An effective onboarding experience engages new employees, builds confidence going into their role and sets them up for future success. But you only get one chance to make a good impression, that is why it is important to get it right.
Research suggests that a good onboarding experience can improve employee retention by up to 85%. But what does successful onboarding training look like?
For an onboarding experience to be successful you need to think about your long-term goals. Yes, onboarding training is an initial introduction to your company, however, it needs to go beyond first day musts and cover all parts of life in your organisation.
Here’s what to expect from an onboarding experience:
Role and responsibilities – an in-depth explanation of day-to-day responsibilities and where they fit in the company structure.
On-the-job training – training to give a new hire the chance to learn and practice the skills and competencies they need to engage in their new role with success.
Staff benefits – information around career advancement paths, bonuses, healthcare, holidays, and pension plans.
Health and safety induction – safety training that covers all the necessary knowledge to keep employees safe and ensure compliance with regulations.
Security training – this informs employees about professional ethics, harassment laws, and industry guidelines.
Company culture – sharing your company’s vision and values familiarises new hires with your culture leading to a greater sense of purpose and belonging.
The benefits: the importance of getting onboarding right.
One of the biggest benefits of onboarding training programmes is higher staff retention rates and lower recruitment costs. If new staff have a positive onboarding experience, they can adapt to their new role faster and immediately feel valued and respected in their new workplace – boosting morale and keeping motivation high.
It’s important to streamline the onboarding journey as much as possible so recruits remain engaged and positive throughout. It’s essential that you predict what questions new hires might have and make sure those are answers within their onboarding experience. This way employees can hit the ground running and there are less disruptions when they are finding their feet in those initial first few months, freeing up senior team members’ from time-consuming queries.
Introducing new starters to team members early helps new employees feel comfortable and inspires good communication habits from the start, leading to happier, more productive, and successful teams.
An organisation is only as great as its people, so welcoming new hires into your organisation and setting them up for success from day one, sets up your business for continued success.