I can still remember the first day when I started work. Introduction of colleagues, and assignment of buddy was all in place – everything was perfect; except telling me where the toilet was. In my desperation, I had to ask my buddy where was the toilet. The rest of the story was pretty embarrassing.
I bet you don’t remember how anxious you were (which kind of explains the volume of pee I had then), now that you are very comfortable in your surroundings. This article can help remind you how important and critical it is to provide the necessary support and knowledge sharing sessions for new employees.
Onboarding programs are no longer just administrative work such as signing of offer letters. This article will share with you what is onboarding programs really about.
Why is Onboarding Programs Important?
Two words - proper communication. Would you rather have an effective onboarding program in place, or would you rather your current employees who are serving their notice period share their opinions about the directions and the culture of this company?
Onboarding programs can help new employees get their feet running by equipping them with information such as the key responsibilities and direction of the role, and how is their performance being accessed.
This allows:
- Faster transition into the new job
- Reduce lag time to get work done
- Reduce of the time for your company to find your new employee’s replacement if he leaves
- because of the lack of clarity about his job scope and environment…
… and time means money. We get it.
Who should take charge of Onboarding programs?
Everyone! Why should HR only be responsible for this onboarding program when the operations should know the working culture and deliverables better?
How long should onboarding programs be?
If you think onboarding programs are just a day event, you’ll be shocked when we share with you onboarding programs are more effective if it is done in the course of 6 months. This allows better engagement of your new employees.
In fact, it would be even better if your onboarding happens the moment your potential future star employees accepts the offer.
Pointers to take not of when setting up an onboarding program
- Intensity of the Programme
In event if the transition and knowledge content transfer is too much for a new employee to absorb, always break them down in different phases for knowledge transfer.
- Buddy System
New employee can be paired up with a buddy or mentor who can continuously help in keeping the work done in check and show the ropes. This helps to facilitate interaction between the new entrant and the existing employees.
- Better Understanding of Employer
Don’t be surprised when you know there are some new employee who joins the Company without even understanding the Company’s directions and culture. Employers should share more information on the employer’s positioning and brand to ensure proper alignment.
- 2 Way Feedback
Understand from each individual department what the situations are when new employees first join the team from both the reporting superior as well as the new employee. These issues should be addressed the moment employees embark on the onboarding program.
Reference:
http://www.hrmasia.com/content/onboarding-hit-ground-running