Onboarding New Hires: How to Get Them Quickly Up To Speed, Engaged and Productive

Is your hiring and onboarding process costing you unnecessarily? Did you know

• Nearly 1/3 of people are job searching within six months of employment?
• Almost 1/3 of externally hired executives miss expectations in the first two years?
• With 10-15% annual attrition, companies lose about 60% of their entire talent base within four years?

Introducing an on boarding program into your hiring process can mean the difference between retaining top employees or watching them walk out the door after several months. Companies that implement an effective on boarding program during the first three months of the new hire employment experience will have 31% less turnover than those who don’t according to the Aberdeen Group. 
Onboarding is important because it introduces the employee to the company’s culture and expectations and gives the employee a vital training and information needed to succeed in their new position. Also, a new hire’s compatibility or culture fit will likely be determined during the onboarding process. This can save the employer from a prolonged investment into the wrong person.  
A strategic onboarding plan can dramatically impact your business. Investing in an onboarding process will help reduce turnover and increase new hire effectiveness. An onboarding program isn’t just a routine checklist; it should be a comprehensive process that makes the new employee as well as the company confident they made the right choice and confident they can succeed in their new job. What does yours do? And do you even have an onboarding program?

• Recognize the difference between orientation and onboarding: They are not the same, you need both
• Identify the building blocks of an effective onboarding program: The 4’Cs: Compliance, Clarification, Culture, Connections
• Review a toolbox of six best practices, with real-world examples, for implementing an onboarding program in your organization  
• Understand the responsibilities of three key stakeholders: Executive Management, Human Resources, and the new hire’s Manager 
• Learn why managers are the key and how they contribute to the success of your onboarding programs 
• Make sure you know the 5 key questions new employee have that need to be answered quickly to avoid disengagement 

You have made your decision about whom to hire. You’ve gotten them excited about their new job. You’re excited about what they can bring to your team. Now what? Onboarding is important because it introduces the employee to the company’s culture and expectations as well as your department’s culture and expectations.  In addition, it gives the employee the vital training and information needed to succeed in their new position.

An onboarding program isn’t just a routine checklist; it should be a comprehensive process that makes the new employee as well as the manager confident they made the right choice and confident they can succeed in their new job. Also, a new hire’s compatibility or culture fit will likely be determined during the onboarding process. This can save the company and the manager from a prolonged investment into the wrong person. 

• High-tech
• Health care
• Financial services
• Oil and gas
• Manufacturing
• Insurance
• Pharmaceuticals
• Hospitality
• Education
• Government
• Non-profits

Marcia Zidle is a board-certified executive coach, business management consultant and keynote speaker, who helps organizations to leverage their leadership and human capital assets. She has 25 years of management, business consulting and international experience in a variety of industries including healthcare, financial services, oil and gas, manufacturing, insurance, pharmaceuticals, hospitality,government, and nonprofits.She brings expertise in strategy and alignment; social and emotional intelligence; executive and team leadership; employee engagement and innovation; personal and organization change management. She has been selected one of LinkedIn Profinder’s top coaches for the past 5 years.