What is employee onboarding process?

Some companies confuse the term onboarding with orientation . However, orientation is just the initial, formal introduction, whereas onboarding is a more collaborative approach to building long-term, happy employees. The term “onboarding” is also known as “organizational socialization.” The onboarding process is usually a series of events that can last up to a year if implemented properly. It’s a technique you can use to ensure new employees acquire the vital knowledge, behaviours, and skills to become effective members of your team.

What is employee orientation?

Employee orientation is usually a one-time event used to welcome new hires and get them familiar with their colleagues, environment, and workplace culture and mission. A great way to include employee orientations during your onboarding process is by hosting an informal orientation event, such as a lunch or after-work gathering. An orientation event is a perfect opportunity for your management team to welcome new employees, get them acquainted with the team, and explain a bit about their role in the company.

Why do you need both orientation and onboarding?

The onboarding process and orientation are not synonymous like many people believe. You need orientation to help get new employees to get immediately familiar with the company’s culture and mission. And you need the onboarding process to help your new hire be comfortable in their new environment and understand their responsibilities so that they can perform at their absolute best. Combining new employee orientations with your onboarding process can help build understanding, job satisfaction, good morale, and dedication to the company. Recent studies show that 1 in every 25 new employees leave their jobs because of a disappointing onboarding experience. That said, a well-planned onboarding process is your key to fostering employee retention and commitment to excellence.

Make the most of your onboarding process in 7 steps

Any successful onboarding process requires time, effort, and a commitment to being genuine. New hires often base their outlook of the company on what they see and feel during their first few weeks. So, it’s crucial to include employee orientation in your onboarding process to make them familiar with your workplace policies and procedures. The onboarding process is your chance to establish a great working relationship with your employees. Follow these 7 steps to make the most out of it:

1. Prepare your staff for the arrival of a new employee

Set aside time to announce your new employee prior to their expected start date. You can make this announcement during a staff meeting or through email—either way—it should clearly express things in a welcoming manner. Be sure to include the employee’s role, some history about their experience, their responsibilities within the company, and some encouragement for all staff to make the new employee feel welcome. Preparing your staff in advance will better prepare them for helping the new hire out on their first day.

2. Set your new employee’s workstation up for success

An important part of making your new employee feel welcome is setting them up for success. This not only gives a great first impression but also makes them feel valued and enables them to perform their best. So, set them up with any tools or equipment you think they may need, then take it one step further and ask them if they can think of anything else you can supply them with. Showing your new employee that you care about their comfort and success can go a long way toward making them feel appreciated, which, in turn, leads to loyalty.

3. Create administration access prior to their start date

Preparation during the onboarding process is key to your new employees’ positive outlook of the company. So, it’s crucial that you ensure your new hires have access to all necessary programs, electronic files, and software on their first day itself. It shows them your commitment to helping them succeed and your readiness to hand over control of their position. It is a mistake to miss this step. If you have poor administration access, it will slow their training process and ability to get work done and make them feel like you weren’t organized or ready for them.

4. Introductions and employee orientation

Introductions play a big role in helping your employee understand your company’s operations, how their role fits in, and who and where to go when they need something. Being able to put a face to the name makes things less overwhelming and uncomfortable for them. It’s understandable that all your staff may not be readily available for introductions and orientation on your new employees’ first day, but try to have your key employees there. These key employees are the ones who will supervise, mentor, and train your new employee. It will also show your new recruits that you’re proud of your work family.

Once you are all done with introductions, set individual meetings between your new hires and key employees to have them go over the formalities of the company. Here are some ways this can be helpful:

• HR can review and guide your new employees through mandatory paperwork and answer questions they may have.
• HR can also give them an overview of your company’s benefit plan, vacation, breaks, sick time and absence policies.
• If you have a health and safety committee, have one of the members thoroughly review the company’s policies and procedures for new employees. This should include a tour of the workplace where applicable.
• The office manager can help set up administrative procedures like login credentials or software instructions.
• The employees’ direct manager or supervisor can introduce them to your company’s mission, values and vision.

5. Arrange an employee orientation event

This is where we get to the fun stuff. Plan an orientation event within your employee’s first work week, such as a team lunch or an after-work gathering for them and their immediate colleagues. Doing so will provide a more informal environment for your new employee to better get to know their team. And this goes both ways—your staff will get to know your new employees a little better too. Moreover, when your new hires feel welcome on both the professional and personal levels, you’re more likely to set them up to be happier and more dedicated employees.

6. Don’t rush the training process

Dedicate your employee’s first week to training even if your new recruit has experience from their previous job. After all, no two companies are alike. All companies have different processes, procedures, rules, strategies, commitments, expectations—the list goes on. Take the time to fill your new employees in on everything they need to succeed within your organization. This kind of onboarding strategic plan will ensure your new employees feel comfortable enough to ask questions and learn everything they need to perform at their best. It’s helpful to assign them a mentor to make their transition easier.

7. Prioritize your follow-ups

This one is the most important of all seven steps in the onboarding process, yet the most overlooked. Commit to doing a routine check-in with your new hires. You can start with the first week, then do 30, 60, and 90-day check-ins, or whenever you think is appropriate. Regardless of when you choose to do this step, the most important thing is taking the time and interest to ensure your employee is happy. Meet with them regardless of whether they’re doing a fantastic job or if there are areas that could use some improvement. The point of this follow-up is not to evaluate your new employees but to have the opportunity to learn how your onboarding process went through your employee’s eyes. There may be a chance that they could offer some insight into how you can implement an even better onboarding strategic plan. That said, this last step is crucial for bringing together everything you’ve done throughout the onboarding process. It shows your employees that you genuinely value, care and are invested in them.