Even on this side of the pandemic, small businesses (and big) are still hanging Help Wanted signs in their windows, posting on social media, and asking friends to please, send good people their way. 

Yes, the job numbers have been rising (aside from April’s numbers), but they are taking their sweet time to trickle down to rural towns and communities. My advice to you, be patient and use this time to streamline your onboarding process and create a system that practically runs itself. 

We all know how important effective onboarding is to the success of our organization or business. But knowing it’s important and knowing how to make it happen are two different things. 

When I work with businesses and teams, I always stress the importance of their people. Do they have the right people in the right seats? Do they go all in on the company mission, vision, and values? Do they operate their unique gifts and talents? 

Of the six components of a business, our people are perhaps the second most important component in facilitating our success and ability to do great things.  

So, I’m going to layout: 

·      What constitutes a great onboarding process?

·      What do my mission and values have to do with onboarding? 

·      How long should onboarding last?

·      How detailed and what steps should be included? 

What Constitutes a Great Onboarding Process?  

Your business only has one chance to make a first impression on a new employee. A robust onboarding process can mean the difference between an employee who remains engaged for years or an empty seat after only a few months. 

In working with companies and teams, the top complaint I receive from business owners is that their employees aren’t engaged or aren’t getting their work done. When I begin my work with their team, however, I discover not apathy in the staff but a lack of clarity and direction pertaining to their specific role in the company. 

In fact, in a recent survey by Bamboo HR of more than 1,000 US employees, 31% have left within the first six months, with 68% of those departing within three months. This highlights the importance of building an effective onboarding process that lasts at least three months. Let’s look at what new employees are dealing with in order for us to create a process that adequately covers not just the job but the culture of the company as well. 

·      Clear and comprehensive job description-When crafting a job description, we want to write it with our ultimate avatar for that position in mind. Much like in marketing, we want to think about the skills and character traits we want this person to have. What soft skills are needed to excel in this position? What values does this position require? Do we need an independent thinker? Do we need a great communicator? Do we need a creative problem solver? Do we want a follower or a leader? 

·      Include an introduction/training on Company Mission/Vision/Values-While your job description should filter some of this; you’ll want to have a training program that includes the history of the company, why the company started, the problem it solves in the marketplace, its overall mission, its vision for future growth, and the values on which it operates. My Creative Business Solutions Mastermind includes this material that can be edited to fit your business. During this process, we want to align the employees’ personal and professional values with that of the company—where do they align? We also want to ensure they are 100% committed to the company’s mission and vision, and that it’s a solid fit with their personal goals. What this does is make sure they will be rowing in the same direction for the company. It also ensures that they gain personal gratification from the work they do for you. Their work has purpose for them personally. 

·      A designated onboarding partner/mentor-There are always myriad questions when starting a new role at a company. The new hire is trying to learn how to do their job well, how the organization operates, and how they fit within their teams and the company culture, to name a few. This can seem overwhelming. When they have a designated partner/mentor to go to with questions, concerns, make introductions, and the like, they are much more confident to ask the important questions about the job. Your mentors should be those well-versed employees in the company operations and the particular job and serve as ambassadors. 

·      A documented process for the role-Twenty eight percent of new hires in the aforementioned survey quit within the first three months because they decided the job wasn’t what they wanted to do, and 26% left because their jobs differed from what they expected from the interview. My Mastermind program creates a comprehensive approach to HR, from writing the job description and interview questions to ongoing training and engagement efforts to maintain a healthy culture. Having a thoroughly documented job description and process for each role in the company provides confidence for new hires. When employees know what is expected of them, they can self-assess their current levels and seek focused training in areas with which they are less familiar. It also gives the mentor the tools to help the new hire progress effectively and efficiently. 

·      Clear communications and KPIs (key performance indicators)-This starts with setting the right expectations during recruitment and new-hire training. We can also integrate these into practical interview questions, offer letters, and introductions. In my work with a team of 10 recently, only three were clear on what was expected of them, and two of the newer hires were so worried they would do something wrong they were constantly asking their supervisor questions. This created a bottleneck of work and extra time for the supervisor, defeating the purpose of hiring someone for the job. We don’t have to make it this difficult when we create the process and organize the responsibilities and expectations of each role before the job even gets posted. My program breaks down the departments, their respective responsibilities, KPIs, and how their work impacts the company’s mission, vision, and values. Below are some onboarding elements that survey respondents said would have made a difference in their decisions to stay or leave: 

o   23% said they wanted “to receive clear guidelines as to what responsibilities were.”

o   21% wanted “more effective training.” 

o   17% said, “A friendly smile or helpful coworker would have made all the difference.” 

What Do My Mission and Values Have to Do With Onboarding? 

More than ever, employees seek jobs that provide meaning and purpose. In Gallup’s 12 elements of engagement, employees wanted clear expectations, a sense of contribution, and job alignment, positive manager, and peer relationships, among other things. Element number 8 in the survey is, “The mission or purpose of my company makes me feel my job is important.”

My program focuses on integrating and living out your company’s mission and values in every department, from sales and marketing to human resources. When employees see the connection and believe in the purpose and impact of the company, they connect with purpose, become more engaged, and work more cohesively to accomplish the company’s goals and vision. It creates a unified operating system that truly creates traction. 

Helping your employees identify their personal values in the work they do for your company daily makes their work meaningful and propels your business forward. You are providing an opportunity for workers to engage in personally and professionally rewarding work. It shows that you are vested in their development and growth as a person and an employee. Number 5 on Gallup’s list was the importance of a supervisor or someone at work caring about the employee as a person—not just a number. And number 6 follows up with the need for someone at work to encourage their development. 

Weaving your mission and values into the hiring and onboarding helps you get the right people in the right seats. It attracts those with like values and goals, which will more likely result in engaged employees that have your company’s interest in mind because they feel that your company, likewise, has theirs. 

How Long Should Onboarding Last and What Should I Include?

Onboarding processes should never be an afterthought for your company, regardless of the size or position to be filled. The Boston Consulting Group conducted a study finding that out of 22 HR practices, onboarding is the second most influential regarding employee experience. In fact, companies with excellent onboarding procedures achieve 2.5 times more revenue growth and 1.9 times the profit margin compared to those that don’t. There are, however, some variations for different roles, but these elements should be covered. 

1.     Employee Retention and Onboarding—As mentioned, 68% of employees left in the first three months of employment, and poor onboarding procedures were a major factor. A great onboarding program doesn’t have to be long, but it does have to be comprehensive and complete. I always stress to my people and those I coach, never giving someone a job without giving them the tools to get that job done well. 

2.     Onboarding Time—The general consensus of Human Resource professionals is that onboarding should be at least three months. Some elements may be completed sooner, but I recommend that the mentorship stay engaged for at least that long. 

3.     Company-specific Information—A longer onboarding process allows you to craft and incorporate a section unique to your company. I suggest you have fun and be creative with this section to really allow who you are as a company and team to shine through. Let it focus on your mission/vision/values. 

4.     A Higher-level Learning—Allow for longer onboarding time for positions that require a high level of learning and accountability. I even suggest encouraging or offering ongoing learning resources (for soft and technical skills) to all employees and acknowledging that in their upward mobility. 

5.     Relational Onboarding—Having an onboarding partner/mentor for new hires helps build relationships within your organization. Business, at its core, is all about relationships, and the time is well invested. When a team that works together regularly engages in relational activities, whether around work or a team activity outside of work, it helps the team bond and builds trust. This is especially important in remote environments. Making sure remote workers understand their contributions are important and that they are part of the overall team goes a long way. 

6. Video and Technology Onboarding—Technology is everywhere, and it’s a rare position that isn’t required to know how to use a program or machine. Allow ample time for new hires to learn new technology and ensure they have an actual person to help when questions arise. Training videos can also speed up training on policy procedures. 

7.     Employee Engagement and Company Structure—Conducting training on your company structure and how departments are interrelated is important in helping employees understand the importance of their own work and the work of other departments. Teach them to respect and understand all the roles in the company and how they each play a part in fulfilling the company mission, how they depend on one another, and how they all are an integral part of a greater whole. When an employee understands the demands and reasons of different roles, there is more empathy and less discord between departments. Enthusiastic employees are more productive and creative. Schedule New Hire lunches during the onboarding process where new hires can ask questions, discuss their training and the new employees can build relationships. 

8.     Onboarding Feedback—The first few months after onboarding are a great time to get feedback on the process. Ask them what excites them, what they are having trouble with, and encourage them to share new ideas. Creating a new hire survey is always a great way to track how your new process is working. 

Final Thoughts

A better onboarding process can improve your operations in many ways. As research suggests, getting the onboarding of new employees crafted to reflect who you are as a company, what you believe in, and how you want to impact the marketplace will help you attract and retain the right people in the right seats. Here are a few benefits of creating an onboarding process for your business. 

·      Better Onboarding-Studies show that effective onboarding is tied to increased employee relations, culture integrations, performance, engagement, job satisfaction, and more. 

·      Reduced Turnover-As Harvard Business Review points out, one of the biggest reasons new hires don’t work out is bad onboarding. “When done well, onboarding lays the groundwork for the employee to settle into their role and thrive.”

·       Better Employer Brand—When you employ the above practices in your business, you have the data to make wise decisions for your company. You also become an employer of choice, and instead of searching for people to fill positions, people will begin to come to you. 

·      Better Profits—Companies with effective onboarding save money from reduced turnover and see improved profits based on better employee engagement and productivity. 

If you’re ready to create a solid and impactful onboarding process for your company, contact Creative Business Solutions. My program includes processes and templates to help you design an onboarding program that fits your industry and your company.