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We wrote it before in various blogs: a good, warm one onboarding is very important to retain new employees to your organisation and the team where they will be working. But onboarding not only prevents early staff turnover, it is also essential for quality and safety in the workplace. And that is a must, especially in the food industry.
Perhaps the term “onboarding” feels like just another hip HR term to you. Like a fancy English name for the traditional Dutch “induction program”. Nevertheless, we really see a difference in nuance. Where familiarisation used to be limited mainly to the more practical issues (such as where to call in sick, when do I get a salary and how does the coffee machine work), good onboarding really gets through to you. You will identify yourself with the organisation, have a precise sense of the mission and vision and will thus become part of the company in no time. Someone once described it as “you are immediately sprayed in the organisation's corporate colors”.
An employee who has actually stepped on board with the new employer not only knows which rules must be met, but also why that is so important.
That awareness is a great thing. If a mistake is made (and let's be honest, we're all human, so that can always happen), the employee won't hesitate to sound the alarm right away and take action to fix it.
The added value of good onboarding in the food industry is great. The moment the wrong — let alone dangerous — ingredients end up in food, the turnips are cooked. After all, a small moment of negligence can have major consequences for public health. And that's not to mention the reputational damage for the producer, who can sing along for years after an unfortunate incident.
So it's not for nothing that companies in this industry pay a lot of attention to HACCP standards and good, safe production processes.
In addition, it is also a challenge in the food industry to find and retain the right staff. The products are often seasonal, working conditions are sometimes tough and competition from other employers is fierce. This means that staff turnover is high at many employers in the food industry. Intensive onboarding can then act as a welcome magnet. After all, people then stay at work more motivated. They are also more loyal to their employer because they know their contribution to the company, which makes them feel like an important and valued part.
Of course, every company has its own identity, just like the people who work there, by the way. However, we would like to give you some tips that we know from experience can help the onboarding program in a food company get started.
If all is well, every employee, regardless of his or her position or hierarchical position in the organisation, has added value for your company. After all, otherwise, you would not have asked for a vacancy. Therefore, without exception, offer every new colleague, from cleaner to financial director, an onboarding program.
By that, we do not mean that this program should look the same for everyone. Just not. If you connect well to everyone's personal knowledge, experience and role, both the employee and the organisation will benefit optimally from the onboarding.
For example, you can read tips on how to make an onboarding program personal in our blog on this topic.
Don't wait until the first day of work to welcome your new employee. Keep the still fledgling relationship warm! So roll out that red carpet well in time. For example, consider:
Don't throw your new employee into the deep end on the first day of work by putting them to work right away. If all is well, the colleague will remain productive for your company for years to come. Therefore, at least reserve the first day of work for a tour of the location and a first impetus for the introduction.
Introduce the new employee personally to direct colleagues and key players in the organisation. In addition, don't forget to organise a contact moment with the director, no matter how busy his or her agenda is. Being able to look into each other's eyes creates more connection than via a picture in a face book or an automatically generated email.
Pay sufficient attention to the company's norms and values from the first day. When was the organisation founded, who are the most important customers and what is the vision for the future?
The company culture is also important. How do you give each other feedback, is there room for relaxation in addition to working and is it encouraged to share ideas with each other?
After the first introduction, it is time for more intensive onboarding. To do this, put together a detailed training program that helps the employee understand the processes, systems and division of roles within the organisation. Of course, this will be different for each position.
By making use of a online knowledge platform, you can respond fairly easily to these individual differences and you can not only vary widely in knowledge level, duration and intensity of the onboarding, but also in language, for example.
In addition, for example, in the event of new work processes or other laws and regulations in the field of food hygiene, the information can be easily updated.
In addition to the e-learning, ensure that the employee is also sufficiently trained and supported at the workplace itself. Therefore, link the employee to a mentor or buddy: an experienced colleague who can help answer questions and 'land' well in the department. In addition, social events, such as a nice drink or staff outing, can also play an important role from time to time.
Have you managed to put together and roll out a good onboarding program? Congratulations! However, don't forget to look further into the future even after those first working weeks. To keep your employee engaged and, above all, motivated, it is important to check how things are going regularly. So don't just stick around at the start, but pay enough attention to the employee journey.
Is everything clear and is he or she functioning properly? Are there any future wishes and opportunities for advancement?
Of course, every person has their own responsibility when it comes to creating happiness at work and meaning, but remember that the threshold for actually taking the right steps can be just too high for some colleagues. Due to cultural differences, a language barrier or a modest personality, for example. That's why it doesn't hurt to be the first to reach out to an inviting hand as a manager or HR advisor.
Several companies in the food industry have already discovered the benefits of Pluvo, so we already have several best practices in-house that we can share with you. So feel free to contact us!
As an educational expert specialising in online learning, I have been writing blogs for Pluvo for 5 years. My focus is on powerful learning solutions for organisations. Universal Design for Learning and inclusive learning are my passion; I believe that education should be accessible and fun for everyone.
I've been combining my 35 years of HR experience with copywriting for over 15 years. And even then, I learn new things over and over again. That's what makes writing blogs for Pluvo so incredibly interesting!
