For many employees, starting a new job can be an intimidating experience. Not only is the position new but the corporate culture, co-workers and even area of town are unknown to employee just joining the team. An effective onboarding program helps ease the transition, which improves retention, but many organizations fail to do so.
In fact, according to a report by the Society of Human Resource Management Foundation's Effective Practice Guideline Series, half of hourly workers resign from their positions within the first four months while half of senior outside hires do the same within 18 months. However, effective onboarding leads to higher job satisfaction, organizational commitment, lower turnover, higher performance levels, career effectiveness and reduced stress.
When an employee first joins the organization, the onboarding process should be a joint undertaking, says Lisa Orndorff, manager of employee relations and engagement for SHRM. Some organizations tend to rely only on HR to perform the entire onboarding process, but managers should also be involved. HR is typically involved in basic onboarding taks, such as orientation and enrollment of benefits, but it's the manager's job to ensure the new employee understands what to expect from his or her role, including objectives, timelines and responsibilities.
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The SHRM report also recommends implementing a formal onboarding process with a written policy and making that first day of employment special. This can be as simple as taking the employee to lunch or and providing a functional work station on the first day. The first two weeks are crucial to a new employee's future and retention, so it's important to give that employee a positive first impression.
An employer should also keep in mind that the onboarding process doesn't stop after the employee has been with the organization for a few weeks, Orndorff says. Generally, it takes six months before an employee begins to feel comfortable in his or her new position, and that employee's manager should be actively involved in making sure the employee is assimilating into the corporate culture. The SHRM report even suggests implementing an onboarding process that can last up to a year.
Although onboarding is not a difficult process, it makes a difference in an employee staying for the long term or quickly leaving for a more comfortable job opportunity.
"The company and hiring manager spend so much time recruiting, interviewing and hiring," Orndorff says. "The last thing you want is for your No. 1 choice to leave because they didn't feel like the fit in."
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