Onboarding new employees: how do you do it?

With the right onboarding for new employees, you build loyalty among your new staff and foster a close-knit team. It’s crucial, if you ask us! The 'war for talent' makes it increasingly difficult to retain good employees within your organization. Once you’ve found a suitable candidate, there’s no guarantee they will stay. One in three employees moves to another company after just a year.

And that is problematic for your organization. Did you know that replacing an employee costs between 50% and 150% of their annual salary? You want to avoid that happening often. And you can! By implementing successful onboarding. In this blog, we explain what the ideal induction period for your new colleagues should look like.

Onboarding new employees

But first, what does "onboarding new employees" actually mean?

Onboarding new employees literally means: coming on board. It describes the process in which a new employee gets to know your organization and their responsibilities. The goal is for your new hire to fully integrate into your company. Some companies take up to 8 months for this process!

According to the research below from The Undercover Recruiter, a good induction program delivers impressive results.

With effective onboarding:

• 91% of employees feel connected to the company;
• 89% experience a strong connection with the team;
• Employees are 30 times more satisfied with their job;
• The likelihood of an employee staying long-term is 18 times higher.

A good induction program plays a major role in job satisfaction and, consequently, has a significant impact on employee retention. Beyond the meaning of onboarding, you naturally want to know how to implement it. The tips below will help you.

But first... Would you like to download the Onboarding Checklist for free?

Good news: you can now download the Onboarding Checklist with just a few clicks.

This document contains several crucial points that are part of a new colleague's onboarding period. This way, you won't forget anything and can get started right away!

1. Digital onboarding for new employees

Many people think that onboarding starts on the first day of work. But no, that’s not the case! You can start onboarding as soon as someone has signed their contract. Seize that opportunity to welcome your new employees to your company early. This is also known as pre-boarding.

However, many companies make a mistake here. Often, onboarding is still conducted in a classroom setting or face-to-face. That is completely unnecessary.

You can also provide essential information to your new colleagues digitally. This ensures they arrive well-prepared on their first day. Work instructions, company policies, and information about the dress code are examples of such essential information.

And what about experiencing the company culture? That can also be done perfectly well online. For example, you can integrate a company video into your digital onboarding program, or have your colleagues introduce themselves to each other in an e-learning module with a staff directory!

Read more here about the LMS from Pluvo for onboarding new employees! With Pluvo, you can set up onboarding for new employees in your own online academy with just a few clicks.

What is the goal of online onboarding?

Digital onboarding means that an employee arrives prepared on the first day. It gives your organization more room to make a fantastic impression on day one. It also ensures that new employees get acquainted with the work right away. In addition, with an online induction program, a new employee can take in the information at their own pace. Some things someone will probably pick up quickly, while other things take more time. By being in control, the employee can spend more time on the parts that need a bit more attention.

Another advantage of online onboarding is that information is always available. An employee can look things up at any time. The program can also be reused for every new employee. So it doesn't have to take up a lot of time! 

Finally, today's technology makes it possible for your employee to get started even on the train. How easy that is depends on the software you use for your digital induction program. Most companies use a Learning Management System, or in short: an LMS. This software is very well suited to this purpose, because it can hold all kinds of learning formats. Think of e-learning modules, manuals, or options to chat with other employees. That way, your whole team has a central place where they can find information. When choosing a suitable LMS, check whether it is optimized for mobile phones, so that every train ride can be put to good use ;-)

Would you also like a clear example of a successful induction program? Then also read: Induction program example.

2. A 'basic' onboarding process

Certain things apply to every new employee. We call this hard onboarding. Below are a few examples of things that are often important for every new colleague.

• A key
• The laptop
• Payroll tax form
• A phone

In other words, things that need to be arranged as standard. If they are not arranged on the first day, it leaves a bad impression. So make yourself a checklist to go through when a new employee joins. Of course, you can also outsource this to HR.

Make sure you do this before the employee starts. That gives you some leeway if something unexpectedly doesn't go according to plan.

3. Offline onboarding

Alright, your new employee's first working day has arrived. Fortunately, everything is arranged. The employee has completed the digital pre-boarding and is ready to get started.

What does that mean for now?

Start with a round of introductions, of course. Schedule a few (online) meetings in advance with the manager and direct colleagues. Possibly with someone from senior management. That way, your new colleague gets to know the company and the people behind it right away.

Always make sure you have a set of tasks ready for your new employee for the first few days! 

Someone feels more welcome right away when activities are planned, at least for the first day (or week). Your new employee then feels that you have thought of them! It's annoying when someone has to figure that out on their own.

And why not make the onboarding of new employees something special right away? You're already working on making a stunning impression. For example, put a welcome gift on your new colleague's desk. Or organize a special welcome lunch. This is the moment to let your creativity run free ;-) 

4. (On the job) training

In many jobs, training is an essential part of the onboarding process. It ensures optimal job performance. Think not only of small trainings, such as an explanation of the time-tracking software. But also think of more extensive training, for example on the meaning of processes in your organization.

For a new employee, it's nice to be able to follow these trainings at their own pace. And this is where the e-learning modules within your LMS come in handy! Within Pluvo's LMS, for example, you can design your own trainings or have them made for you. E-learning has many advantages, including that it often helps people retain information well. This is because e-learning can strike a good balance between theory and practice. Read more about the benefits of e-learning.

Although the COVID-19 situation may not allow it, personal contact can also be very important. So you might also consider offering a blended training. That is a training in which you alternate online theory with offline practice. This ensures that an employee actually learns to translate the knowledge into practice.

In addition, new staff often retain more information when you present new knowledge in small, bite-sized chunks. The first few weeks can feel very overwhelming! So, take a look at the possibilities of microlearning for your onboarding.

5. Feedback during onboarding

It is always a good idea to integrate one or more feedback sessions into your onboarding. This creates a moment for the employee and manager to discuss how things are going. Both parties can voice any uncertainties here. This is also the perfect time for the manager to gauge how the employee is experiencing work within the organization. Furthermore, it is a great way for the manager to get to know the new hire. Both parties can now decide if the new employee is truly a good fit for the company.

Don't wait until the first six-month review, as your employee might already be gone by then.

6. Onboarding never (really) ends

An onboarding process does not end after a few days or the first week. Onboarding is about ensuring new employees can perform at their best. And that is not something you can set a clock to.

You will need to be continuously engaged with your new employees to see how they are doing and if they enjoy their work. An onboarding program can therefore last up to 8 months. When the process is considered complete often varies per person.

Go for that effective onboarding!

Effective onboarding is not only crucial for employee retention, but it can also have a direct impact on the productivity and satisfaction of your team. By investing in a structured onboarding program, you can integrate new employees into your organizational culture faster and provide them with the tools they need to succeed. This not only increases their engagement but also reduces turnover within your company, resulting in significant cost savings. Moreover, good onboarding strengthens your company's reputation as an attractive employer, which is essential in today's competitive job market.

We hope these tips have been helpful to you. Some items are real quick wins that you can apply immediately. Others may require a bit more time.

Perhaps you want to get started with digital onboarding right away. Or maybe you even want to set up an LMS. You can always ask us questions via the chat. Or schedule a call if you want to get started immediately.

Also visit: Everything for onboarding new employees!