The How, What, When and Why of On-Boarding

Transcription

1 The How, What, When and Why of On-Boarding An ebook By Debbie Edmondson Cohesion Recruitment

2 What is On-boarding? On-boarding is a really key part of your engagement process, and needs organisational buy-in from the top to give your new employees a great introduction to their new place of work. However, it sometimes gets missed (or given less attention than it needs) as many different departments and stakeholders are needed to get it right.

3 So, whose responsibility is it? Typically on-boarding sits between Recruitment Teams, HR Teams and Hiring Managers. It s easy to think someone else in the organisation has on-boarding covered, but in truth EVERYONE should take responsibility. People make assumptions and it s important to put them straight How do I create my on-boarding strategy? Firstly, think about what you want to achieve. An on-boarding strategy should follow seamlessly from your recruitment process, continuing the great experience of your organisation that you ve given your new employee so far. You ideally want all new employees to feel welcomed, involved and engaged at all times, so think about how you can make that happen and use feedback from your existing workforce, new starter surveys and exit interviews to point you in the right direction. When does on-boarding start? The on-boarding process starts during your recruitment process, with the experience new employees receive contributing towards their ongoing engagement with you. Therefore the interaction an employee has when progressing through the recruitment cycle (and then from offer to start date), is key. On-boarding doesn t stop once the new employee s start date has passed, a good strategy will continue well into their first-year of employment

4 What you will need to. do:

5 Remember that on-boarding starts during the recruitment process- Get your offer and contract paperwork out quickly, make yourself contactable to answer questions, and if there are going to be any obvious delays in your new employee starting (eg. through a long notice period or processing of background checks), then keep in contact regularly and keep them updated on progress or holdups Be consistent- You need to ensure that promises made during the recruitment process are the reality, ensure that the culture you described when they applied for the role does actually exist, and keep managing their expectations so that there are no surprises. Employees are less likely to be early leavers if you do what you say you do, are authentic and show that you care about the experience they receive on joining your organisation Sink or swim doesn t work for everyone- Ensure you have a specific role-appropriate plan in place, for training and induction, and get your new employees engaged in your mission and values early on. Remember that it s in your best interests to get your new employee up and running as quickly as possible, so regular bite-sized chunks of training (rather than all in one day) helps to reinforce understanding. Think about what skills, knowledge and expertise your new employee needs to have in order to do a good job, and take it from there Be organised- Make sure colleagues are responsible for their parts of the on-boarding process, to ensure nothing falls through the cracks. There s nothing worse than an employee arriving on day 1 and having no desk to sit at or PC to work from! (Sometimes colleagues don t realise they need to be involved in on-boarding of new employees because they expect them to arrive with the full compliment of skills already in place, so it s important to manage their expectations too)

6 Have a tailored plan- Offering a variety of experiences in the first few weeks is ideal maybe visits to other teams or off-site venues, joining in with meetings (even if only to observe), invites to social events and introductions across the business are all key to feeling included. Leaving the new employee isolated can lead to them leaving you in the early stages of employment On-boarding should last for more than a week! Typically your on-boarding strategy should cover the time it takes to get your new employee fully productive, so the more time you invest in giving a great on-boarding experience, the more quickly they can get to that fully productive status for you

7 On-boarding matters A strong on-boarding strategy leads to employees becoming more productive, more quickly. Engaging with them throughout their early contact with you means that you can ensure expectations are met (or even exceeded), and they start with you on day 1 already with a great impression. Touch-points should be plentiful and meaningful throughout your recruitment and on-boarding processes, to ensure your candidates and employees feel important. So many organisations describe their people as their greatest asset, so it s worth taking the time to give your greatest asset, your greatest employment experience.

8 A little bit about us Cohesion is a leading recruitment services provider.. Our total recruitment philosophy means we deliver services which include and are not limited to: Recruitment campaign End to end recruitment process outsourcing Talent pool cultivation and Internal referral process Volume recruitment campaign Tailored assessment and selection Bespoke recruitment technology Hiring manager recruitment training Strategic direct sourcing New media engagement strategies Contingency workforce Locum bank recruitment and New starter and retention surveys Graduate, apprentice & trainee recruitment To find out how we help you make a significant impact on recruitment, contact Lee Burman on