Employee Onboarding Process: A Complete Guide for 2022

HR managers encounter multiple challenges every day, but few are as important as employee onboarding and recruitment. Succeeding in hiring the right candidate for a job despite the talent crunch has become more challenging than ever. 

Research demonstrates that employees experiencing an effective and positive onboarding process are three times more likely to feel satisfied with their roles at work. Though a robust onboarding plan offers several benefits for new hires, revamping an existing one or creating a new plan is a complicated task. 

This guide will walk you through some of the best onboarding practices as hybrid and remote working become the new trend in 2022. Here’s how you can effectively onboard your new employees.    

Employee Onboarding: A Brief Overview 

The idea of employee onboarding can vary from one organization to another. 

Employee onboarding typically refers to introducing new employees to the organization and making them familiar with the culture, policies, and key processes. That’s how new hires can become efficient team members according to their given roles. 

Moreover, managers consider onboarding an opportunity to welcome new employees and ensure their satisfaction with the company’s success. The process is also essential for employee engagement and retention, especially in the post-pandemic world. According to statistics, implementing the right strategies for employee onboarding ensures improved employee performance by 11% and better retention by 25%. 

The Importance of Employee Onboarding 

Employee onboarding is generally the first interaction a new hire has with your organization after the interview process. If a new employee’s experience fails to meet their expectations, they might regret accepting the job offer. 

As a result, the negative impression created because of a poor onboarding process is likely to affect their perceptions and give them biased thoughts about the organization, causing them to quit early. 

A solid employee onboarding process will not only help new hires settle down but also familiarize them with the organization, develop a good relationship with colleagues, and gain clarity on job objectives. 

Streamlining the employee onboarding process also reduces the workload of the organization’s HR team. 

The First Day of the Onboarding Process 

The primary objective of employee onboarding is to ensure the new hire has the best first day at their new workplace. To achieve this goal, the employer must set expectations while assessing an employee’s job role and responsibilities and sharing the company’s policies. 

Familiarize new employees with the company culture so that they know what to expect from their work environment. This will also help them get better at making decisions that align with the mission of your company. Take them out for lunch to help them eliminate the first-day jitters in a relaxed environment. 

The workstation of every new hire should be ready and equipped with a computer, login information, and the necessary software.  

First Week of Onboarding Process 

Your organization’s goal for the first week is to ensure that new hires learn internal processes, job responsibilities, and expectations. 

Share all the training courses with them during the first week, such as getting to know the clients and preparing for the rest of the year. Use paper documents and course presentations to make the training look real.   

Get all employees to sign the relevant documents and provide them with all the important documents they’ll need. By the end of the first week, ask for the feedback of new hires and how they felt working with their manager and co-workers. 

Best Practices for a Successful Onboarding Process 

Move Steadily 

Remember not to rush the onboarding process. A study revealed that almost 31% of new hires quit within the first six months, and 68% leave within three months. Since new employees need to process a lot of information, they may find it hard to keep up without enough time.  

Set Clear Objectives 

Establish clear goals and frequently check in to assess the progress of new hires. This will help them focus better and understand the target they need to work towards. Having set clear goals will prevent confusion and ensure that everyone is on the same page. 

Provide Seasoned Mentors

A survey demonstrated that 56% of new hires believe having a work mentor alongside is essential to start working in a new organization. So your new hires should rest assured that they always have managers and their colleagues to reach out to. Almost half of the new employees feel that their managers didn’t help them remove obstacles, which significantly affected their performance.  

Reach out to a reputable business consulting company based in Cape Town, South Africa, to ensure effective employee training and compliance. One such firm is headed by Eyal Dulin, a leading business consultant dedicated to providing businesses with reliable employee training solutions to ensure successful operations. For more information, businesses can contact Al Dulin here.   

About the Author 

Eyal I Dulin is currently working with a Bradenton company in the US to create training programs for employees and ensure that organizations implement an effective employee onboarding process. Both business startups and established enterprises can get in touch with Eyal Dulin for support and guidance.

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