Making Onboarding Successful and Effective

Author: Russel Stuart

The onboarding process is the really important step for an employee, because this is the phase in which she get acclimatized to the new organization in which she has taken up employment. It is also a very important step for the employer, as it is the process through which it gets to know the new employee, her capability, potential, attitudes and behaviors.

There is a common misconception among many people, who think that onboarding and orientation are one and the same. This is not the case. Onboarding is a long process that starts before the employee joins the organization, and lasts for a few months after the joining date. Orientation is a small part of the onboarding process. It is just one of the steps of onboarding.

Costly turnovers result from poor onboarding

Given that onboarding is a long process that has a defined set of objectives and purposes; it is very important for organizations to get it right. The cost of wrong onboarding can be high for the organization: It is believed that hourly workers leave the organization four months on average after joining, and regular employees leave within eighteen months if the onboarding process goes wrong.

Why and how does an onboarding process go wrong? HR needs to understand the importance of onboarding as an efficient and powerful tool for welcoming the new hires into the organization. It should realize that this is an important method by which new talent is absorbed into the organization in terms of not just understanding the processes and business, but more importantly, that of the culture.

Understanding the cultural fit

The cultural fit is an intangible, yet most important element of the adaptation process for the new hire. This is the parameter that finally really seals the relationship between the employee and the employer. It is this emotional connect that gels the employee’s attitudes and behaviors with the organization’s thinking and image. A successful onboarding process brings this about.

This can happen only when HR shows a keen sense of understanding of human nature. It has to have a feel of the employee’s attitude and outlook towards the organization and life. It has to see how these fit into the organization and take it to a higher plane, while also helping the employee to grow.

Learn the ways of getting onboarding right

The ways of doing this will be the content of a webinar that is being organized by TrainHR, a leading provider of professional trainings for the areas of human resources. Michael D. Haberman, co-founder of Omega HR Solutions, Inc. a consulting and services company and a consultant, speaker, writer and teacher, who has over 17 years’ experience in the class room teaching human resources fundamentals and certification preparation, will be the speaker at this webinar.

To gain intimate knowledge of how to make the onboarding process successful, please enroll for this webinar by visiting http://www.trainhr.com/control/w_product/~product_id=701769LIVE?abilogic-seo.

Viewing this webinar, its entirety qualifies for a recertification credit hour that may be counted toward SHRM-CP and SHRM-SCP recertification from SHRM.

Credit is awarded based on the actual educational time spent in the program.

This webinar has been approved for 1 HR (General) recertification credit hours toward aPHR, PHR, PHRca, SPHR, GPHR, PHRi and SPHRi recertification through HR Certification Institute (HRCI).

Good onboarding is the difference between employee turnover and retention

Michael will emphasize the importance of good onboarding, by which is meant the ability of this exercise to help the organization tap into and utilize the skill and qualification that each employee brings. This is extremely important in these times, when employees play a stellar role in shaping and developing the organization’s intellectual property and helping the organization exploit it for its gain. Finding the right employees is important, but more important is tuning them to the organization’s culture and way of life. This is the learning this webinar will impart.

People in positions that involve onboarding will find this session particularly useful. These include HR Managers, Office Managers, Supervisors, Managers and Company Owners.

Michael will cover the following areas at this session:

  • The cost of turnover
  • The steps involved in onboarding
  • Before the hire
  • During the hire
  • The first day
  • The first week
  • The ongoing process
  • What potential activities are included?