Creating a Successful Onboarding Program

We all know how important the recruitment process is to ensure you are finding and securing the best talent. But often people forget about the importance of onboarding.

Onboarding is basically how a company helps a new employee settle in and become part of the team. It’s important as it helps to set the new employee up for success by providing them with the essential information they need, as well as starting to cultivate a sense of belonging.

The more engaged and connected the individual feels to the organisation, the higher the chance you will have of retaining them in those pivotal first 6 months.

There are 4 key stages:

Pre-Boarding

This is from the time you offer them the role until the day they begin. It’s a perfect opportunity to share information about the company and start to build a connection with them through regular communication.

Early engagement helps individuals feel welcomed, and excited about joining the organisation.

Induction

This covers the first week of employment. Most good induction programs will include: a tour of the offices, introductions to key people, an overview of the company’s history, values and culture, and covering off any key training/ policy reviews that are needed.

It’s a great opportunity for the individual to start to form early connections with colleagues.

Training

This may go from 2 weeks to a month, depending on the role.

This is the stage where new employees will acquire the specific skills, knowledge and competencies to perform their role successfully (such as learning new systems, specific processes and procedures relevant to the organisation).

It’s important to ensure that employees are aware of what the expectations are and how their role aligns to the overall organisation.

Transition

At the end of the training period, there will be a period of transition. This is when the individual moves from a more structured learning environment to active participation in daily tasks, projects, and team dynamics.

Providing ongoing support over this time is key to ensuring that the employee feels fully integrated into the workplace culture.

Other Key Tips:

Planning and Organisation:

There’s nothing worse than turning up on your first day of work and finding that you don’t have a working laptop, access to systems or that people don’t know who you are. That’s why getting organised for your new employees’ arrival and planning ahead is key.

Try pulling together an onboarding checklist to make sure you don’t forget important tasks.

Communication and Team Building:

Starting a new job in a new organiation can feel intimidating. That’s why as a leader, it’s really important that you are regularly communicating with your employee and seeking feedback to ensure they are feeling welcome, engaged and part of the team.

Small things like organising a morning tea or a team shared lunch on their first day can work wonders in ensuring people feel comfortable.

Lay the Foundations:

Ensuring you are setting up regular 1:1’s/ team meetings with your employee are important from day one. It’s also important to ensure you have clear KPI’s and a development plan in place by the end of the training period to ensure your employee knows what’s expected and what support they will receive to ensure their success.

If you need support in creating an onboarding plan for your people then please reach out to us at ColourHR, we’d love to help!