Starting a new job can be a daunting task, as there is so much unknown. New employees are often asking themselves if they will enjoy their new job. Will they succeed? Will they fit into the team? Their worries can be categorised into concerns about culture, structure, support and expectations. Luckily each of these areas are addressed with a clear onboarding plan.
What does onboarding symbolise to new employees?
A proper and thorough onboarding process is not just a tactic to get the best out of new employees as fast as possible, but also an indication. It is an indication to new employees of how much the company is willing to invest in their development and success. Have you ever been thrown into a role where you were given a set of tasks but never any background or support? Was it hard to be motivated to do those tasks each day? How long did you stay in that role?
Time poor companies tend to throw new employees into the battlefield, knowing only the best will survive. And while this seems to be the only strategy for companies where time is scarce, it is costly. The process of hiring new employees and training them on company processes just to lose them due to lack of support is a waste of time – and the solution is simple.
Take the time design and deliver an effective onboarding process
Setting aside some time to design and deliver an effective onboarding process for new employees is an investment. A quick Google search will send you to countless studies showing a significant increase in retention when an onboarding process is in place. So how can your business improve or kick start an onboarding process? There are many ways to tackle onboarding but we suggest to include at least the following:
1. Put the company vision in words
2. Map out the company structure
What role does each position play in living this vision? How do the roles interact with one another for support?
3. Have a mentor or buddy system to help the new employee catch onto the culture quickly. A mentor may be someone sitting higher up in the company, that is tasked with pushing the development of new employees, whereas a buddy can be assigned to help with the day to day. Where do we save important documents? Where are the best places to eat nearby? What outside clubs do employees participate in? These are the types of questions a buddy can help with, while being sure the new employee always has a friend.
5. Plan team building activities when new employees come on board
Team building is a sure way to involve a new employee or employees in the current culture. Knowing who you are working with, how they work and how they communicate is key to good flow.
Read how Be Challenged helped a Senior Federal Government Department with their team building when onboarding graduates.
Can you outsource onboarding?
Onboarding should be a focused effort from within the company, however there are aspects that can be outsourced. Team building is one of those, and Be Challenged can help you with this. We offer a number of team building programs including the DiSC Profiling Program. DiSC profiling measures four aspects of personality: dominance (D), influence (i), steadiness (S), and conscientiousness (C), to help improve teamwork, communication, and productivity in the workplace. We will also look at passive, assistive, guarded and open behavioral traits. Team building for a remote team? Read more about how DiSC Profiling can improve culture and efficiency for remote teams.
If you’re looking at bringing new team members on this year and want to ensure you have an effective onboarding strategy in place, please get in touch.
Thanks for reading
Oliver Sheer
Joint Managing Partner, Be Challenged