Onboarding

Scope

Onboarding can apply to any workplace interested in increasing employee productivity.

Regulatory citations

• None

Key definitions

• None

Summary of requirements

Onboarding incorporates the basic features of the new employee orientation, which is a formal process that prepares employees to effectively perform the jobs for which they were hired. However, onboarding expands upon this basic approach and takes it a step further. The intention is to help a new employee (typically manager level and above, but can be used at any level) to get “on board” with the company, since a company only gets one chance to make a good first impression on a new hire.

Onboarding is part of a trend to provide broader leadership assessment, development, and coaching. It is not just about completing forms on the first day of work, but it is a business process that will lead to long-term results.

Purpose. Rather than just making sure that a new employee is settled, the goal is to retain talent by investing more time and effort into the orientation process. Of course a company wants the employee to feel comfortable, welcome, and supported. But it is also interested in minimizing the downtime in getting a new employee up-to-speed in a new job. Any effort to shorten the learning curve will pay off in the long run and as a result, decrease turnover.

By providing an employee with all the tools to become a productive and contributing member of the company, it will ultimately lead to employee satisfaction and retention. The goal is to integrate the new hire into the company as quickly and thoroughly as possible.

Research. The Corporate Leadership Council, a provider of Human Resources best practices research, executive education, and decision-support services, found in a recent study that highly engaged organizations grow profits as much as three times faster than their competitors.

Best practices. The usual practices of providing policies and procedures, employee handbook, benefits information, payroll forms, etc. are necessary steps in the process. But some companies that have gone beyond that have found other ways to engage a new hire. Some ideas include:

• Email an agenda to the new hire prior to the first day of work;
• Provide coaching on the company’s values and priorities;
• Discuss the objectives and goals of the new hire’s particular department;
• Assign a mentor; and
• Have supervisor meet with the new hire to discuss short-term and long-term goals.

New employee orientation is an important step — but onboarding takes it to another level. It attempts to embed the new employee into the company, as well as into the culture and behavior of the organization. Onboarding is continuing to emerge as an important management best practice in the Human Resources (HR) world today.