A well-planned and interesting onboarding process helps draw in talent, engage employees, and expedite their rate of effectiveness. The ideal onboarding places the employee at the center of everything.

Inadequate onboarding makes it rare for employees to stick in the organization for very long. Talented individuals are prone to go, possibly due to receiving other job offers before accepting your offer.

Thus, a sense of loyalty to the organization and a sense of belonging at work are also swiftly instilled in new hires through structured onboarding. Furthermore, the goal of onboarding is to help your newly hired candidate reach their full potential and become fully committed to your company.

Let’s dive deeper into onboarding with more insights, practical tips, and inspiring ideas.

Why is onboarding important?

For good reasons, onboarding is becoming more and more crucial for businesses. Let’s begin by highlighting a few of the many advantages of onboarding.

A warm greeting and a customized onboarding process improve employee retention.
In almost 60% of cases, onboarding programs reduce the time to performance.
You can save a huge amount of money. Employees are an expensive resource for the business, particularly if they leave quickly.
Engaged employees bring in better outcomes. And, successful onboarding raises employee engagement by more than 20%.
The value of onboarding engagement is also important: Generate questions to create an employee onboarding survey that gives you insights into whether your new hires are getting what they need.

If you are looking to hire an onboarding specialist for your organization, check out our HTH guide and learn how to hire an onboarding specialist without any hassle.

What is successful onboarding?

The first ninety days of a new hire's employment are critical for the implementation of the optimal onboarding procedure. But how do you go about doing it? Here are some ideas for developing a methodical and interesting onboarding procedure.

The employee's onboarding process starts the moment they set foot in their new office and lasts for several months.
Recall that onboarding generates engagement even though it takes time.
It should be everyone's responsibility to welcome the new hires.
Don't forget to include some useful digital tools in your onboarding process.

How does the Onboarding Pyramid work?

The onboarding process can be effectively structured using the Onboarding Pyramid, which consists of three key steps: Administration, Assimilation, and Acceleration. Each of these steps plays a crucial role in ensuring the successful onboarding of new employees.

1. Administration: This initial phase covers all the essential administrative tasks, such as filling out paperwork, setting up workstations, and ensuring compliance with company policies.

2. Assimilation: During this stage, new hires are introduced to the company culture, team dynamics, and their specific roles. This helps them to integrate smoothly into the workplace environment.

3. Acceleration: The final step focuses on speeding up the new employee's journey to full productivity by providing ongoing support, training, and feedback.

In addition to these steps, the onboarding process also includes preboarding, which starts from the moment an employee signs the contract until their first day on the job. This phase is crucial for preparing new hires and setting the stage for a successful onboarding experience. You can learn more about preboarding employees here.

By following the Onboarding Pyramid, you can ensure a comprehensive and effective onboarding process that sets new employees up for success.

Also read: Employee Onboarding Surveys: 35+ Questions and Best Practices

How to create an onboarding plan?

Creating an onboarding process that makes new hires feel welcome and valued from day one is crucial for long-term employee retention. When employees feel they are joining something special, they are more likely to stay.

In fact, 94% of employees say they would stay longer at a company if they get a chance to gain some learning opportunities right from the start.

So, let’s move ahead and learn how to create a top-notch onboarding plan.

1. Invest in onboarding software

Onboarding can certainly be done manually, but many HR departments have discovered that adopting onboarding software significantly streamlines the process. Onboarding software includes different types of candidate sourcing, candidate engagement, and candidate screening software that helps to automate various tasks and consolidates essential elements into one central location, reducing the workload for HR personnel and enhancing the onboarding experience for new employees. With numerous options available, it’s crucial to evaluate different software solutions and choose one that best fits your team’s needs.

Pre-onboarding

2. Start with a warm welcome:

Ensure that new hires feel like they are an essential part of the team even before their first day. Send a personalized welcome email or package that includes a heartfelt message from the CEO or their direct manager, company swag, and any important documents they need to review. Providing detailed information about their first day, including their schedule, dress code, and who to contact if they have questions, helps ease anxiety and sets a positive tone.

3. Prepare the Workspace:

Make sure everything is ready for your new hires before they arrive. This includes setting up their workstation with all the necessary equipment like a computer, phone, and office supplies. Ensure they have access to all required software, tools, and accounts. A prepared workspace shows that you are ready for their arrival, makes them feel valued, and helps them start working efficiently from day one.

Orientation

4. Outline the onboarding schedule:

Create a detailed onboarding schedule that spans the first few weeks or even months, tailored to the new hire's role.

This should include:

- Orientation Sessions: Introductions to the company, its mission, values, and culture.

- Team Introductions: Meetings with key team members and stakeholders.

- Training Programs: Role-specific training, including hands-on sessions and access to training materials.

- Shadowing Opportunities: Time spent observing experienced colleagues.

- Check-ins: Regular meetings with their manager to discuss progress and address any questions or concerns.

A clear schedule helps new employees know what to expect, reduces first-day jitters, and ensures a smooth transition into their new role.

5. Introduce company culture:

Introduce new hires to your company’s mission, values, and culture. This can be done through presentations, videos, or informal meetings with key team members. Organize events or activities that immerse them in the company culture, such as team-building exercises, social gatherings, or lunch with their new team. Understanding the company culture helps new employees align with your organization’s goals and values and fosters a sense of belonging.

Training

6. Provide role-specific training:

Tailor your training programs to the specific needs of the new hire’s role. This includes hands-on training, shadowing experienced colleagues, and providing access to resources like manuals, online courses, and documentation. Effective training ensures new hires are well-equipped to perform their duties and can start contributing to the team more quickly. Consider creating a structured training plan that outlines key milestones and learning objectives.

6. Assign a mentor or buddy:

Pair new hires with a mentor or buddy who can guide them through their first few weeks. This person can answer questions, provide support, and help the new hire navigate the company’s processes and culture. Having a go-to person can significantly ease the transition, making new hires feel more comfortable and confident in their new environment. Mentorship programs also encourage relationship-building and knowledge-sharing.

Integration

7. Encourage continuous learning:

Create opportunities for new hires to continue learning and developing their skills. This can include access to online courses, workshops, and seminars, as well as participation in industry conferences and events. Encouraging continuous learning from day one fosters a culture of growth and development, ensuring that employees stay engaged and motivated. Promote a variety of learning resources and encourage new hires to set personal and professional development goals.

8. Gather feedback:

Regularly check in with new hires to gather feedback on their onboarding experience. This helps identify areas for improvement and shows that you value their input. Use this feedback to continuously refine and enhance your onboarding process. Conduct surveys, one-on-one interviews, and informal check-ins at various stages of the onboarding process to gather comprehensive feedback.

By implementing these steps, you can create an onboarding program that not only welcomes new hires but also sets them up for long-term success within your organization. A well-structured onboarding plan helps new employees feel valued, supported, and motivated, leading to higher job satisfaction, better performance, and increased retention rates.

Advanced guiding principles of onboarding

The nitty-gritty details of onboarding will look different for each company, but these high-level strategies are sure to elevate any onboarding program.

Offline onboarding

1. Keep Scaling in Mind:

When designing your onboarding process, think about how it can scale as your company grows. This means creating systems that can easily adapt to onboarding multiple new hires simultaneously without compromising the quality of the experience.

2. Leave Room for Adjustments and Feedback:

An effective onboarding program is flexible and evolves based on feedback. Regularly solicit input from new hires and managers to identify areas for improvement and make necessary adjustments. This approach ensures the process remains relevant and effective over time.

3. Personalize Onboarding for All New Hires:

Each new employee is unique, and your onboarding process should reflect that. Personalize the onboarding experience to cater to individual roles, responsibilities, and preferences. This could include tailored training modules, personalized welcome messages, and role-specific resources.

4. Communicate Every Step:

Clear and consistent communication is crucial throughout the onboarding process. Ensure new hires know what to expect at each stage, from their first day to their first month. Regular updates and check-ins can help them feel supported and informed.

5. Measure, Optimize, and Hire with HireQuotient:

Use tools like HireQuotient to measure the effectiveness of your onboarding program. Track key metrics such as time-to-productivity and employee engagement. Use this data to optimize your processes continually, ensuring new hires are integrated smoothly and efficiently.

Remote onboarding

1. Embrace Digital Collaboration:

For remote onboarding, leverage digital collaboration tools to facilitate interaction and engagement. Platforms like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom can help new hires feel connected to their team and the company culture, despite the physical distance.

2. Check-in and Reach Out Often:

Frequent check-ins are essential for remote employees. Regularly scheduled one-on-one meetings with managers and virtual team meetings can help new hires feel supported and engaged. These interactions also provide opportunities to address any concerns or challenges they may be facing.

By incorporating these advanced guiding principles into your onboarding process, you can create a welcoming and effective experience for all new hires, whether they are joining in person or remotely.

Conclusion

Hiring a new employee is a significant investment of time, money, and resources. From interviews to onboarding, being thorough and organized is crucial. Making a positive impression is also key to attracting top talent in a competitive job market.

Employee onboarding tools and software can streamline communication, facilitate training, ensure compliance, and manage paperwork efficiently. These tools simplify the process for HR professionals by automating tasks and providing notifications to keep everything on track.

A consistent and comprehensive onboarding strategy boosts your organization’s efficiency and productivity, helping new hires feel comfortable and confident in their new roles.

To complement your onboarding strategy, using the right candidate-sourcing software is essential. Easysource is the most advanced candidate sourcing software designed to find, screen, engage, and hire qualified candidates effortlessly.

Easysource is built to meet the toughest recruitment challenges, from entry-level to executive positions, ensuring you always have access to the best talent.

- Source candidates effortlessly: EasySource’s candidate discovery module reads simple prompts or your job description to source relevant candidates from active and hidden talent pools. With multiple high-intent signals, you get candidates who are genuinely interested in your organization.

- Screen candidates like magic: Inundated with a large volume of applicants? EasySource’s persona-based Candidate Screening Module finds qualified candidates in minutes. It screens based on qualitative and quantitative nuances beyond the job description, so your recruiters engage only with the most qualified candidates.

- Engage candidates at scale: Crafting personalized messages for candidates can be time-consuming. EasySource’s Candidate Engagement Module reads profiles and aligns them with your job description to craft highly personalized outreach messages, explaining why they are the best fit for the role.

- Rediscover talent from your internal pool: EasySource’s easy-click integration capabilities help you find relevant candidates from your internal talent pool, screen them according to your vetting criteria, and engage them with hyper-personalized messaging across multiple channels, bringing them back into your recruitment pipeline.

Using EasySource alongside a strong onboarding strategy ensures a seamless and efficient hiring process, helping you secure the right talent quickly and effectively.