How to Ensure a Smooth Onboarding Program in Q1

Every onboarding program has hiccups. However, it is up to employers to ensure a smooth experience for new hires to keep employee retention and performance at the levels they should be. Here’s how to ensure you get the new year off on the right foot with an effective onboarding program in the first quarter.

Onboarding Is Not as Smooth as Most People Think

Almost half of people who go through onboarding come out the other side with no real gains. Only 52% say they were satisfied with their most recent experience. They feel undertrained and unprepared — and perform worse as a result.

Although many employers feel confident about their workplace’s onboarding program, the results are often less than stellar. Minor hiccups like ineffective communication or excess independence lead to long-term snags that impact performance.

Common Onboarding Program Challenges

Sometimes, onboarding causes more issues than it solves. For starters, many people feel like their employers do not genuinely listen to them. Ineffective communication and a lack of feedback are standard pain points. Admittedly, many think companies need to be more receptive to their suggestions.

Also, many new employees face an overwhelming amount of work when they begin a job. Generally, information overload and a towering amount of paperwork are standard complaints. Moreover, things like high expectations and too much independence only compound the issue.

It is also common for people to finish their program feeling undertrained. After all, 26% of employers only take one week to onboard new hires. As a result, employees feel underprepared for their new roles.

Unstructured, low-quality onboarding processes make new hires feel frustrated and overwhelmed. Consequently, they feel unhappy at work — they may even want to find a position elsewhere. At the very least, it leads to underperformance and poor integration with the company culture.

Every onboarding program faces challenges. However, that does not mean you cannot do anything about them. In most cases, you only need to make a few adjustments to your usual routine to improve your chances of success.

How to Ensure Smooth Onboarding

Although every onboarding program has its hiccups, there are multiple methods employers can use to ensure the process goes as smoothly as possible.

1. Use Pre-boarding Procedures

During the preboarding process, you send the new hire any tax forms, nondisclosure agreements, employment contracts and direct deposit paperwork they need to complete. Getting the administrative items out of the way before onboarding begins minimizes the potential for information overload. Best of all, you will have fewer hiccups later on with payroll and company systems.

Considering an unstructured orientation is such a significant pain point, a clear schedule is crucial to a smooth process. After all, employee retention rates improve by 82% thanks to a quality onboarding program. On your end, you should plan the new hire’s starting routine.

2. Improve Job Clarity

Since a lack of role clarity is a common onboarding challenge, provide the new employee with a document outlining their job description, everyday duties, expectations and responsibilities.

Beyond that, it is also a good idea to provide guides detailing basic things like requesting time off or navigating the company app. Even digital natives will likely be unfamiliar with your company’s specific software. If they have something to reference, they will have fewer questions and be able to work independently sooner.

3. Refine the Onboarding Program

Sometimes, you must adjust your onboarding program to meet the new hire’s needs. Even though you might have a clear vision of how things should go, you do not want to overload them with work or set your expectations too low.

Keep notes on their performance and behavior so you can refine the process as you go. For example, you may notice they excel when you give them space rather than guide them.

4. Establish a Knowledge Baseline

Even if the new hire has an impressive resume, every employer should expect to do some level of on-the-job training. You must establish a baseline to identify what they have left to learn. Generally, a good rule of thumb for identifying knowledge gaps is to pose questions.

Sometimes, new hires do not know where to start because they are unfamiliar with their roles. In response, you should be very specific with your questions. For example, you can ask if they know how to use company software or who to go to if they need help with a task.

5. Establish a Skills Baseline

Although employers can technically progress through an onboarding program without identifying someone’s practical skill set, it is not ideal — it could make the new hire feel undertrained. After all, many people have skill gaps even when their resume seems to check all the boxes.

Choose relevant, actionable key performance indicators — like productivity rates or goal attainment — to understand where they need to upskill. Many metrics are industry-specific, so using those over general measurements is best. This process can give new hires a clear progression path and streamline the onboarding program.

6. Have Routine Check-Ins

Ensure effective communication by reaching out to the new hire. Regularly checking in helps them overcome obstacles and minor hiccups that would otherwise halt their progression. Best of all, it helps them build a personal connection with the company.

It is essential to pose questions during check-ins to see if they need additional support. For example, you can ask if they have enough resources or need more training in a specific area. Also, pay attention to and genuinely consider any feedback they offer during sessions.

7. Display the Company’s Culture

Employers who immediately integrate the new hire into the company culture see better future returns. After all, people who have a connection to the business will often work harder and commit more. Also, they usually feel more comfortable reaching out to colleagues for support.

Meetings, team activities and events are great places to bring new employees to get them settled in. At the very least, walking them around the workplace is a good idea because it gets them acquainted with everyone.

A Quality Onboarding Program Is Beneficial for Everyone

You benefit from a high-quality onboarding program as much as your new hires do — they feel happy and more prepared while you boost employee retention and performance rates. It is important to ensure the process is smooth in the first quarter to start the year off right.

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