Hiring has always been a tough challenge for any organization, small or large. Another challenge is getting the new hires to ‘hit the ground running’ and get up to speed with the organization’s work environment, workflow processes, and culture.
There are several things that organizations need to do to engage their new hires.
The biggest impact on the success of new employees is how their mangers engage with them during their first few days.
Research shows that systematic onboarding of new hires can increase their efficiency and effectiveness by nearly 60%.
This, in turn, reduces failure rates and retention. Thus, getting new hires to become productive quickly and stay is in the organization’s best interest.
When onboarding is well-executed, it sets the foundation for long-term success.
Here are a few best practices to ensure that new employees remain enthusiastic, engaged, and informed about their new workplace:
1. Welcome Address By Senior Leaders
2. New Hire Training
3. Assigning A Buddy
4. Set Early Win Targets
5. Introduction To Organizational Culture
6. Engage Using Internal And External Social Media
7. Coach And Mentor Them
Senior leaders have an essential role to play in engaging the employees.
Thus, when the leaders welcome the new hires, they can get a good understanding of their vision. It is the leaders who represent the organization.
Without leadership involvement, their chances of engaging with the organization are limited.
Hence, interaction with senior leaders during onboarding can strengthen the connection between the organization and the new joiners.
It is essential to provide adequate training to new employees on the organization’s business and operations.
However, cramming all details in a limited time frame might not be a good idea. The new employees might not be able to absorb the overload of information.
Hence, it is a good idea to conduct the new hire training in a phased manner to bring new employees up to speed.
The induction process could stretch over weeks to make the new employees better aware of various aspects of the organization.
The buddy system can be one part of an effective onboarding program.
It can provide new employees with a reliable, motivated, ongoing, single point of contact for questions regarding work processes.
A buddy partners with a new employee during his or her first few months of employment. He or she is a colleague assigned to assist the new hire to get through the first nerve-wracking period,
They can help new employees understand how things are done in the organization, such as getting office supplies, making travel arrangements, etc., and involving them in social or informal activities, such as lunch, coffee, etc.
This socialization and support can make an enormous, positive difference in early performance, social integration, and long-term retention.
Another powerful strategy for enhancing employee productivity of new employees is to give them clear and achievable goals.
Rather than setting formal goals for new hires initially, supervisors should set clear, realistic expectations for the next few months, that he or she is confident that the new employees can achieve.
This will give confidence to both the supervisor and the employee. It will also help increase the new employee’s motivation to take on even bigger challenges.
Supervisors should discuss performance gaps and how to mitigate them, setting the new hire up for future success.
Every organization has its own culture, language, and tone, which may not be known to a new hire.
If the new hires are not aware of the organization’s terminology and jargon, they will continue to feel like an outsider.
Thus, the corporate buzzwords, acronyms, language, insider jokes, culture, and traditions of the organization should be well explained to them.
The buddy system and regular participation in formal and informal team meetings and gatherings can help.
This would make the newly joined employees feel more comfortable and speed up their integration with the organization’s culture.
Once the new hire is on board, the organization should invite them to their internal social media.
This could include MS Teams communities, Yammer and WhatsApp groups, Facebook pages, LinkedIn pages, Twitter handles, Instagram accounts, etc.
Hence, keeping them connected with the happenings can be one of the effective ways of getting them immersed in the organization’s culture.
According to a Gallup Q12 study, knowing “what is expected of me” is one of the most important questions that contribute to employee satisfaction.
New employees face a steep learning curve when they start with a new organization.
Supervisors should take time from their busy schedules to coach new employees whenever they see them struggling with any task.
The attention of their supervisors also increases the engagement level of the new employee.
Undoubtedly, employee engagement is one of the critical success factors for driving business growth in organizations today.
Hence, ensuring a high level of passion and commitment from new hires towards their work and the organization, as early as possible in their tenure is of paramount importance.
Organizations need to engage their new hires in several ways.
Lead author: Sagar Chaudhuri, the Co-Founder and CEO of HiFives. He is an HR Tech Evangelist with over 25 years of corporate and entrepreneurship experience. In the past, Sagar has worked in leadership roles with companies such as Genpact, Infosys, and ICICI Bank. He has an engineering degree from IIT Kharagpur and an MBA from IIM Lucknow. Connect on LinkedIn
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