

Compliance also includes any mandatory training employees must undertake in the onboarding process to ensure they apply best practice to situations which arise in the workplace. This can include conducting themselves appropriately to ensuring they are trained to perform their job safely.

Clarification

Clarification is extremely important in the employee onboarding process. This is where expectations are set, and the onboarding journey is an opportunity for the organisation to communicate clearly what is expected from an employee in their job role. Clarification in the onboarding phase also provides an opportunity for the company to understand the new recruit at a deeper level by asking lots of questions.

Employee onboarding surveys are an excellent way to capture this information and gauge where the new recruit is at as well as guide them to what is expected regarding job performance. Asking questions perhaps will clarify any uncertainty around job expectations and also provide insight into the new employee’s strengths and weaknesses.

Connection 

The employee onboarding process is an opportunity to build a strong connection with employees early on before the employees first day in the office. New employees that feel connected and accepted by their colleagues feel less anxious and are likely to perform better. There are many ways managers are able to create meaningful connections with employees throughout the onboarding journey. A welcome video introducing new hires to the organisation will contribute toward making new employees feel connected.

Strengthening the connection, a new employee feels with the organisation in the onboarding process can also be extended by introducing the new employee to their teammates and managers in their organisation unit as well as any other important colleagues they will interact with either daily or for scenarios and projects.

Assigning a mentor to the new employee in the onboarding phase will allow them to feel secure and convey that they aren’t expected to have all the answers. The mentor will make them feel confident and will streamline the employee onboarding process integrating the new employee seamlessly into the organisation.

Culture

A healthy culture will boost productivity therefor the organisational culture must be conveyed in the employee onboarding process to expose the new employee as early as possible. There are several steps to ensure the new employee has a positive onboarding experience as they are introduced to the culture of the business.

In the onboarding experience convey to the new employee the company values and the promotion of work-life-balance. Understanding the company structure and goals are a key component to a successful employee onboarding process. Culture and opportunity are key drivers of employee satisfaction as they support productivity and teamwork.

Positive culture also assists in attracting great talent and one way to continue to develop positive culture is to start from the beginning, the employee onboarding process. New hires who are exposed to and understand company culture and are aligned with the company values and goals are more likely to become advocates and long-term employees of the business. Put simply if an employee believes in the company mission, they will be a happier therefor more productive employee, and this all starts with a successful onboarding experience.

Employee onboarding- Conclusion 

Employee Onboarding is a crucial means in welcoming and preparing an employee to an organisation. From the initial greeting through to completing paperwork and preparing the workspace. When considering what to include in the onboarding process focusing on Compliance, Clarification, Connection and Culture will ensure a successful employee onboarding experience and prepare the new employee to transition into the organisation confident and ready to contribute from the get-go.

 

Free to download our Onboarding guidebook NOW!

When you know that it takes an average of 8 months for an employee to perform, you better understand the importance of creating a solid onboarding program to engage your new hires from day one.

This guide to new employee onboarding contains a series of onboarding checklists and cheat sheets to help you get started.

onboarding-list

Alexi Gavrielatos
alexi@employeeconnect.com

Business Development at EmployeeConnect