The first weeks at a new job are crucial for an employee’s future at the company. Proper onboarding will make them feel welcome, comfortable, and ready to be productive.
Conversely, a subpar onboarding process could leave them feeling bewildered, uneasy, and unproductive. By following this advice and staying clear of common mistakes, the employee experience can be improved. Here are six common areas where mistakes occur:
1. Not Reaching Out Before the First Day
In cases where a company goes silent after sending the offer letter, new hires arrive hesitant about their decision. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, early communication can reduce anxiety and increase engagement on their first day.
How about a short welcome email? It might be worth sharing on their first day what they may and should not bring, and depending on how prepared you are, even with their team or manager.
2. Overloading New Hires With Too Much Information
Individuals often experience a sense of overwhelm, and as the amount of information increases, the actual learning process diminishes. According to the Harvard Business Review, receiving too much information at once can be overwhelming. These two approaches complete each other. Instead, space training activities.
Try to cut the lessons so that employees can apply them, if not in life, then at least at work. Microlearning is short, information-loaded, and results in an increased level of retention and self-confidence. Let people breathe, dwell on stories, and ask questions.
3. Forgetting About Culture and Connection
You may prioritize tasks, many of which may not directly align with the company’s culture. But the culture of belonging is just as vital as training. People become acquainted more quickly and stay in a community longer when they have a sense of relationship to it.
According to Gallup, personnel who are involved in their company culture are nearly four times as likely to be on board for at least a year. Let individuals get to know one another in a more natural setting. Assign a mentor to a new recruit to help them acclimate to the organization.
4. Not Setting Clear Expectations
New employees want to know how to succeed. With a lack of definition, they are likely to lose motivation or feel uncomfortable in doubt. According to the LinkedIn Learning Report, explaining expectations at the outset increases job satisfaction for 76% of workers.
Create a simple 30-, 60-, and 90-day plan defining their activities and accomplishments. Additional tips from Indeed are to peer in on them often and celebrate little victories when possible.
5. Leaving Managers Out of the Process
Coordination is crucial for onboarding’s overall structure, but guest experience is what will powerfully determine their cooperation. As the MIT Sloan Management Review publication clarifies, a strong connection between a new joiner and a “hosting” organization is established through manager support.
During the first five workdays, send them to introduce the newly hired newcomers. When joiners are taken through onboarding by a person they report to, they gain trust more quickly and become fully involved.
6. Not Asking for Feedback
Gathering new hires’ feedback allows you to keep up with what works well and, more importantly, what does not. According to the Glassdoor for Employers survey, 60% of workers report that frequent feedback increases the quality of onboarding by making it more personalized.
Request a brief survey after one week and during the closing days of the first month. You can take this feedback and use it to enhance your materials, adjust timelines, or perfect your communication.
Build a Strong Start That Lasts
Onboarding is not only a set of documents and training materials, but also your first real opportunity to ensure that employees are in the right place. If you correctly approach this issue, you will receive loyalty, confidence, and correctness. If you make mistakes, good people can turn away from you even before plunging into the work process.
