Importance of onbording New Employees to an organization

Importance of Onbording New Employees to an Organization 

01.Employee Onboarding

Onboarding is a comprehensive process where new employees transition into new roles and become part of your organization. Good onboarding programs can last up to 12 months. The purpose of onboarding is to allow employees to build confidence in their new role during their first few weeks or months of employment. Onboarding may include a variety of elements, such as:

• One-on-one meetings
• Independent learning and  development modules
• Team-building exercises
• Employee handbooks or task-specific guides

A successful and informative orientation is practical, but a positive onboarding experience sets the stage for an exciting and hopefully extensive career within your organization. The faster new hires feel welcome and prepared for their jobs, the faster they will be able to contribute quantifiably.

Figure 01.Employee Onbording

02.What is the purpose of Onboarding New Employees?

 Imagine boarding a plane, buckling your seatbelt, and listening to the in-flight announcements, only to hear a flight attendant go on and on about the food options onboard. No mention of emergency exits, bathrooms, safety rules and regulations, in-flight entertainment—just long ramblings on the chicken and fish dinner options, drink menu items, and types of peanuts. This would obviously be a failed onboarding, wouldn’t it?

It’s the same with the employee onboarding process. You can’t onboard by just, say, showing new people to their desk and wishing them well. No, effective onboarding always serves many purposes.

Onboarding is the process of transitioning new hires into their job, their team and the company. The two key parts to onboarding are: 

- transitioning employees into the company culture, 

- helping them become familiar with its values, goals and expectations;

- familiarizing them with the tools and resources they need to be productive.

03.Why is onboarding so important for new employees?

Onboarding is important because it helps new employees acclimate to their new work environment, integrate into the company culture, and become effective contributors. A good onboarding experience shows employees that their workplace will be supportive, as well as one that encourages professional development. Within the first few days, they’ll see their new company as somewhere they can advance in their career.

Quality onboarding experiences help employees build new skills and gain autonomy. Not only do individuals learn how to complete basic job functions, but they are taught how to build collaborative relationships with other team members. These experiences can have a long-lasting effect on job satisfaction.

A study by Gallup Poll showed that 70% of employees who reported having a good onboarding experience also described their job as “the best possible job.” However, only 12% of employees feel their company does a good job onboarding new team members.

Far too many companies miss the mark in properly welcoming new employees and setting them up to perform their best.

Figure 02. Importance of New Employees 

04.Benefits of an Effective Employee Onboarding Program

Onboarding is the process where new employees acquire the necessary tools, knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors to become contributing members who make a tangible difference to the organization. It is the action or process of integrating a new employee into an organization or familiarizing a new employee with the new work environment. An organization’s outlook to onboarding has a direct impact on productivity, employee engagement & retention. Onboarding is critical for both the employee and the organization. Study shows that 90 percent of employees decide whether or not to continue with an organization within the first six months. Consider further that the cost of losing an employee in the first year is often at least three times their salary.

An effective onboarding program has a wide range of benefits for both the organization and the new hire. We list out a few:

•              Create & Build the Company brand and increase brand referrals as an employer of quality, trust and integrity. This starts by first defining your brand and being true and consistent with it throughout the onboarding process. 
•                 Nurture Talent. Talent is a precious resource, and managing it is not an easy task. Limited number of organizations look at talent as a source of opportunity and a driver of business goals. Research has even proved that only 1 in 5 employers provide sufficient and necessary onboarding, training and development opportunities for the incoming talent pool.Ensure compliance with organisation’s vision, mission, goals, philosophy, and objectives.
•                Develop trust between the new hire and the management and foster a more productive work atmosphere. Fasten the integration of the new hire into the organizational setup and increase productivity in his line of work.
•              Construct a clear picture of the new hire’s roles and responsibilities within the organizational setup. Develop the needed skill sets and competencies to fulfill the role.
•                Provide clear knowledge of the organizational hierarchy, knowledge of his team members, seniors, mentors and reporting structure of the company.
•                 Cater to the emotional and psychological needs of the employee, let them be comfortable with his surroundings and environment, eradicating any feelings of fear, intimidation or doubt. Let them feel welcome instead of making them feel awkward and left out at their workstation.
•              Cultivate strong workplace relationships. Facilitate social bonding, inter-personal connect, relationship building and networking. Encourage and enhance team bonding, build individual and group productivity.
•                Promote a better understanding of the company culture with its shared values, beliefs, habits, attitudes along with accepted norms of behavior.
•             Build awareness about employee benefits and perks offered to employees by the company.
•               Assist employees in understanding the rules and requirements of everyday work life specifically in relation to working hours, flexi-timings, company discipline, dress code, conduct, over-time policy, employee complaints and grievances handling, career and growth opportunities, leave policy and performance appraisal.
•                Increase employee engagement, motivation and retention, also reduce attrition, turnover of employees. Accelerate pathway to growth and productivity of the new hire and the organization.

Figure 03.benifits of new employees 

05.Common Problems With Onboarding New Hires

05.1. Misleading Job Descriptions

05.2. Little to No Pre-Boarding

05.3. The First Day

05.4. Neglecting Feedback

05.5. Providing Quality Information for New Employees

05.6. Establishing Goals and Expectations

05.7. Neglecting to Explain Your Employee Onboarding Software

05.8. Giving Too Much Information Too Quickly

05.9. Staying Consistent

05.10. Addressing Cultural and Generational Differences

05.11. Assuming New Skills Won't Need Refreshers

05.12. Onboarding Information for Individual Roles

Figure 04. Common problems of new emplyees 

Conclusion 

Onboarding is important because it acclimates employees to their role, the company's philosophies, and what the company has to offer. It also engages employees, creating workers that are committed to the company's success and helps retain new hires by making them feel like a member of the team.

Referenses

01.https://unboxedtechnology.com/blog/importance-of-new-employee-onboarding-process/#:~:text=Onboarding%20is%20important%20because%20it,one%20that%20encourages%20professional%20development

02.https://www.emptrust.com/blog/benefits-of-employee-onboarding/

03.https://content.wisestep.com/advantages-disadvantages-downsizing-employees/

04.https://elearningindustry.com/employee-onboarding-strategies-transforming-new-hire-experience/amp

05.https://pyjamahr.com/employee-onboarding-process-a-step-by-step-guide/

06.https://hitechgazette.com/ways-to-on-board-new-employees/amp/

07.https://www.creativesocialintranet.com/problems-faced-by-employees-and-hr-in-onboarding/