Onboarding, when correctly done, smoothly integrates new employees into the company, secures them an active spot on the team, and engages them from every angle. It results in a happy, productive, and loyal new hire. The picture swiftly changes; however, when onboarding is brushed aside with a welcome bag, here’s your cubicle, I’ll check back in a couple of weeks, and the guy in the next cubicle is Jake. The Human Capital Institute points out the following statistics:

• 20% of new hires leave in the first 45 days – a strong indication that the onboarding experience is crucial, especially considering the considerable time and cost investment lost.
• 69% of employees say they are likely to stay at least three years after a great onboarding experience.
• Experience-driven onboarding improves new-hire retention by 82%.
• Experience-driven onboarding boosts productivity by 70%.

Must-Do’s for Experience-Driven Onboarding

1. The onboarding experience begins the day they accept your offer. Welcome them to the company and immediately send them an email –include

• The timetable covering from then until their first day
• A list of what you will be doing and what you expect them to be doing between now and the first day
• All the preliminary forms and documents
• A get-to-know-you sheet for him/her to complete. Hopefully, you have already taken time to learn a little background in the interview process, but now that you have hired them, get to know them better. Even questions like “what’s your favorite music artist, hobby, social activity, etc.,” can help you when it comes to gifting, connecting then with a mentor at work, or even just introducing them to the team.
• Names and contact of those working directly with the new hire.
• Swag

2. Invite them to a welcome party – a chance to come in, be introduced, find out where their work area is located, and a view of company culture. And speaking of their workstation, ensure it is fully equipped. The more organized and efficient the welcoming team is, the more accurate and sufficient communication is – all before the first day – the more excited the new hire will be and the greater the motivation to stay.

3. On the first day, ensure the new hire’s direct supervisor welcomes them and conducts a more extensive tour. Provide all pertinent info, including:

• Their work email and the company communications platforms, such as Slack, Trello, ProofHub, Workzone, etc. (Hint: consider completing this step at the initial welcome party. Following the train of communication helps the new hire already feel like part of a team on day one)
• Access info to pertinent company information
• A cheat sheet of passwords
• A glossary of company terms
• An FAQ sheet

Connect them with a go-to person for questions, etc.

Discuss your expectations and map out goals for their first week, month, quarter.

4. Onboarding is ongoing – Providing goals (and metrics) on that first day is essential. It provides the new hire with the knowledge of what’s expected and how to proceed. Consistent follow-up to assess how it’s going, answer questions, and discuss concerns provides a healthy soil bed for the new hire to plant roots. Establish checkpoints for mini-reviews at two weeks, six weeks, and three months. Then, you can do a more extensive review at six months and one year before going to annual reviews.

5. Finally, recognize that there are multiple generations and a wide variety of backgrounds, ethnicities, preferences, etc., in your workplace. (If there isn’t, it might be time to build diversity into your team). Acknowledge, respect, and embrace these differences. New hires who experience a culture of inclusion from their first interview and on to their one-yr. review are much more likely to stay -and thrive, bringing another element of success to your company.

Choosing to create a positive, welcoming onboarding experience for your new hires will reap the rewards, not only in that all-important retention but also in company culture, innovation, productivity, and your bottom line.

Our team at The Robert Joseph Group are highly qualified professionals who offer our clients a targeted presence leveraged by deep industry knowledge and a wealth of contacts. With specialized experience, they truly understand the organizational needs of clients