ONBOARDING The most important transition?

Transcription

1 ONBOARDING The most important transition?

2 Introduction There is much at stake when a new hire fails to meet expectations. What is often not fully appreciated is that starting a new role is an important and often challenging time of personal transition. Usually the focus is on the practical, rather than the emotional support required at this time. The benefit of effective transition support is frequently underestimated, adversely impacting on meeting early performance objectives and longer term retention. The business environment continues to be ever more challenging and competitive, so ensuring that all employees perform at the highest levels, both as individual and team contributors - and that they are fully committed and aligned with organisational goals and values - is even more critical in the case of new hires. The majority of companies expect the new employee - in whom they have usually invested considerable time and resources to hire - to hit the ground running and begin making an effective contribution quickly. A well-structured onboarding support programme plays a critical role in helping new hires begin to add value rapidly, setting a strong foundation for developing and retaining a productive workforce. Really effective onboarding support is about much more than straightforward orientation and welcome. It should be viewed as part of an overall talent development strategy which provides a range of integrated, well-planned, and highly tailored support for both external new hires and internally promoted employees. Done well, the organisational and personal benefits of transition support for new hires can be significant, with positive impacts on productivity, retention, employer reputation and commercial success. This paper explores the key elements in supporting the individual to make an effective personal transition. It deals with the emotional and psychological aspects of this important career event rather than the processes and techniques of induction and orientation, which are already well known. Key considerations in an onboarding transition process 1. Recognise the difference between onboarding and orientation. 2. Be realistic about the timescale 3. Provide onboarding transition coaching to accelerate productivity 4. Onboarding transition support should not only be limited to the new employee 5. Understand the business case 6. Don t underestimate the impact of what a new hire may have left behind. 7. Onboarding support begins before they start 1

3 Onboarding involves providing support for both the personal and organisational transition, which can be a longer and more complex process than is often understood. 1. Recognise the difference between onboarding and orientation Orientation is an event, usually completed within the first few days. Most companies have a standard check list - car parking, building pass, staff canteen, kitchen, dress code, payroll admin, health and safety briefing, HR information etc. Often this is supported by a buddy system designed to help the newcomer feel welcomed and valued. This is very important in creating the right first impression of course, but its impact quickly wears off. Onboarding, on the other hand, involves providing support for both the personal and organisational transition, which can be a longer and more complex process than is often understood. 2. Be realistic about the timescale It may take up to a year for the newcomer to really feel part of the team and to make a fully effective contribution. A good onboarding support process, whilst aiming to get the new employee fully productive as quickly as possible, will also allow for different learning styles, whilst providing tailored emotional support to address concerns, improve confidence and accelerate effectiveness. The organisation itself may also have to make adjustments as the new employee begins to make an impact, particularly in the case of new leaders and senior employees. With new leaders especially, transitions are periods of opportunity, a chance to look at things with fresh eyes and to make positive changes in an organisation. The early months are also a time when many new employees may feel uncharacteristically vulnerable, as they lack the collateral of trusted, established working relationships and a detailed understanding of the business. Often they are reluctant to express concerns, fearing damage to their credibility. Ensuring that there are regular milestones to achieve at say 30, 60, 90 and 120 days can keep performance on track and set realistic expectations for both parties. 2

4 Support should be tailored to the skills and experience of the new employee and the context within which they have been employed. 3. Provide onboarding transition coaching to accelerate productivity Often, the early stages within a new job will undermine confidence. Supporting the individual through their personal transition, helping them to create coping strategies and providing direction, can make a tangible difference to outcomes ensuring return on investment more quickly. Unique Personal Transition ANXIETY DENIAL EMOTION ENERGY GROWTH FEAR REALISATION Can I cope with change? It will all go away if I just ignore it I am feeling a strong reaction to this How will it affect me and mine? ACCEPTANCE I have come to terms with the change I can see what I need to do I am motivated and doing what I need to do This is working and has helped me to... Endings Neutral Zone New Beginnings Working Transitions 2014 The range of emotional responses an individual experiences when starting a new job is very similar to those experienced during any significant change to life circumstances, such as redundancy, bereavement or relocation. There will be a period of adjustment in the early stages as the individual is faced with the reality of the change. They may feel anxiety about whether they are capable of the job, if they can fit in with the new culture, or with new colleagues - despite best efforts, new starters can feel very isolated. After a period of time they will start to feel more settled as they establish the necessary working relationships and become more confident in the role and what is expected of them. Only after progressing through these initial, sometimes painful stages, can they progress to the point where they add genuine value to the organisation. So how does coaching help and support transition? Every individual will experience the transition differently so there is no off the shelf coaching programme to support onboarding transition. Support should be tailored to the skills and experience of the new employee and the context within which they have been employed. Understanding this context is key. For example, an employee making the move from a large corporate organisation to a small privately owned company will experience entirely different transitional challenges to a previously home based worker moving into an office based role. An individual moving to a more senior role at a new company will face greater transitional challenges than if they were just moving to a more senior role within the same company - not only will they have to cope with the challenges of stepping up a level, but they will also have to adapt to a new company culture. Consider too an individual used to working with easily available, high quality management information systems to support decision making, who is faced with a new environment where information management is poor and data is unreliable, it s likely that they will struggle to meet their own expectations and may quickly lose confidence. In many cases, the skills and experience explored at interview and that formed the basis of the decision to hire may take a very long time to be demonstrated without the appropriate support. 3

5 Sometimes people are unable to make the leap into the future as a result of holding on too tightly to the past - continuing to do what they know makes them feel more confident and in control. Usually people need to acquire some new skills and knowledge to make them successful in a new role and this learning can be hindered by a fear of failure and a reluctance to ask for help. This can be especially true for people moving to a senior role. The provision of early onboarding coaching support can alleviate many of these issues and be the start of a career-long coaching programme. When offering coaching it is important to ensure that the coach can help the individual to diagnose the transitional challenges they are facing, explore behavioural preferences and how these may help or hinder them in their new context, as well as develop a clear, tailored action plan to becoming productive. A small coaching investment can produce valuable returns. 4. Onboarding transition support should not be limited to the new employee Often, the appointment of a new team member requires a change within the team. This may be due to a reallocation of responsibilities, or a change to the structure and reporting lines. As a result, existing team members may be too focused on their own situation to be able to provide peer support during an onboarding process. In addition, if the new employee is in a newly created role or working pattern that hasn t existed before e.g. an apprentice or a part-timer, the wider team may struggle to know how to support them effectively. It s important to recognise what wider support may be required within the team to ensure the successful integration of the new employee. The appointment of a new leader is particularly significant. Not only should onboarding support be considered for him or her, it is also something the entire team may benefit from as they will be impacted by the change process the appointment of a new leader often brings. Questions the team will be asking include: What are the leader s expectations? How do they differ from current expectations? What impact will that have on ways of working? How will the team adapt? Depending on the context of the appointment, there may be resistance to the new leader, or unrealistic expectations, that a focus on supporting the leader alone is unlikely to address. Team transition support before and during the onboarding of a new leader can often help the focus to remain on business as usual and prevent problems later. 4

6 In 2008 only 22% of companies offered coaching to support onboarding transition, compared with 31% in Understand the business case According to a recent CIPD survey 1 almost 80% of employers experience challenges in retaining staff. The most commonly used method of addressing this (over 45%) was to improve the induction process. In 2008 only 22% of companies offered coaching to support onboarding transition, compared with 31% in The report comments, This method [onboarding] clearly targets the retention of new employees... it can be a low cost way of preventing new employees leaving within the first few months and is likely to have additional benefits in terms of aiding orientation and early productivity. Most employers have an idea of the average cost of a new hire, however the calculation usually does not take into account the wider cost implications and impact on customer relationships, or team effectiveness of a new employee failing to deliver. Factoring in all of the associated costs can often produce a surprisingly large figure. In the case of senior executives there is often very little time allowed to gain credibility, build trust and confidence and positively impact the organisation. When a senior hire leaves within a relatively short time it can be very expensive. In his book, The First 90 Days, Michael Watkins states that the cost of turnover is 14 times the base salary for those earning under $100K. Watkins further describes the financial impact new hires have on an organisation by describing what he calls the breakeven point. The Breakeven Point + Contribution 0 Value Created Value Months after entry Consumed Breakeven Point Net Contribution = 0 - Reprinted with permission of Harvard Business Publishing. From The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter by Michael D. Watkins. Copyright (c) 2003 by Michael Watkins; all rights reserved. Harvard Business Review Press, This chart shows how when a person is new in their role, they are learning and so are consuming value for the first three months. After three months they start to add value. However, according to Watkins, value added only starts to exceed consumption of value after 6.2 months - the breakeven point. Obviously the commercial benefits are clear if an individual can reach this break-even point earlier. Good onboarding support can enable this. 5

7 People often make the decision to leave rather than address the problem, but the underlying issues may remain unresolved and can continue to have an impact on their performance in their new job. 6. Don t underestimate the impact of what a new hire may have left behind TIme ENDING, LOSING, LETTING GO THE NEUTRAL ZONE THE NEW BEGINNING 1. Letting go of the old ways and the old identity people had. The first phase of transition is an ending, and the time when you need to help people to deal with their losses. 2. Going through an in-between time when the old is gone but the new isn t fully operational. We call this time the neutral zone : it s when the critical psychological realignments and repatternings take place. 3. Coming out of the transition and making a new beginning. This is when people develop the new identity, experience the new energy, and discover the new sense of purpose that make the change begin to work. Reprinted with permission of Nicholas Brealey Publishing. From Managing Transitions: Making the most of change by William Bridges. Copyright 1995 by William Bridges; all rights reserved. Nicholas Brealey Publishing, As William Bridges says in his influential book, Managing Transitions, all new beginnings start with an ending. It s important to understand and acknowledge what new employees may have left behind and the impact that may have on how quickly they are able to engage with their new organisation. If someone has pro-actively sought out a career move - although it may be for positive and progressive reasons - it could also be due to other more complex scenarios. Often a candidate will not disclose that they have recently suffered a difficult workplace related issue, perhaps they have been bullied or harassed, or overlooked for promotion. In these cases, people often make the decision to leave rather than address the problem, but the underlying issues may remain unresolved and can continue to have an impact on their performance in their new job. If their job transition has been forced, due to redundancy, or business closure, they may still feel angry or resentful. A forced transition can often lead people to accept a job quickly without proper reflection. If no transition coaching was provided during their job search process then offering some transition support during the onboarding process can help them to effectively come to terms with the past and ensure that they are energised, engaged and focused on the future. 6

8 The pre-employment phase is a perfect opportunity to start the process of a successful transition to the new workplace. 7. Onboarding support begins before they start During a recruitment process there is usually a flow of positive information exchanged on both sides and it is important to leverage this feel-good factor. The pre-employment phase is a perfect opportunity to start the process of a successful transition to the new workplace. During this period, there is time for reflection and consideration before the new starter s schedule becomes too crowded. Keep the dialogue flowing and ensure that the new hire is included in relevant communications, news and meetings whenever possible. Invite them to any internal or external events that the company is involved in and allow them to meet with as many key stakeholders as possible. Provide an opportunity for them to meet with a coach or mentor to explore any concerns or areas of uncertainty and begin to identify where support may be required in the early stages. It is good to spend time discussing current organisational strategy, goals and challenges and prepare the newcomer for any immediately challenging issues they may face. If anything has changed since the recruitment process the new hire should understand the reason for the changes and what impact this may have on their role. For employers and employees, the early stages connected with new employment are usually filled with high hopes and expectations. Understanding the personal transition process of all stakeholders at this time and ensuring tangible, practical support can make a meaningful difference in delivering those hopes and expectations. Onboarding is an extremely important career transition point and one which,when given the appropriate level of attention, can provide significant commercial and personal benefits. References CIPD Resourcing and Talent Planning Survey Further reading Managing Transitions: making the most of change, William Bridges, 3rd edition, Nicholas Brealey Publishing, 2009 The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Michael D Watkins, Harvard Business Review Press, 2003 Managing Careers: Theory and Practice, Prof Yehuda Baruch, 1st edition, Financial Times/Prentice Hall, 2003 Resilience: Bounce back from whatever life throws at you, Jane Clarke and Dr John Nicholson, 1st edition, Crimson Publishing, 2010 Making Sense of Change: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change, Esther Cameron and Mike Green, 3rd edition, Kogan Page, 2012 Essential Career Transition Coaching Skills, Caroline Talbott, Routledge,

9 Who are Working Transitions? Working Transitions is one of the UK s leading transition specialists, offering high quality, cost effective Outplacement, Redeployment, Change Management, Onboarding, and Career Management services to organisations across the UK and beyond. Our flexible, unlimited support ensures that each individual achieves their goals and manages their career effectively. Our expertise ensures that the organisations we work with manage their productivity, reputation and risk during periods of change. We provide tailored support to individuals or teams at key transition points throughout the career lifecycle as illustrated below. Working Transitions 2014 Why organisations choose to work with us Choosing the right partner to help you manage your organisation s next change and transition project is critical to success. Here are a few reasons why our many clients return to us repeatedly: Our responsive and pragmatic style - our team knows how to get things done; even for short notice turnarounds the quality of delivery will be as good as something that has been months in the planning. Our experience and track record - we understand that requirements change and unlike many of our competitors we have the agility to adapt our services to meet your changing needs. Our guarantee to support each individual until they achieve their desired outcome - the online and remote coaching part of our service doesn t stop until individuals have achieved their objectives. Our pricing - our modular approach means we can be highly competitive with options to suit any budget. We give you full transparency of costs and activities through our management information tool, MiTracker. For more information about how Working Transitions can help your company please contact Heather Walker or Tracey Reed on heather.walker@workingtransitions.com tracey.reed@workingtransitions.com visit us at 8

10 A CAREER PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL FIRM Contact us T E. Working Transitions Limited Alexandra House Queenswood Office Park Newport Pagnell Road West Northampton NN4 7JJ