What Role Does Onboarding Play in Improving the Employee Experience?

December, 23 2024

Employee onboarding is a crucial process for keeping your newest recruits happy and motivated as they begin to navigate their new roles. Here's our guide to the onboarding process and how to make it the best possible experience for everyone.

Studies have shown that an effective employee onboarding experience reduces turnover by an outstanding 82%, yet only 12% of US employees believe that their company has a satisfactory onboarding process. New hires absorb everything during the first year: company culture, their role, team dynamics, and more. While there's no perfect employee onboarding process, the employee onboarding that you tailor specifically to your company is the first step in relationship building with a new employee. It's constantly evolving, a transitional process of inducting that new employee into your company's mission, values, culture, teams, systems, and processes.

But don't forget that during the waiting period between accepting an offer and the new hire walking through your door on their first day, you, as an employer, are on dangerous ground. Other companies may be contacting your new employees and making them more attractive offers. If you don't fully engage them at this stage, you may lose them. Because you've already established what kind of experience and impression you'd like your new hires to have, you can start crafting their experience before they start. Part of that is how you communicate before they've walked through the office door. If you want to give the impression your Organization is friendly, organised, and sociable, this must come across even before their first day on the job.

Why it is needed:

• New employees sometimes experience a high learning curve when joining a company. They must comprehend the company culture, their duties and responsibilities, and how the Organization works. A well-structured onboarding process makes this transition easier, allowing individuals to adjust quickly and contribute to the team's goals sooner.
• Engaged employees tend to stay with their Organization longer. Onboarding best practices help new hires feel a sense of belonging, integrate them with the company's vision, and equip them with the tools and resources they need to do their jobs effectively.
• Confident and skilled employees are more productive and more productive with your Organization from the start. An efficient onboarding process can provide them with the knowledge and abilities they need to start contributing right away.
• A well-organized onboarding program can considerably lower turnover rates. When workers have a great onboarding experience, they are more likely to stay with the company, which reduces recruitment and training expenditures.
• Onboarding not only teaches job skills but also introduces employees to the company's values, mission, and culture. This allows them to align with the organisation's basic values and become cultural ambassadors.

Here are some recommendations for improving an organisation's onboarding process:

• Create an organised roadmap: Clearly explain the knowledge that new hires must know before their first day. This strategy should serve as a complete guide to help people better comprehend the organisation's goal.

• Enhance onboarding tools: Use project management tools, HR systems, or visual collaboration platforms to centralise and expedite the onboarding process. This ensures that all required information and resources are readily available to new hires, making their transition easier and more efficient.

• Incorporation into corporate culture: Try team bonding exercises, meet-and-greet events, and other activities to help new employees get to know their colleagues.

This method has an impact that goes beyond efficiency; it generates a work environment in which employees may flourish, lowering attrition and elevating the entire firm. It is important to highlight, however, that onboarding is not just the responsibility of human resources. Other departments within the firm must work together with HR to ensure that new hires are well-prepared to participate in a variety of areas of the business and prove productive with your Organization.

Onboarding is an important procedure that may make or break an employee's experience at a firm. It also indicates to new employees whether the Organization is worth staying with. Implementing best practices during the onboarding process and throughout the employee experience helps new hires feel supported and appreciated. It also creates the groundwork for a strong and productive work relationship as the person progresses through their journey.