Onboarding: The Road to Long-term Success

Let’s start at the very beginning…

What is onboarding? What isn’t it?

It’s NOT a one-day event.

It’s a process.

It starts before the start.

And continues for 30…60..90…365 days.

It’s focus is NOT only about what the new hire does.

But how it fits in with what the company does.

It’s goal is to…

Ensure successful assimilation into the organization from a business, situational, and cultural standpoint in order to develop and sustain an effective workforce.

That sounds like a lot of work. Why bother?

Do you remember being the new kid on the block? How did it feel?

What are some of the negative impacts of that approach?

Increased turnover.

Costly mistakes.

Low productivity.

Slower ROI.

Increased risk of accidents and injuries.

In other words…a negative impact on the bottom line.

So who is responsible?

Responsibility is shared.

Okay, so how?

“Set the table” before the new hire starts.

Create a plan and manage it at key intervals.

Involve others.

Clarify roles and responsibilities.

Provide regular feedback (feedforward).

Anticipate, identify, and remove potential roadblocks.

Tailor the program to each individual.

Doing that will ensure we’re all heading in the same direction.

Any questions?

Cornerstone OnDemand (2007). Strategic Employee Onboarding: First Impressions Are Everything. www.dresserassociates.com/pdf/whitepapers/Strategic-Employee-Onboarding-First-Impressions-Are-Everything.pdf Human Capital Institute (2011). Best Practices for Onboarding: Ensuring Successful Assmilation. www.dbm.com/ca/en/doc/onboarding.pdf

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