Feature
Onboard and engaged
Matt Borg’s top five tips for using online tools to build a balanced onboarding programme that impacts engagement and retention
found that 22 per cent of staff turnover occurs in the first 45 days of employment. And this is an expensive loss, estimated to cost the organisation at least three times the individual’s salary. Thinking more positively, over the past two decades research has repeatedly shown that when new employee ‘onboarding’ is done correctly, it leads to higher job satisfaction, increased engagement, lower turnover, improved performance, career effectiveness and lowered stress. Increasing numbers of companies are turning to web technology to support their onboarding programmes, seeking the benefits of efficiency and consistency that online portals can deliver. But how do you balance the drive for efficiency with the need for new starters to establish ‘people connections’?
N Offer pre-boarding
Give new colleagues access to your online portal before they start, as during this stage they are eager to know more about your organisation and their role in it. Share information about the company’s vision and values, as well as examples of the kinds of work your new colleague will be doing. Research published in the Massachusetts
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learningmagazine.co.uk
How can an online portal help your business or organisation deliver this balanced onboarding programme that impacts retention and engagement?
ew employees decide whether they feel at home or not in the first weeks in a company. Research conducted by The Wynhurst Group
Institute of Technology’s Sloan Management Review indicates that while most onboarding programmes are designed to get new colleagues to conform, the better approach is to encourage them to retain their authenticity and signature strengths.
Add a human touch
Connecting new starters socially is a key aspect of successful onboarding programmes. Use your portal to schedule on-the-job mentoring meetings at several milestones in the first six months. These meetings can be signed off by managers along the way.
Face-to-face orientation events offer opportunities to connect with peers and organisational leaders, as well as gain cultural insight. Use your online portal to assist with face-to-face event booking and management, enabling you to deliver induction topics in whatever mode suits the subject.
Design blended role-based starter packs Clarity on what’s expected in the role has a big impact on the new colleague’s productivity and retention.
Use your online portal to create ‘role starter packs’ that can be assigned to new colleagues. Starter packs should include PDFs or web links to job descriptions and role profiles, video interviews with peers in that role, or a description of key competencies and behaviours that the role requires. Providing clarity on where the new colleague
might progress in the future is also important. Consider creating a career pathway resource that shows how a new colleague could grow and take on new roles and responsibilities with the company. You might want to start with your
Support line managers Line managers are key to building clarity, culture and connections for the new colleague, and your support of these managers is critical. Set your portal to give your managers access to up-to-date progress reports as colleagues engage with your induction programme. Alternatively, schedule reports for automatic delivery to the team or department managers who need to monitor progress with induction.
Exploration and self-directed learning Providing the right start for your new colleagues pays big dividends in productivity, retention, engagement and customer satisfaction. Society for Human Resource Management research reveals that new employees who attended a well-structured onboarding orientation programme were 69 per cent more likely to remain at a company for up to three years. Using an online platform can allow you to deliver a balanced, blended onboarding experience that ensures your people get the best start possible. n
Author Matt Borg
Managing partner at Acteon
knowledgecentrelms.com
most critical roles, or particularly where you have high turnover and ‘at risk’ roles.
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