Crafting the Perfect Employee Onboarding Experience

What's In Your Onboarding Passport?

'86% of new hires decide whether to stay or leave an organization within the first six months...New employees are 69% more likely to stay longer than three years if they experience well-structured onboarding. 'Aberdeen Group Study

Employee onboarding is your new hire's passport to joining your organization, or as we like to say, becoming a new member of your neighbourhood.

For Human Resources and hiring managers alike, having an effective onboarding process in place sets new employees up for success. By making your new team member feel welcomed and helping them get up to speed quickly, they can become productive, contributing members of your neighborhood.

Best Practices for Employee Onboarding

Here are some tips from the Society for Human Resource Management on ways to make a new employee’s transition a great experience.

• Implement the basics prior to the first day on the job.
• Make the first day on the job special.
• Use formal orientation programs.
• Develop a written onboarding plan (or passport as we like to say).
• Make onboarding participatory.
• Be sure your program is consistently implemented.
• Ensure that the program is monitored over time.
• Use technology to facilitate the process.
• Use milestones, such as 30, 60, 90 and 120 days on the job—and up to one year post-organizational entry—to check in on employee progress.
• Engage stakeholders in planning.
• Include key stakeholder meetings as part of the program.
• Be crystal clear with new employees in terms of: Objectives,Timelines,Roles &Responsibilities

Superhero Tip from Adam Czarnecki

• A copy of your org. chart which includes a photo, position, and contact info for each person
• A copy of the performance appraisal that their manager will be completing with them
• A welcome card or visit from senior management on the employee's first day
• A glossary of industry terms to help them get up to speed on your industry's vernacular
• A list of upcoming training they they have been enrolled in (and add it to their calendar too)

Adam Czarnecki is the Human Resources, Health & Safety, Information Technology Manager at GreatWest Kenworth in Calgary.

For even more insight, check out our infographic below.

Additional Employee Onboarding Resources

1. How to Get a New Employee Up to Speed via Harvard Business Review
2. How to Wow New Employees via LinkedIn
3. The Orientation: Treating New Hires Like Distant Travelers from Other Countries via Adam Czarnecki, People Management Superhero