Onboarding Strategies For Engagement And Retention

Onboarding should be a long-term experience, not just a few days' worth of orientation and training

Onboarding is one of the most important processes in the employee experience. According to SHRM, onboarding refers to a systematic and comprehensive approach to integrating a new employee with a company and its culture, as well as getting the new employee the tools and information needed to become a productive member of the team. 

Onboarding should be a long-term experience, not just a few days' worth of orientation and training. Additionally, how you navigate this process matters. A high-quality experience in the onboarding process can set the stage for higher employee engagement and long-term retention. Engaged employees feel a sense of belonging in their jobs, are more productive, and understand their purpose and importance to the organization and its goals. 
 

Employers, who know how to produce a highly engaging environment for employees, reap big benefits, experiencing a 25 to 59% decrease in turnover and 41% lower absentee rates. It is quite costly to lose employees. It costs time and money to attract, hire, train and develop new people, and it’s also a loss in human capital since your employees are taking their talents, skills, and experience elsewhere. Disengagement costs companies in the U.S. up to $550 billion per year. 

Automate Your Onboarding Process for Early Engagement

Since onboarding is a complete approach to getting employees adjusted to working in a new company, and its culture, consider how your organization can make the process engaging from the start. Onboarding is often thought of as a day of completing extensive paperwork and an orientation process. There are an average of 54 things for employees to complete during onboarding. Then, there is usually a gap in time between the point your employees are hired and when they start work.  

Automating this process can help keep new employees engaged, make them feel more prepared, and strengthen their connection with the company. Automation software can welcome employees, educate them on helpful things to know, organize all the new hire tasks, across different departments, employees need to do, and allow them to sign paperwork electronically.  

Automation saves organizations time and money. It also helps to make the employee’s first day more meaningful, by providing more time to interact with co-workers, learn about their workplace, and start training. 

Make the Onboarding Process Fun

A part of providing an engaging onboarding experience is making it fun. New employees may be excited to work for your organization, but they are in no way fully invested or loyal. In many ways, they are still assessing their decision to become a part of your team. Employees want to know that they are going to be working in a welcoming, and exciting environment. First impressions are lasting impressions, so friendly faces and warm welcomes are important, so they feel like part of the team.  

During onboarding, employees are likely to be learning more details about the company, their job tasks, and everyone else’s positions. Make sure employees clearly understand the importance of their role and can connect it with organization objectives. Lastly, connect employees with others, who can support them, such as a mentor, or a peer who has been employed for a while. 

Make Sure Onboarding Is Well-Structured

Make sure your organization’s onboarding process is well-structured.  It should be outlined in terms of time the process will take, the steps in the process, training needed, who will provide training, and methods for assessing how well the new employee is retaining what they’ve learned. Share this outline with employees. Many employees leave the initial steps of onboarding still feeling unprepared.  

A poor onboarding experience can lead to employees quitting sooner because it left a bad impression. Unstructured onboarding makes organizations look unprofessional and unorganized. Sometimes, there are aspects of employee positions that can’t be taught in initial trainings. There are many things that will be learned over time as employees get settled into their jobs. 

Still, these feelings of uncertainty can be mitigated by setting clear expectations about what the full onboarding process looks like and setting achievable milestones for when certain skills are expected to be mastered.   

Make the Onboarding Process Long-Term

Onboarding is often thought of as a short-term process that must be quick and streamlined so that employees are ready to work faster. Yet, data shows that the most effective onboarding experiences are well-organized and last up to a year. Your organization's onboarding process is related to how long employees stay with you. Therefore, many companies with shorter, impersonal onboarding experiences see higher turnover rates. These shorter timeframes do not provide enough time for employees to truly become invested in their positions and companies so that they stay.  

Just as organizations spend time nurturing customers or clients, time should be spent nurturing employees as well. While an employee may be fully trained and ready to work after a month or so, long-term onboarding allows management opportunities to check-in, evaluate employees, and provide support where needed.  

Your organization’s onboarding process can make or break employee engagement and retention. It’s important to incorporate onboarding strategies that make your company look good and keep new employees excited. Strategies, such as automating your onboarding process, making sure your onboarding process is fun and well-structured, and creating a longer-term process all provide a better experience for employees where they learn more and are nurtured. When employees feel knowledgeable and prepared, they are more productive, leading to a successful organization and a happier workplace. 

LaKisha C. Brooks, M.Sc., M.Ed, CDP is the Director of Learning and Development at Brooks Enterprise and Consultants, a Certified Diversity Professional, and a columnist for The DimEnsIons of Organizational Development: The Bottom Line of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. She also serves as a Coaching and Mentoring Advisory Board Member for HR.com, a Leadership Council Member for the National Small Business Association, a Master of Leadership of Science Administration Professional Advisory Board Member at Central Michigan University. Visit www.brooks-consultants.com  Connect LaKisha C. Brooks