The final stage of the recruitment process is after the candidate is hired; after all of the paperwork and the interviews, the onboarding begins. Sometimes, bringing on a new employee to the team can be just as stressful for the supervisor as it is the new hire. “Onboarding is a make-or-break process,” said Katherine Jones, lead analyst for HCM technology at Bersin by Deloitte. She continued to say that a poor onboarding program is the bane of any recruiter, the “kiss of death” for the new hire, as she called it. In order to preserve the integrity of the new hire’s opinion of the company, the onboarding process has to be pristine. Facilitate personal interaction, maintain organization, establish company values, and remember it’s not all about completing the paperwork. Follow these 5 best practices to improve your company's onboarding process:  

1.  Facilitate Personal Interaction

Technology has propelled the workplace towards advancement: computers, tablets, smart boards, video conferencing, etc. However great those are, interpersonal communication skills have plummeted because of it. In fact, 44% of candidates don’t have the soft skills – i.e. communication skills – employers look for. Emails and phone calls are wonderful for staying connected with employees, but you have to establish that personal connection first. Onboarding is more than just a series of signatures and training. An effective onboarding process creates a relationship between the new hire and the company and its managers.

2.  Keep the File Cabinets Organized

Streamline the process. No one likes to jump through flaming hoops after they are hired. Staying organized, and consolidation will help to extinguish the mounds of paperwork into a smaller, not-so daunting, heap of files.

Some companies don’t have the resources to keep their onboarding process organized and running smoothly. Actually, 19% of companies don’t have a complete onboarding process to begin with, according to a SHRM study cited in a Wall Street Journal article by Rachel Emma Silverman (@itsrachelemma).

3.  Establish Company Values

In order to make the best impression with a new hire, make the company culture and values a primary focus in the entire onboarding process. The company’s story and culture should be consistent through marketing practices during the recruiting and hiring process. Silverman continued in the article to say:

“But some companies – hope to create a first impression that really counts – are turning to orientations that seem more collegiate than corporate, complete with co-worker networking sessions, time for new employees to tout their skills and even office-wide scavenger hunts.” 

4.  Keep the Fun Going

Recruiters pulled out all of the bells and whistles when they attracted these new hires while they were mere candidates. Don’t let that slip. Honestly, 30% of new hires don’t even read their onboarding packages, littered with benefit information and 401K jargon.

Granted, there are a lot of paperwork and compliance matters to take care of, but there is no reason to make candidates dance around the good stuff. The paperwork shouldn’t be the first priority in the onboarding program. Integrating the new hire into the organization should be paramount.

5.  Socially Acceptable Acceptance

Some organizations have in-office social media networks like Yammer or Chatter, just to name two. Bersin by Deloitte suggests many companies might already have these tools to help socially integrate new hires into the company culture. Now, onboarding isn’t entirely about technology, but it certainly doesn’t hurt. It can help to increase new hire knowledge of the organization, thereby decreasing their chance for failure.

Head of Yammer Customer Success in the United Kingdom, Mike Grafham said that intra-office tools like Chatter, IBM Connect, Jive, and Yammer are helpful in the onboarding and preboarding processes. By building networks for new hires, employees can send the new hires messages and give them an environment where they can ask questions. 

The onboarding process is to retention, as recruitment is to acquisition. Both are equally as important. Effective onboarding programs revolve around company culture, so values are accurately portrayed beyond the paperwork. Revamping the onboarding process is easy: focus it on company culture and consolidate your paperwork (as much as you can to maintain legal compliance). It’s easier for recruiters and integrates new hires into the company more effectively. 

Bio: Sean Pomeroy, CEO

Sean has worked in the Human Resources industry since he graduated from Radford University with a Bachelors in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. After working in HR as a generalist for a government contracting company, he moved to the HR Technology arena and began assisting companies in the selection and implementation of HR software.

While selling other companies software solutions, Sean worked with Michael Warden to design over a dozen applications for different organizations and industries over the years. Sean now focuses on the vision for the company, business development, and continues involvement in the software design of ATS and LMS: Cyber Recruiter and Cyber Train. Want to see what Visibility Software has to offer? Take a demo now.

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