Human Element
Eric Baker, Caliper Corporation
7 Keys to successfully Onboarding New Employees Hiring-managers, recruiters, and HR professionals are understandably excited when they find a qualified candidate who also interviews well. Depending on the length of the search, it can be difficult to resist offering a job on the spot. It may take a few anxious days, but, once all the hurdles are cleared, an offer is made and the candidate accepts the terms.
to feel confident and capable of doing their jobs if they are to be productive and engaged.
Now it’s time to celebrate. The hiring team got the top performer it was looking for! What can go wrong?
3. Keep that personality assessment handy Many companies use pre-employment personality assessments for selection. But why put an assessment report in a drawer after the hire when it can be a terrific platform for development? With awareness of a person’s strengths, motivations, and behavioral tendencies, it becomes much easier for management to shape coaching and mentoring strategies, provide targeted guidance, and help the new hire thrive in the company’s culture.
Everything. Alas, many employers are missing (both procedurally and philosophically) a fundamental component of making a successful hire: an onboarding plan. Onboarding is the mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective organizational members and insiders. Employees who are systematically coached and supported from the beginning, via an onboarding program, will learn faster, contribute more, and feel a closer connection to the organization. Those are the employees who, not coincidentally, will stick around longer and perform better. Even high-potential employees can fail when they feel disengaged. And when employees are disengaged, productivity suffers and turnover increases. Not only that, management has to expend valuable time and resources replacing people who quit or get fired. The cost to employers can be catastrophic. The solution is to make onboarding an integral part of your hiring process. Fortunately, successful onboarding is not complicated. It simply requires that management recognize the importance of onboarding and commit to following through. Here are the seven keys to doing it right: 1. Don’t confuse orientation and onboarding Reviewing policies with the HR Manager, getting a tour of the building, doing a meet-and-greet with co-workers, and watching corporate videos is orientation. Onboarding is about communication, culture, and acceptance. It’s the overall process by which a new hire becomes a loyal employee. Orientation is just a tiny sliver of that. 2. Don’t equate training with onboarding Training new hires in processes, systems, and job requirements is an obvious and critical component of success. Employees need 16
www.MHWmag.com
November 2018
However, training isn’t onboarding (though it is perhaps the largest piece on a pie chart). Onboarding also involves proactive social integration, cultural fit, trust, and acceptance from management.
Even if you don’t use assessments for selection, you can still apply them during the onboarding process. Better yet, by looking at the assessment results for both the manager and the new employee, you can enhance mutual understanding, improve communication, and foster a strong partnership. 4. Set SMART goals New hires will struggle to succeed if hey don’t know what success looks like. Therefore, development goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timebound. Specific goals are boiled down to their most basic component and should be free of vague or moving targets (“Getting up to speed” is not specific). Measurable goals are quantifiable and not subject to the whims or moods of management. Attainable goals are realistic; during onboarding is not the time to set up a brick wall and expect the individual to crash through it. Relevant goals should relate to the job and not be an arbitrary test of persistence. Timebound goals have reasonable, yet competitive deadlines so manager and employee can plan and pace the effort. 5. Involve new hires in their own development New hires tend to be “on their best behavior,” which sometimes manifests as agreeableness and letting managers take the lead in conversations. Thus, if an eager manager jumps right in and starts assembling a grand vision of success, the new hire might sit back and play a passive role to avoid appearing difficult or uncooperative. In reality, the best, happiest employees are the ones who feel empowered and take ownership. Management should
