The How, What, When and Why of On-Boarding
An eBook By Debbie Edmondson Cohesion Recruitment
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.
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
What you will need to .
do:
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 hold- ups
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)
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
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.
.
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 management
Volume recruitment campaign management
End to end recruitment process outsourcing
Tailored assessment and selection
Talent pool cultivation and management
Bespoke recruitment technology
Internal referral process management
Hiring manager recruitment training
Strategic direct sourcing New media engagement strategies
Contingency workforce management
Locum bank recruitment and management
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 07939 297 337.