It is a tight labor market. The focus is on how to hire employees to meet your business needs. We get relieved when offers are accepted and check that task off our list. Then we move on to the next priorities and think about our new employee again the day before they start. At that point we pull together last minute information and resources. But by doing so, we risk losing the employee we just spent time recruiting and hiring.
Onboarding is important.
Here are some interesting statistics published by CareerBuilder. Businesses with a structured onboarding process has 32% lower turnover and 43% higher efficiencies. In addition, employees are 49% more engaged in their work and have 48% more trust in the organization. Wow. Just wow.
A successful onboarding plan continues until the employee is functioning in their role. This will depend on the role, but typically would be at the six month point. There are specific objectives that should be achieved at each point — and activities within that timeframe should align with those objectives.
Onboarding Plan
First Day Goals
- Tour of Office and Workspace
- Introduction to Team Members
- Overview of Company, Values and Business Goals
First Week Goals
- Performance Expectations and Measures for Success
- Meetings with Key Team Members
- Access (building, email, phone, etc.)
First Month Goals
- Understanding of Company Culture
- Meetings with Key Customers and Clients
- Training on Key Tools and Processes
First Three Month Goals
- Understanding of Routine Processes
- Understanding of Current Performance Compared to Expected Performance
- Ability to Complete Most Aspects of Role
First Six Month Goals
- Understanding of Current Performance Compared to Expected Performance
- Ability to Complete All Aspects of Role
- Plan for Continued Development
It is ideal to have a consistent process that you use every time you hire a new employee. Copy this list, paste it into a document and save as ‘Onboarding Plan’. Done.
Tips:
- Set up the meetings before the employee starts and provide the calendar to the employee. The meetings should include touch points with you for each of these timeframes, at a minimum, as well as meetings with key team members and clients. The plan loses some of the impact if the new employee feels that it is a last minute process. And let’s admit, it makes you look good.
The more tailored the onboarding plan is to your organization, the more effective it is at reducing turnover and increasing employee engagement. While this draft is a great start, contact us at People Spark Consulting if you would like assistance in creating a consistent onboarding process tailored to your business.
