Onboarding is the process in which new hires are integrated
into the organization, but so many organizations are missing opportunities in
their onboarding practices according to a recent survey.
A
survey was conducted of 350 HR leaders and the results were that 76% of
respondents said they are not effectively onboarding their new hires. 47% of
respondents said their onboarding program successfully retains new hires. Even
worse, 24% said they have no onboarding program at all. The survey was conducted by Kronos Inc., a workforce management
technology provider, and the Human Capital Institute (HCI), a talent management
association based in Cincinnati.
The reasoning behind why companies should focus
on the importance of onboarding is strong. “Starting a new job is exciting
… yet it’s also a time of apprehension and uncertainty where new hires meet
colleagues, learn new processes, and understand how to make an impact at their
new organization,” said Malysa O’Connor, senior director of the HR and
payroll practice group at Kronos. “Organizations that succeed in capturing
that enthusiasm while minimizing other challenges will gain a competitive
advantage.”
Lack
of an onboarding process can lead to lower productivity, higher employee
turnover and lower employee engagement. Leaving new
hires in a “dead zone"—not communicating with them between the time
they sign the offer letter to the first day on the job—can lead to
disengagement before they even begin, said Marc Solow, managing director of
Deloitte Consulting LLP’s human capital practice. "These new recruits may
fill those silent gaps with their own thoughts and start questioning their
importance to the company and the fit of their new role."
Orientation Is Not
Onboarding
When organizations develop onboarding programs, they do not
necessarily meet their primary goals. Although 62 percent of respondents
said their primary goal with onboarding is to integrate employees with the
workplace culture, this is not proportionally reflected in the programs’
results. Culture integration accounts for just 30 percent of the onboarding
process for managers and just 27 percent for nonmanagers, according to respondents.
Most of onboarding activities consist of
completing paperwork such as benefits and compliance. Most of the practiced
onboarding activities according to respondents are reviewing rules and
regulations (75%), providing an overview of the company (73%), and resource orientation
(62%).
Both paperwork and human interaction are
important to include in onboarding processes. Sharlyn Lauby, president of ITM
Group Inc, said "Paperwork is necessary for compliance and it gets new
hires paid, which employees like. Human interaction builds trust and
engagement. It’s about doing both strategically.” Lauby also suggest
to get paperwork out of the way by completing it digitally before the employee’s
start day.
Automate the Process
Heavy time constraints tend to be a major reason why mangers
neglect their onboarding. Lack of tools and digital onboarding processes also
tend to be reasons why managers don’t practice proper onboarding processes.
Automating your onboarding process or outsourcing your onboarding can help
managers find time to prioritize how they take on new hires.
How Long Is Long
Enough?
More than half (53 percent) of employers with
onboarding programs have set them up to last between 30 and 90 days, according
to the study. For 37 percent of respondents, onboarding ranges from a few hours
to a week. Just 10 percent have onboarding programs lasting a year or that are
ongoing.
Longer
onboarding programs help to promote better employee
engagement, employer reputation, percentage of diverse hires, quality hires,
and internal hires and promotions. Onboarding practices must ensure that they
are carried on past to the first week to make sure the new hire is connected
socially and supported in their transition time.
Don’t
miss an opportunity that effective onboarding can have for your company. Converge
HR Solutions provides premiere HR services that cater to your company’s needs. We offer full HR support, including recruitment, job
descriptions, and the onboarding process. With help from our experienced human
resources team, we can develop and implement an effective onboarding process to
make sure your company is preparing new hires for their roles in your
organization. For more information about how
Converge HR Solutions can best serve you, please visit our website at https://convergehrsolutions.com/ or contact us directly by email at info@convergehrsolutions.com or phone at 610-296-8550
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