Adapting Employee Onboarding for the Changing Workforce
Insufficient onboarding practices are affecting all of us. The workforce has seen incredible amounts of turnover in the past few years as well as an increase in hybrid and remote work options. Our onboarding programs have not kept pace with the rate of change.
For example, I recently spoke to someone who was excited to begin a remote job, but, by 10:30 AM on her first day, she was already thinking about quitting. The problem? She was given no instruction on how to navigate her first day, her manager was out of office, and her busy coworkers replied with hurried, unhelpful responses when she asked for the basic information she would need to do her job. Had she quit, she would have joined the 30% of new hires who leave within 90 days and the almost 38% who leave within their first year (Forbes 2023).
Another conversation with a client revealed that their workflows have been disrupted by new hires at the organizations they serve who don’t know how to do their jobs. This leads to increased frustration, a drop in productivity, and a breakdown in important customer relationships.
The employee turnover we’ve seen in the past few years has also led to internal promotions. Forbes reports that 24% of companies have no plan to help those employees as they step into their new roles. That means more people in management or leadership positions who are ill-equipped, and that directly affects the people in their spheres of influence.
We’re all feeling it in one way or another.
The questions then become, how do organizations overcome these challenges? What qualifies as a successful employee onboarding program?
Today, a good onboarding program requires going beyond the HR paperwork to involve managers, teams, and a new hire's view of their role. The seven Elements of a Beautiful Work Life can serve as a guide when creating a new onboarding experience:
Security & Safety
The moment a new employee realizes how much they don’t know about their new organization and role, their excitement sometimes can to fear over whether they will be able to do the work or meet expectations. A good onboarding program anticipates those fears and walks people through them, highlighting what resources are available, how to use them, and where to turn if they have concerns.
Organizational Structure
Your organization has an established way of doing things, and no new employee should have to guess what those practices are. They should know who is involved in decision making, how decisions are made, and what systems and processes are in place.
Belonging
Positive, non-transactional relationships lead to more productivity for teams. While not everyone wants to talk about their personal life at work, everyone should have an opportunity to share what they are good at, achievements they are proud of, and/or what they are most excited about in their role. Revisiting these conversations when you have a new hire strengthens team bonds and helps the new hire develop a better sense of who is on the team and how they will fit in.
Meaning and Purpose
People gain more satisfaction and fulfillment when they feel connected to a mission or larger goal and can see how it aligns with personal goals. Your onboarding program should highlight and reinforce your team’s common purpose so that new team members have an opportunity to draw those connections for themselves.
Agency
We all have preferences on how we work and what we work on, as well as different goals for our future. As new hires, employees need to know exactly what they are responsible for, what the expectations are, and where there is flexibility to shape their work experience.
Awareness & Self-Realization
Your new employee brings a wealth of life and work experience, and, by accepting the position, they have decided that it is the best place to achieve their personal and/or professional goals right now. They should be given opportunities to articulate the value they bring to the team and what they want to gain from their experiences in your organization.
Aliveness
Starting a new job can be stressful. You can significantly help your new hire by adjusting expectations for how much they can achieve in a day so that they have time to be curious or have a bit of fun with their new coworkers.
No one wants to feel like a cog in a machine. An onboarding program that includes each of these elements will demonstrate to your new hire that they are valued and that your organization is a place where they can grow and thrive. It works whether your employees are in the office or fully remote. You’ll see a decrease in employee turnover and an increase in both employee satisfaction and productivity.
Not sure where to start in updating your onboarding practices? We’d love to help.