Harvard Business School research has shown that one in three recent hires seeks a new job during the first six months at a company. In conjunction with productivity and cultural challenges, it is clear that insufficiently well-designed onboarding strategies can have a serious impact on the business itself. However, this can be attended to.
Start by saying that when a new employee joins the company, this is probably the first time they have become acquainted with your brand and addressed it. So there is a real opportunity here for the employee's experience to be correctly oriented.
Just as you use the values of the employer brand to attract talent externally, you should use the same values to engage, engage and retain talent internally.
Similarly, your onboarding strategy should be in line with the philosophy, promise, requirements and expectations of your employer brand. Otherwise, new employees will feel they have only been lured to the bait but then the result does not meet their expectations.
For an onboarding programme to portray a complete picture of your employer brand, it is important to accept the positives, the harsh reality and everything in between. Here are some strategic considerations:
Keep employees responsible. Every strong employer brand is based on the principle: "Give and get". It is a mutual exchange of values between what the employee brings to the company in exchange for what the employer can offer. As a result, employees also gain responsibility for their own role in the onboarding process.
Set clear expectations. Onboarding is the first and most important opportunity for your company to point out what is important, what is expected of employees and how they will be evaluated. It is therefore also crucial to set clear expectations from the beginning and be open to the problems and opportunities facing people. It helps talent acclimatise to culture faster and feel a greater sense of belonging.
Build a sense of purpose. You can do this by ensuring new employees are involved in their own onboarding process. For example, with many people currently working remotely, you could support a stronger purpose by telling employees what computer equipment or measures they need in order to succeed.
Here are some tactical ways to liven up your onboarding strategy:
Take advantage of content created by employees. Your staff are your greatest asset. So don't forget to use your existing employees by turning them into brand ambassadors who will help you welcome new talent. For example, consider asking people to shoot videos and other interactive content that passes important information on to newcomers while onboarding.
Create magical moments. You might, for instance, get in touch with the emergency contact of your new employee (usually a parent, sibling, or other family member) and ask them to make a video wishing the newcomer a successful first day in a new job. It's a small detail, but one with a huge effect.
Encourage independence. Thanks to technological advances, it is now possible to personalise onboarding. One idea would be to pre-prepare information material for a specific audience or talent category to help them during the first 100 days in key areas of the company's operations. At the same time, such material should allow employees to choose their own pace in the onboarding process as best suits them.
-bb-