Onboarding Tips for Managers

By Lisa Mullen, Global HR Operations Manager, Saba Software

Remember the days when recruiting and onboarding employees were labelled an “HR thing”? In a way, they still are, but in a much different and more powerful way. As the world of work continues to change, employers need to do more to help people be great at what they do. This means looking at the many different ways organizations have the power to create a great work experience for its people.

Bersin by Deloitte’s 2017 Global Human Capital Trends report explains the need to improve the complete work experience for employees by bringing together the various HR, management, and workplace practices that impact people. According to the report: “A productive, positive employee experience has emerged as the new contract between employer and employee. Just as marketing and product teams have moved beyond customer satisfaction to look at total customer experience, so is HR refocusing its efforts on building programs, strategies, and teams that understand and continuously improve the entire employee experience.”

Looking at a complete picture of the employee experience means considering all factors that contribute to employee engagement, contribution, and well-being. After all, every organization wants the best for its people. And this effort starts with the recruiting process and works its way through onboarding—something that many organizations still struggle with today.

Statistics from industry analysts like Aberdeen Group show that companies with little to no onboarding processes are less likely to retain employees, and only 32 percent of companies say that they have a formal process in place at all. In addition, a recent Glassdoor for Employers report shows that Clearly, it is better in the long-term to have a formal onboarding program in place.

Creating a meaningful work experience requires a delicate balance between the technology and analytics tools we have at our disposal and the personal connection that’s critical to talent management. Consider the role of a manager or team leader: They end up having the most one-on-one interaction with new hires, so their approach during the onboarding phase can greatly contribute to a more positive, complete work experience.

So, what can individual managers do to better onboard their new hires? Here is a checklist of simple things managers can do that go a long in way in providing new hires with a great onboarding experience:

1-2 Weeks Prior to Start Date:

• Call or send an email to your new hire sharing your excitement that they are joining your team.
  
  
• Get the paperwork process started with HR so all forms are completed prior to the employee’s first day.
  
  
• Ensure the new hire’s computer, email and phone are set up, and that his or her desk has all the supplies they’ll need. Decorating the white board with welcome messages from the team adds a nice personal touch.
  
  
• Ease first-day jitters by making sure the new hire has all the information they’ll need to know for the first day (e.g. schedule, parking details, security access, etc.)
  
  
• Add new hires to any newsletters or distribution lists ahead of time so that there are a few items in their inbox that they can review upon starting.

First Day:

• Send an introductory email to the team that provides background on the new hire. Include not only the employee’s experience, but fun facts that show his or her personality.
  
  
• Give the new hire a tour of the office, making informal introductions as you go. If your new hire is in a different office, it’s important for you to arrange to physically be there to greet them on their first day.
  
  
• Have lunch with your new hire and make sure they have a co-worker to eat lunch with each day of the first week in order to help build relationships.
  
  
• Deliver some branded company swag to the new employee or have it waiting in the office for when they arrive.
  
• Throughout the first week, schedule introductory meetings between the new hire and the colleagues with whom they will be working with frequently.
  
  
• Show your new hire how to use the company’s social and collaboration tools for connecting with colleagues and finding quick answers to questions, in addition to following the company’s social media channels.

First Week: 

• Give your new team member an opportunity to communicate their value early on. Ask about what will help them feel good about their work and talk about previous accomplishments and how they can find the same level of success or higher in their new role.
  
  
• Discuss short and long-term performance goals, starting the new hire off with some “quick-win” small projects. Additionally, discuss your new employee’s career goals, assigning opportunities that are aligned with both organizational objectives and his or her targeted career path.
  
  
• Plan 15-30-minute debriefing meetings at the end of each day for the first two weeks so that you can answer any questions that the new hire might have.
  
  
• Assign a mentor who can provide advice to the new hire for the first 30, 60, or 90 days.

First 90 Days:

• Ensure onboarding is integrated closely with learning and personal growth by connecting with the HR department to develop training and development programs to track the new hire’s progress.
  
  
• Check in with the new hire frequently, with more formal sit-downs at 30, 60, and 90 days, to ensure they are feeling comfortable and confident that they can accomplish what they have set out to do.
  
  Regular one-on-one meetings are important for all employees, but increasing the frequency during the new hire’s first 90 days can go a long way building a stronger relationship.
  
  
• Ask your new hire how his or her role compares to what they had expected and what was described throughout the interview process.

When recruiting and onboarding are part of a broader talent management strategy that support business objectives, companies can design and implement an effective onboarding program that engages new employees and sets them up for success early and often. The goal is to bring people on board and help them achieve success quickly. While we are all busy with our day-to-day work, taking the time to provide a great onboarding experience will help you understand what employees need bring their best effort to work on a consistent basis. The only way to do that is by getting off to a good start by introducing your performance management strategy up front and having regular conversations about learning and development and performance.

Lisa Mullen is the Global HR Operations Manager at Saba Software. She has over 15 years’ experience working in HR across various industries and specializes in employee relations, training and development, and recruitment.

Embracing Internal Mobility: How to Successfully Manage the Re-Hiring Process

By Lisa Sterling, Chief People Officer, Ceridian

Changing roles at work, or “transboarding,” is not a new trend. It is, in fact, a reality of today’s world of work. Several trends play a part, namely retiring baby boomers, the need to fill their positions, and a new workplace dynamic and work/life mindset at play. Organizations are staffing for project-based teams rather than lifelong employment, and employees are placing more value on the ability to move in and out of the workforce depending on their life situation.

When we talk about transboarding—or internal mobility, as I prefer to think of it—we’re not just talking about moving up the career ladder within the confines of one’s current workplace function. Apart from this natural trajectory, internal mobility also includes navigating teams, departments, projects. and/or geographical locations culminating in a new set of responsibilities, colleagues, managers, direct reports, partners, and expectations. 

A successful transboarding experience is just as important as a successful onboarding experience when it comes to sustaining employee engagement and retention. Transboarding is a leadership opportunity that requires a commitment to employees and an understanding of the importance of workplace culture, subcultures by function, fit, and the significance of personal touchpoints, to ensure a smooth transition and continued career success.

Here are some ways employers can prepare for transboarding and successfully transboard existing staff into new roles within the company:

•        Understand the vision and values of their new workplace function, which may be different from their previous function within the organization.
  
•        Offer technology and people resources to help them succeed.
  
•        Provide the educational opportunities necessary to manage and lead a diverse workforce while taking into account differences in geographical location, tenure, and personality.
  
•        Give clear expectations about what success looks like, from the beginning.

The above points are fundamental to a successful transboarding experience, but  HCM (human capital management) technology can also play an important role in enabling a seamless transition. Such a transition means cultural assimilation and engagement of an employee who is transferring roles and joining a new team—with connectivity, communication and collaboration. 

Here’s how:

•  Using single cloud-based HCM technology, create awareness of how the employee’s new job activities impact the overall company.
  
•    Leverage personal and team relatability surveys to understand how transboarded employees can work best with others and drive higher level of interactions between managers and employees and teams.
  
•  Automate the transfer of information into all HCM processes for accuracy, efficiency, productivity, and a seamless employee experience when transboarding from role to role.

By engaging transboarded employees as well as new hires faster, organizations can effectively build internal mobility into their culture, see a decrease in potential first-year attrition, and better enable employees to do their jobs. Through connectivity, communication, collaboration with HCM technology, and above all, a commitment by leaders to create a personalized and delightful employee experience, transboarded individuals have a high potential of remaining engaged, happy, and productive.

Lisa Sterling is the Chief People Officer for Ceridian, focused on executing the organization’s global people strategy combined with leading the vision of Dayforce Talent Management. Lisa originally joined Ceridian in June 2015 as Vice President of Dayforce Talent Management, responsible for global product strategy for Talent technologies. 

Infographic: 'Cultureboarding'

Today’s incredibly complex talent landscape will have a substantial impact on organizational success in 2016 and beyond. To achieve successful employee engagement, an organization must create experiences throughout the entire employee lifecycle, starting with a strategic onboarding process. 

An employee’s first few days with an organization are critical to not only getting them up to speed, but also creating positive initial impressions, which can affect their decision to remain with the organization long term. With 55 percent of HR professionals concerned with retaining talent, organizations must prioritize the onboarding process, introduce an era of “cultureboarding,” and focus on instilling workplace culture immediately. SilkRoad’s latest research and infographic examines best practices to increase engagement, improve culture and empower employees to advance organizational goals.

Tips For Successful Onboarding

by Nettie Nitzberg

Employee onboarding is a critical initiative for any size organization to invest in--from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. You never get a second chance to make a first impression, and your business should make absolutely sure that new hires feel welcomed, valued, and prepared for what lies ahead in their first few days.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor and Statistics, turnover can cost an organization 33 percent of an employee’s total compensation, which includes both salary and benefits. The last thing any organization wants to do is spend time, manpower sourcing, and money selecting the right person for the job only to have that person seek a new job within their first six months at the organization.

To avoid wasting time and resources, consider implementing an onboarding program that cultivates engaged, motivated, and happy new employees. To be most effective, this program should begin the moment the new hire agrees to come on board. At that point, new hires should be provided access to the company’s web portal, which will welcome them to the company; introduce them to the organization’s culture, history, and structure; and give them HR paperwork to review.  Providing the hiring manager and HR staff with a “New Hire Checklist” to prepare for a new employee’s first year of onboarding through administrative and development tasks--prior to the new hire’s first day on the job--can help set the right tone for this initiative.

A new employee should never feel like an afterthought, especially not on the first day. Post a welcome sign with the person’s name and title in the reception area, and ensure everyone is ready to welcome the new hire.  Additionally, set up a new hire’s desk, phone, computer and password logins before he or she arrives; also order business cards and arrange for systems training and other training pertinent to the job. Creating a “New Employee Welcome Toolkit” to outline their first year of onboarding can help set expectations as well.

On the first day at the company, arrange for the new hire to have lunch with the team or their manager.  Over the next several weeks, make sure that the new hire has meetings with key stakeholders. (Providing background information about these key stakeholders goes a long way toward putting a new hire at ease and allowing them to shine.)  Also identify a “transition mentor”-- someone who will be a go-to source for  – both formal and informal things related to the company.

On a quarterly basis--or perhaps more often--implement an onboarding workshop for new employees. This could cover information about new employees' roles within the global organization; an overview of mobility and career development within the organization; and education regarding training and development opportunities available to employees, including a focus on charitable giving. These workshops also help to create a community of new hires and allow new hires to meet one another and connect.

Additionally, it’s important to set both performance-based and personal goals for new hires. The hiring manager should have an initial conversation with the new hire so that they are on the same page and have follow-up meetings to ensure that goals are being achieved.

To gain the most from an onboarding initiative, make the process last one full year.  This way, the new hire has a full year of performance management tracking, goal setting, and acclimationand is positioned to succeed professionally and contribute to company goals. Remember, onboarding isn’t just for new hires; this initiative can be also be applied to those promoted internally, interns, co-op students, and especially senior-level executives.

Nettie Nitzberg is a recognized expert in helping global companies maximize their people investments, and is founder and principal of Boston-based West5 Consulting (west5consulting.com), which focuses on solving people problems that impact business success.  She can be reached at nettie@west5consulting.com.