These days the onboarding process has become more complex. With some new hires working virtual full-time, some hybrid, and some in the office full-time, developing a solid workplace culture is a challenge. The complexity is compounded by the disruption we experienced over the past eighteen months. Onboarding is an opportunity for you to reinforce the culture you need to help your business succeed.
Onboarding Benefits Everyone
Quality onboarding does not just benefit your employee, it also strengthens your organization. According to Deloitte’s 2020 Global Human Capital Trends survey, ninety-three percent of respondents said a sense of belonging helps drive performance. Onboarding lays the foundation for that in the organization. A great onboarding process introduces new employees not only to your organization’s mission, vision, and values, but also to the behaviors and attitudes that are the hallmarks of your company’s culture. Employees should emerge from onboarding knowing not only about the “why,” but also knowing about the “how” of what you do. This strengthens employee retention, minimizes business risk, and maximizes productivity.
Best Practices for Getting Employees Started
Onboarding should start before Day One at work. After they are hired, send a great welcome email to begin the orientation process. If possible, include a video message from managers. Send the agenda and let them know what to expect throughout the onboarding process. Include when they will meet key people on their team and in your organization (even if these meetings are virtual). Consider also sending a welcome package—using snail mail! This unique and tangible outreach will make the employee feel more important. When onboarding begins, don’t only provide opportunities for employees to meet their coworkers, also include senior leaders in the program. The top-down message is critical to making people feel wanted and showing the business believes in its core message.
More Than the First Day
Onboarding isn’t just the first day or the first week after an employee starts working. View it as an ongoing opportunity to connect employees to the company and help them succeed over time. Think about instituting a process that continues over the first ninety days, or even the first year. Your employees’ success drives your business’s success.
We Can Help
At Strategic we excel in virtual meetings that are fun and productive. Let us help you deliver your onboarding program in an engaging format that delivers results. Contact us for details at info@scgnyc.com.