The Expert’s Guide to Successful Onboarding
Thomas Eklöf from Bossanova People Agency is a lecturer and author, well-known in the Swedish HR society. We had a chat with him during a webinar, where we got insights on how to master the onboarding process. Let’s get the onboarding process in shape together!
The first 6 months set the tone
When you hire someone new, the goal is to make that person thrive in their role. You want them to stay with the company for a long time. To invest time and resources in recruitment processes that do not result in successful hires is both exhausting and comes with high costs.
86 % of all employees decide whether or not they want to stay in the company during the first six months . So it’s not a good idea to relax once the employee signs the employment contract. Instead, focus on delivering a great onboarding process. That way you can maximize your chances of having a successful recruitment.
What characterizes a well-executed onboarding process?
“I have worked in HR for several years. Checklists are good – but only if you use them”, says Thomas.
“The HR department wants to create good conditions, but sometimes we might lack understanding of the managers’ realities. What challenges do they face? How can we tailor the conditions to ensure they have successful onboarding processes?
Thomas continues:
“For me, the onboarding process starts with the preboarding. The period from signing the contract to the first day is crucial. Then the onboarding continues.”
So, you need to stay in touch and be accessible for questions that new employees might have before they start working.
In the beginning of the process, onboarding is mainly about getting all the practical stuff in place. You want to help the employee get a good start. However, soft values are equally important to incorporate in the process.
“Most important is to create solid relationships. What culture characterizes the workplace? How do we communicate this to the employee? Sometimes this is hard to describe, you need to learn as you go.”
The different stages of onboarding
The starting point may be different for different companies and individuals, but the onboarding structure should be consistent.
The practical
Start by going through all the practical things the employee needs to know about the workplace and the employment. Communicate how things work, like:
- Schedule and time reporting
- Tools and tasks
- Contacts and responsibilities
This phase is critical if you want to get off on a good start. As newly employed you want to get started and contribute as soon as possible, and practical details should never be in the way of that. The practical part of the onboarding process may not be mostly important in the long run, but it definitely helps make the first days and weeks a little less stressful.
“I’ve heard examples of new employees getting their computers and phones handed out after a short introduction around the office. But they didn’t get enough information to actually start working. That is very stressful,” Thomas says.
“You want to participate and contribute, and you don’t feel valued as a colleague if you don’t get the right conditions in the first place,” he continues.
At the same time, there is always a risk of getting too much information.
“We all know how it is – you feel absolutely drained after the first week at a new job. A lot of employers do the other way around and put too much pressure on the new employee. They just want to get the onboarding over with and everything moves a little too fast,” Thomas continues.
“It’s hard to find a balanced structure, regardless of how big or small the company is. Too much responsibility is put upon the managers who already have a lot on their tables. Sometimes the onboarding is just impossible to prioritize.”
As an organization you need to create the right conditions for a good onboarding by setting up a process that works. Think of it as a long term project that should be evaluated over time.
The welcoming
To make new employees feel welcome, make sure you do this:
- Presenting colleagues and show them around the office
- Tell them how you communicate with each other and between different departments
- Make social plans for the new employee – walks, lunches and casual meetings
It’s hard to make sure the cultural part of the onboarding is happening.
“Early in my career, I walked into the office on the first day of a new job and two lines of people stood in the hallway applauding me. It was a little frightening, but also amazing! What a lovely attitude, that everyone should be welcomed with warmth and joy. You want to create that feeling,” Thomas says.
The practical part of the onboarding process is about making sure the job can be done and getting control over the new situation. The cultural part is about relationships.
“Book lunches and meetings with important people before the first day, so that the employee feels welcomed and valued from the start. It’s important to establish good working relationships early,” Thomas says.
When the honeymoon is over
To make sure the person the person is thriving the first six months, you need to:
- Continually ask for feedback on the process and their progress
- Remind colleagues and managers to continue including new employees
- Tailor the onboarding process based on their work experience
Don’t stop booking meetings, remind colleagues to have a coffee with new employees and remember that you feel new at work for a pretty long time.
“You need to keep reminding people. It doesn’t need to be dedicated meetings, a coffee break or a question about how things are going is often enough. How does it work, do you feel ok, do you need anything, did we miss telling you anything, those kinds of things,” Thomas says.
The frequency of check-ins may vary.
“You need to tailor each onboarding process individually. If you have many years of work experience, you might find it easier to find your place at a new office. As someone relatively new to the job market, you may want a bit more guidance,” he continues.
How long should the onboarding process be?
The onboarding is different for different companies and roles.
“Most common is that the onboarding process continues for 3–6 months. Some companies have an onboarding process that is up to a year long. It’s up to you,“ Tomas says.
Use Hailey for better onboarding processes
We are aware that there are many things you need to consider when welcoming a new employee to the company. Has the computer been ordered? Has the manager fulfilled their part of the process?
As an administrator, you can easily set up a workflow to manage your onboarding related tasks in Hailey. That way, you can keep track of who is responsible for the next step in the process. The system automatically reminds colleagues and managers of what is expected of them during the onboarding process, so the HR department can feel assured the new employees are being welcomed in a good way.
