Onboarding program – Should your Organisation invest in it?

When we speak with CHROs, L&D Heads and Talent Management Heads, one of the questions we seek answers to is – How important is onboarding program to them and their Organisation? While the answers vary but we are seeing a pattern. Increasing number of leaders, irrespective of industry and company size are saying that they either have or world like to have a good onboarding program.
So what does successful onboarding look like? We get multiple views from leaders to this question. These views can be bucketed into the following four objectives. After a certain period (usually 6 months to 1 year) of employment, new hires should:
■ Understand the organizational culture.
■ Understand performance expectations.
■ Have access to decision making or influential networks.
■ Feel valued and supported by management and leadership.
When we (Exponentia Learning Solutions Pvt Ltd) design onboarding program for Organisations, it starts with agreeing upon the objectives of the program for the Organisation. Some Organisations where attrition rates are high prefer a shorter cycle of onboarding (usually 90 days) while some others go up to 1 year. The Organisation nominates a program coordinator. We immerse the program coordinator with the roles and responsibilities she will play in effectively onboarding employees. We insist that the onboarding program should have a Sponsor. The sponsor should be at the executive level and have enough influence in the organization to help remove roadblocks to program implementation. The sponsor should have a clear view of the formal and informal norms that influence and make up the organization’s culture. With this insight, the sponsor can mitigate risks and give advice on implementation strategies that will align with the organization’s cultural norms.
Another important stakeholder in making the onboarding program successful for the Organisation is the new hire’s Supervisor. She has an important role to play in onboarding a team member and must schedule and conduct meetings to discuss the organization’s culture, vision, mission, values, and performance expectations. Understanding, up front, the behaviors that support and reinforce the culture will eliminate trial and error, increasing the likelihood of faster productivity for the new hire. So we recommend an orientation program for supervisors outlining the importance of the program, the time they will need to give and the benefits they will get. Our experience is that this step helps in getting a greater buy-in and involvement from the supervisors as they see a direct benefit with reference to increased retention and enhanced productivity.
Understand Performance Expectations (Within 30 to 60 Days) : The new joiner needs to be made aware of the performance expectations during this period. After the first 30 days, the new hire’s supervisor should assume most of the onboarding responsibility, as the program coordinator shifts into more of an oversight role going forward. The supervisor should hold follow-up meetings with the new hire to provide feedback on performance. The supervisor should also work with the new hire to establish a well-thought-out individual development plan based on short- and long-term developmental needs identified by the new hire and supervisor. At this point, the new hire should have amassed enough information about the direction of the organization and team to feel confident with the assigned performance expectations. The new hire should use this time to build relationships and trust with the team and to learn the strengths and development areas of team members.
Have access to decision makers or Influential Networks (Within 60 to 90 Days) : The goal within the first 60 to 90 days is to help the new hire build competence in the job and provide frequent opportunities for discussion and feedback. New hires should also begin to build relationships and business partnerships that will help support them in successfully navigating the work environment. The program coordinator should continue to check in with the supervisor and new hire to ensure that the onboarding checklist and 90-day evaluation are being completed. The new hire should participate in professional development activities such as peer mentoring, training and development, and experiential learning opportunities.
To make the new hire feel valued, the senior leadership team should at least engage once with the new hires in the first 90 days. This element needs be added as a part of design of the program.