How to Create an Onboarding Experience that Supports Employees’ Success

Organizations have invested a lot in creating bold strategies and tactics to attract top talent. Unfortunately, things tend to fall apart after that. Once employees are hired, generic and ineffective onboarding experiences take over to deliver a frustrating and confusing first impression that does nothing to set new hires up for long-term success.

• Only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job at onboarding new employees

• After experiencing onboarding, only 29% of new hires say they feel fully prepared and supported to excel

So what good is all the effort to attract the best employees if you don’t also work hard to keep them once they start?

Onboarding is an unquestionably important time in a new hire’s tenure. While they’re excited and eager to take on a new challenge, they’re also vulnerable and anxious to see evidence to validate their decision to join the organization. A successful onboarding process is just that – a process, one that takes into consideration each employee’s unique role and needs. It’s more than just a day to give new workers a tour of the office, a team lunch and a chance to fill out the required paperwork. Instead, it should be treated as an opportunity to demonstrate competitive advantage, to reaffirm the employee’s decision to come on board, introduce them into the culture of your business and set them up for long-term success.

So how do you create a better onboarding process that lives up to the impression you created before new hires were brought on board?

A good place to start is by taking an employee-centered approach that makes it easy for workers to answer the questions they’ll undoubtedly have during the first days and weeks on the job:

1. Where do I find the resources I need to get set up, such as forms, trainings etc.?

2. What’s the best way to find corporate announcements so I can feel connected to the organization?

3. How can I ask questions when my manager or teammates aren’t available (this is especially important for employees who are onboarded remotely or who don’t have a role that’s located in a corporate office every day)?

4. What options are available if I have issues with technology or HR processes?

5. Where do I find all the systems I need to do my job, and how do I use them?

Ultimately, the success of onboarding all comes down to building a process that focuses on people rather than processes. To make sure your onboarding process sets your workforce up for long term success, check out the Ultimate 8-Step Checklist for Creating an Engaging and Effective Digital Onboarding Experience.