How an Effective Onboarding Process Can Benefit the Employee and Employer?

Most companies look at the employee onboarding process as administrative. They think of it as explaining processes to new employees and hence treat it as a chore. However, an effective onboarding process, apart from training a new employee and helping them adjust to their new role, helps the employee get a better hang of the culture and expectations of the new organization. The induction process is the perfect platform to communicate the best practices and benefits offered by the company. Ultimately, the purpose of onboarding is to ensure that the new entrants are comfortable and slip into their new role effortlessly. The onboarding process cannot be overlooked or avoided because it is critical to ensure that new employees get the knowledge, training and support that they need to succeed in their new role and become productive members of the team.

There are many benefits of a good onboarding program. Some of them are identified below:

Shortening the learning curve

The onboarding process shortens the learning curve for new employees and they get to learn what they are supposed to do and the process of how to go about it. A good onboarding process aided by proper technology helps a new entrant settle in very quickly and thus increasing productivity at work. Measurement of the success of a good onboarding process can be done by measuring how quickly the employee gets to work and settles down.

Building good communication channels

Irrespective of whether it is physical or remote, a good onboarding process must ensure that good communication channels are built and focussed on by new employees. A good onboarding process promotes a conversation between employees and their new bosses and an opportunity for them to ask questions. This builds a good rapport among people and ensures good communication between them going forward. A good onboarding process also paves the way for understanding about the career path for the new entrant and even helps them find mentors within the organization.

Performance enhancement

A new entrant may have the best technology at hand but without an effective induction process, the employee may not understand the culture, processes or have the knowledge of how to use the technology. Building proper relationships to forge cross-functional teams is also a huge benefit of the onboarding process. This enhances the performance of a team.

Building trust and reducing stress

Good communication lines get opened during the induction process where people can engage without fear of victimization or fear. This comfort builds trust among the new employees. Also, the fear of watching over new employees to ensure that they don’t make mistakes can be stressful. However a good onboarding process ensures that they have the right training and knowledge of how to work and can reduce the stress considerably.

Talent attraction and retention

A good onboarding process normally gets the new employee to talk positively about the company and recommend it as a good place to work to their peers. This builds the employer brand and attracts new talent. New employees often write reviews on platforms like Glassdoor about the company and are willing to refer new hires to join the workplace. A warm welcome and an easy transition from being a candidate to a new hire is critical for them to acclimatize and get comfortable in their new roles. Such employees are very likely to stay put in the company for longer durations.

Improving culture and bottom-line

Culture is dictated by ensuring that employees understand what drives the organization, its vision, mission and values. They must also understand how the company works and what disciplines are followed. The ability to work together in an engaged fashion is critical for a good culture to thrive. Assimilation of good culture enhances employee engagement and improves retention. Engaged employees go beyond their job descriptions and are driven by a sense of purpose which improves profits and productivity.

Conclusion

Companies must take onboarding seriously and invest in a good induction process. Technology can be used very effectively to improve the employee experience during onboarding and make the process very smooth. A good induction process must go beyond paperwork and PowerPoint decks. Interesting talks by leaders and innovative presentations about various achievements by the company must be included in the induction. Creating a company with a culture of happy and engaged employees has to begin with a good onboarding process. It is the first touchpoint a new employee has with the company that they are joining and therefore it is a very defining experience.