Welcome to our Myth Busters session, dedicated to onboarding! We want to show you that developing an effective onboarding process is critical and not just a “nice-to-have” but a “should have.”
In this session, we will look at the onboarding myths from two perspectives: “it’s not as…” and “it’s more than…” you think. Testing in three, two, one!
It’s not as…
It’s not as difficult as you may think
The process can seem gloomy if you are starting from scratch, but we assure you, it is not as difficult as you may think. The goal is to create a plan, set structure, and follow them. Once a good base is developed, it can be duplicated for employees to come. Think about the whole process as building blocks towards a stronger and more effective workplace. These building blocks of action can be transformed into automated journeys. For example, you can automate a process where each new employee receives an email 6 days before they start working and a text before their first day. Automate the monotonous and personalize the content wherever possible. Sounds tough? We have your back. Read our blogpost showing you step-by-step how to create your own personal onboarding flow.
It’s not as insignificant as you may think
Probably the most commonly believed among onboarding myths is that it does not matter very much. Onboarding has a massive impact on your organization both through company culture and financial impact. It is the direct indicator of whether your business will sink or swim as it influences productivity, engagement and increases retention. A recent study disclosed that one of the main concerns of CEOs are retention rates. Well, good news — a well-made onboarding process is your solution. In line with automating your onboarding as mentioned above, you can rest assured that your retention rates can increase up to 50%. See how significant an onboarding flow is now? We do.
It’s not as costly as you may think
Rather the opposite is true when you do not have a process in place. When you have a poor onboarding structure, you run the risk of wasting a ton of money on ineffective onboarding. Employees are looking to be engaged from the moment they begin a new job and the onboarding process does just that. Capture their attention and ease them into your company culture so you won’t risk losing a good hire. That costs a lot of money too.
It’s more than…
It’s more impactful on company culture than you may think
Both the onboarding process and building company culture are much more than “nice-to-haves.” Throughout the onboarding flow, HR Managers present the new hires with company values, mission and norms which depict the company culture. In this time, the new employee is introduced to expectations, begins to embrace company norms and starts to live out the culture.
The most crucial parts of this cultural introduction are in the days preceding their first day. This is a perfect time for management to share videos or content introducing the colleagues to the new employee. The first impression means a lot, which also means the first day on the job is crucial for them to see if what was marketed matches the culture they experience. Ease their integration by showing them around the office on their first day. Read more about the buddy system we recommend here. Overall, the onboarding process builds and solidifies company culture making it highly important in developing a lasting relationship with new employees.
It’s more than just delivering the offer letter
Truth is, the process has begun far before the offer letter and ends far after. In this process, you can either lose the interest and engagement of your employee or earn it and build on it. We suggest you chose the latter. Employees who experience a structured onboarding process are 69% more likely to stay with the company for 3 years. Did you catch that, we said “process.” The overall suggested timespan is no less than 3 months and up to a year. Invest the time to invest in your employees and rest assured, it will pay off.
It’s more customizable than you may think
That’s right! Personalization is ‘the new new’ and we stand by it. Every company has their own set of values, missions, and what they stand for, and their onboarding process should reflect that. Something that works for one giant company will most likely not work for a small facility management company. Ask yourself this: how do your employees work? The first simple analysis to do is to observe the way employees interact on the job (frontline or desk focused) and what they care about. Incorporate those learnings in your onboarding process. The same automation recommendation stands true for most companies but we suggest that you show your flavor and values in your own way. Need some help doing that? We wrote a whole blog, complete with a complementary checklist, to help you develop your own customized flow.
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There go the mistruths vanishing into the abyss. Let go of believing in these myths and develop an onboarding process that works for you.
Want some more resources to get you started? We put together a complementary in-depth employee onboarding guide diving into big and small things to think about as you create your onboarding flow. This will help you work through all the kinks and hiccups to come out with a better understanding of how you need your onboarding journey to look like.
