Employee Onboarding – Day one matters the most

“Employee orientation centers, and exists to help the individual employee, but it is the company that ultimately reaps the benefits of this practice.”~ Michael Watkins.

The sign of a great organization is one that values and respects its employees. There is no denying that the entire tenure of an employee is very crucial, but having said that, it is also true that a large number of organizations fail to understand the importance of having an onboarding process. In fact, if statistics are to be believed almost 22% of organizations, even today lack proper onboarding process steps.

In this blog, we will look at why it is essential to have in place an effective and impactful onboarding process.

WONDERS OF AN OUTSTANDING ONBOARDING

Slashes Employee Turnover: One of the most common challenges faced by most organizations is that employees are getting pickier about where they work. This also means that almost 33% of new employees will start looking for another job within the first 6 months of working. This also means that today, to retain good people in the team, an organization actually needs to engage its employees by having in place a great onboarding routine. Employees will feel more connected to an organization and this is the first step to reduce the attrition rates.

Accelerate Productivity: The onboarding process helps new joining members to come up to speed with the flow and style of work. The faster they are able to understand the team and understand what is expected from them, the easier it will be for them to execute and achieve deliverables. Most organizations, it has been observed that those companies that don’t have in place an onboarding process checklist, the new hires take 8 to 12 months to get acclimatized and in reaching their optimum productivity levels.

A quick grasp of core responsibilities: A thought out and well-implemented onboarding process includes induction, product or process training plans for the new recruits. A training module helps most newcomers gain the confidence to carry out their responsibilities in line with business objectives. Training as per the modules designed aligns the new joinee with agility to the values and philosophy  of the company and also gives them an understanding of how to perform their day to day tasks productively.

Reduce newcomer’s anxiety:  Having butterflies and a tad bit of nervousness upon joining a new team and company is always natural. Most of this nervousness stems from the uncertainties of stepping into new waters and their own ability to bond with the existing employees and their acceptance as a team member. A proper onboarding routine providing all the desired information that a new joinee would be looking for would make way for swift and smooth alignment with their teams and managers. This will help reduce their anxiety and impact the overall performance.

Acceptance of procedures: It is important that all team members new and old are aware of the code of conduct and other formal procedures that a company has in place. An insightful employee onboarding regime will make sure that all new joiners not only understand the policies and the regulations but are also in sync with the same. A resistance or doubt to even a single policy could lead to discontentment which could hamper longevity of the employee.

Maintains a rich work environment:  An onboarding process is more than just rules, regulations, and completion of joining formalities. It is a holistic process that aids the new employees understand the very culture and work ethics that resonate in the organization. In the long run, taking along the new team members from the word go, with the help of this process ensures a friendly and open work environment as well.

The onboarding process steps that you decide to take totally depend on your work culture and the type of learning that you wish to imbibe. However, the important point is to make sure that you concentrate on giving the new team a planned onboarding day on day one so that they feel welcomed, and not just fit into but  blend into the organization, and together with the existing tenured employees they achieve success.

For more information and free consultation get in touch with our experts at info@emgage.work