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September 2006
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ìItís kind of like being the new kid wherever you
go, whether itís in school or a new job, or
whatever. You just have to find your way.î
-Fred Miller, Chicago Bears offensive tackle
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Vol. 1 No. 9
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Welcome
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Summerís a memory. The kids are back in school.
And if your child started school for the first time,
you know the experience has the potential for being
stressful, even scary. Besides your own support,
thank goodness for the great school systems and
teachers out there who make this major milestone
enjoyable, while preparing the newbie for what lies
ahead. And speaking of new beginnings. Whatís
more stressful than joining a new companyóstarting a
new job? How did you survive the first few days,
week, or first month in your new job? I
still remember my first day at a new job. Some 30
years ago at the then worldís largest advertising
agency, J. Walter Thompson Co., in New York. One of
my first instructions that day was, ìWe donít talk
about business on the elevator, or mention clients
in restaurants.î I was so nervous, I hardly spoke
at work for at least a month after that.
Les Gore
Managing Partner
Executive Search International
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Getting On Board with Onboarding
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How to create a positive new employee experience.
In the talent management universe, the new employee
orientation and mainstreaming process is known as
ìemployee onboarding.î And because a wise person
once said, ìYou never get a second chance to make a
first impression,î your business should be
absolutely sure that new hires feel welcomed,
valued, and prepared for what lies ahead during your
new employee orientation, or onboarding
process. The following four key points will
help you get your newest team members on track, up
to speed and ìon boardî so they can start
contributing to your success as soon as
possible.
- Familiarity Breeds ContentmentStart
by letting your new hires know there is a corporate
family tree, and encourage them to visit the ìWhoís
Whoî area with photos, names and titles on your
company Intranet. Offline, a simple bulletin board
with staff pictures, names and positions will get
the job done. That will help avoid prevent
embarrassing situations such as the new person who
asks a stranger for help with the fax machineóonly
to discover later that he was the CFO.
- Keep It Simple and Interesting
The
employee onboarding period can be quite complex and
uncertain. Consider the experience from the
employeeís perspective, and then make an effort to
make it fun, interesting, exciting, painless, and as
simple as possible. If you do, youíll make your new
team member feel valued, wanted, interested and
excited. Establishing these positive emotions at
the get go make new employees want to do great work
and add great value to your organization.
One
easy solution is to post new employee orientation
schedules, materials, benefits forms, and an
extensive FAQ about the company on an Intranet that
is accessible to new hires from a link in a welcome
email before their first day on the job. Provide
this information in advance to eliminate a common
source of new hire angst and give people a better
chance to start off on the right foot.
- Donít Make New Employees Learn ìThe Hard
Wayî
Every workplace comes with its own set of
rules and regulations, benefits and bonuses, nuances
and traditions. For example, if your company
observes a ìcasual Fridayî rule, make sure all new
employees know this before they show up at the
office on their first Friday in a neatly pressed
suit (hardly likely, these days).
Every
company offers a range of benefits and perks.
Theyíll seem even more valuable if you make sure
your new employees know about them from the onset.
Give them an easy way to keep track of exactly what
theyíre eligible for, and how they can take
advantage of these benefits.
This applies to
social functions as well as benefits packages. If
your company plays in a corporate softball league,
let the new guy know right away. Welcoming the
whole person will help new hires more quickly
assimilate to your corporate culture. And who
knows? Maybe that unassuming new marketing analyst
will be the secret weapon that your team needs to
shut out your fiercest rival?
Again, post
policies and procedures in writing somewhere
convenient. Verbal mentions during a marathon new
employee orientation session can easily go unheard,
especially on a new hireís first day in the office.
Similarly, a stack of papers and reminders can
easily get lost in the shuffle. An online resource
that is regularly updated, and always accessible,
may be the best practice when it comes to
information sharing.
- Make New Employee Orientation
Personal
Donít make day one all about
paperwork. Instead, prioritize interpersonal
relationships with key colleagues. Consider
assigning welcome mentors to each new hire, so they
can immediately get a feel for the personality of
your organization. This day of first impressions
will have an enormous impact on the employee
experience, so make it a good one.
Of course,
some paperwork must be handled on or before the
start date. Keep in mind that when your new hire
goes home and tells his family about his first day
on the job, he would rather have something more
exciting to report than, ìI filled out over 30
forms.î
When it comes to documentation, get
the key documentation on file in advance or as
quickly as you can on day one. For everything else,
create an online hub where new hires can find
materials, as they need them. Then, periodically
send a reminder email that certain materials are
available online, and encourage them to frequently
visit the Intranet for information.
When it
comes to onboarding new talent at your company, the
Internet may be the most powerful tool in your
toolbox. A web-based employee onboarding system can
let you standardize, streamline, track, and
coordinate every step of the process, all the while
making your companyís most recent hires feel valued
and supported.
You already know that happy
employees are more productive employees. So, if
youíre looking to drive bottom line results, get
ìonboard.î
Check out the great job
Crutchfield does in its company story and
orientation video.
The information contained in this
article is
attributed to SilkRoad
Technologyóa web-based talent management
solutions provider, with head quarters in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
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30-Second Survey/Results
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Do you have a ìnew employeeî orientation
process?
Click
here to take the survey, weíll
show results next issue. In our last
survey, ìDo you have work teams?î, two-thirds said
no, one-third said yes.
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Feedback
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Share your comments with me personally or with
your colleaguesóabout this article or any other
ideas you have. Please email: les@execsearchintl.com.
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Executive Search International