What is employee onboarding?
Employee onboarding can be defined as the process of integrating new employees in an organization or associating with new joiners irrespective of their working setup/timings. a general onboarding process typically wraps in 1-2 days of employee’s joining and includes an orientation/induction wherein the new employee could have a fair idea about the organization’s work culture, hierarchy, mission, vision and long-term goals. Another imperative aspect of onboarding is completing the paperwork, documentation submission and other regular tasks alongside.
What is the onboarding process?
Onboarding process is a structured journey of preset goals that facilitates the new employees in joining into a new role in an organization. It isn’t limited to just paperwork, instead it revolves around building the right environment for a new joiner and helping them with company information, letting them interact with their team and manager and contribute to organization’s long-term success. Here are the steps involved in the process-
- Preboarding (Onboarding starts 7 days before joining date)
- Orientation (Done on Day One)
- Training & Integration (Can be for 1-3 weeks, subjective)
- Performance & Feedback (Generally wrapped in first 90 days)
- Ongoing Support (Continuous support for employee)
Why is a good onboarding process important?
A good onboarding process holds at most importance as it is the stepstone for long-term employee success, smarter engagement and better employee retention at the same time.
If the onboarding process is smooth, the new hires feel welcomed, connected and most importantly aware. Be it company’s values, cultures, vision or the kind of expectation from the employee, everything becomes clear and precise, having no room left for confusions.
What are the benefits of smooth onboarding?
Smooth and convenient onboarding helps in delivering long-lasting benefits for both employees and organizations. Here are some key benefits to consider-
- Quick and Convenient- New joiners ramp up quicker with clear and precise guidance, informative trainings and access to company tools from the day they join.
- Better Employee Engagement- Smooth onboarding fosters better morale, stronger employee commitment and leads to better & improved employee performance altogether.
- Clarity & Precision- Clear onboarding processes help in aligning with the expectations and responsibilities of the role assigned to the employee.
- Strong Workplace Culture- If team values and culture are introduced early, it helps in boosting productivity and brings in higher chances of employee being loyal to the organization.
- Better Collaboration- Smooth onboarding with early team interaction and timely meetings can increase collaboration between the employee and their team.
- Greater ROI on Hiring- Once onboarding is done right, organizations experience better performance, lower attrition and stronger business outcomes.
Read More: Top Features of Employee Onboarding Software
Employee onboarding process flow
Every organization might vary in terms of their onboarding process flow, but in most cases, these are the steps which are followed when a new employee joins the organization.
Onboarding begins right from the first step of initiating an offer to the employee. The HR or hiring manager releases a formal offer letter to the selected candidate which includes the details such as job title, compensation structure, joining date, additional benefits etc. Additionally, HR could give a call to the candidate confirming their employment and congratulation on the same. Further reporting time and joining date formalities and day plan are generally shared by the HR.
Later, the candidate is required to accept the offer by marking with a formal signature and sending it back to the HR/Hiring Manager. Once the acceptance is given by the candidate, the relevant teams are informed to get started with the next steps.
- IT, Equipment & Workspace Setup
The next critical task in the process is for the IT team as they prepare hardware and software (laptop, email, access credentials etc.). The IT team facilitates the workspace setup and integrates the access tools. This collaboratively helps the employees to stay productive, informed and satisfied from day one.
To let the employee know the relevant details about the organization, be it services or products, in depth knowledge is needed. Orientation is generally on the first day of the joining, rest of the training is conducted in a week or months' time (whatever needed).
This is a general process followed by many organizations wherein certain goals are setup basis the tenure employee completes in the organization. For instance, employee should be able to know the process in 30 days, should complete training within 60 days etc.
Even after a successful and smooth onboarding, there should be a continued membership, feedback and performance reviews, this helps the employees have an opportunity to learn, develop and have the right social integration.
Although, onboarding can be done through an automation software like a full suite HCM like HONO. It constitutes of all relevant features which facilitates in paperless, well-equipped and convenient onboarding.
Wrapping Up
A smart onboarding software is crucial in today’s times where employee satisfaction and company reputation are on the forefront. An organization should invest in a smart-equipped HCM which can not just help in conveniently onboarding employees but further brings in ease in the overall HR operations all at the same time. Get started with HONO for the best-in-class AI powered onboarding that helps in being paperless, WhatsApp integrated and backed with pulse survey for employee feedback.
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