Onboarding means familiarizing new employees with the organization. It is an important process to engage new hires with organizational culture. It begins with a preboarding process, orientation, and training and goes on till the employee takes up the actual work. Furthermore, onboarding means allowing new employees to complete an initial documentation process and knowing about the organization’s structure, culture, vision, mission, and values.

Onboarding is not only the HR department’s role but is a collective responsibility of all others like management, the training department, supervising authority, colleagues, the executive team, and mentors or buddies. The use of best practices during the onboarding of newly appointed employees is crucial for the success of the organization.

The preboarding process involves informing candidates through the joining mail with the offer letter. A candidate then receives the offer letter, and he/she may or may not accept the offer. The duration between the offer acceptance & joining is when the actual onboarding process begins. This practice includes an introduction to the respective department, orientation, and training process.

Organizations can adopt standard operating procedures while onboarding new employees. The usage of best practices helps new employees feel comfortable in the workplace. After completing the necessary paperwork, the induction process begins. During the induction process, new hires get an idea of the required skillset, communication style, and essential behavior while working in the organization. The induction of employees is a preliminary stage of the onboarding process.

Organizations should opt for specialized and customized onboarding processes for each category of hired employees. For example, adopt more personalized changes in the onboarding approach when remotely located workers, differently abled workers, veterans, gig/platform workers, and second chance workers are hired by the organization. Moreover, rejoining laid-off employees and those joining after medical recovery need appropriate guidance and orientation in the onboarding process.

Focusing on the best onboarding practices helps organizations in the retention of the best talent

Employee Onboarding Process

Onboarding is a collective process that includes the HR department, management, the training & development team, co-workers, and buddies.

• Introduce to organization’s vision and mission

The HR department should make the newly joined employees aware of the organization’s vision and mission. Aligning their professional goals with organizational goals helps achieve long-term objectives. 

• Make employees aware of the organization’s policies

Orientations are meant to explain rules & regulations to new employees. Similarly, briefing the new hires about the organizational policies is essential for their effective and efficient functioning.

• Induct into organizational culture

Assimilation of new hires into the organization’s culture is a continuous process. The HR department is primarily responsible for onboarding new employees by giving a broad overview of the organizational culture. 

• Clarify the employee’s job role

Clarifying the role to new hires by introducing them to the job profile and creating a clear picture of the organization’s expectations from the employee’s work profile.

• Provide essential training

Training is an essential part of the onboarding process. These on-job training initiatives help new employees understand their responsibilities and the organization’s day-to-day functions. 

• Introduce to teammates

Onboarding is not only limited to the execution of work. Here the bonding of co-workers and team members is equally important. Interaction with colleagues helps the employee to get a better understanding of the working environment and helps to become a part of collective efforts. 

Benefits of best onboarding practices

• Boosts the productivity of the employee
• Helps new employees adapt to the office culture
• Improves the employee retention rate 
• Enhances employer-employee engagement
• Improves employee performance
• Increases employee work satisfaction

Summing up

“Onboarding” includes a systematic process that integrates new hires into the organization. The process is not limited to HR only, it is also the responsibility of respective department managers to familiarize the new hires with the company culture. Focusing on the best onboarding practices helps organizations in the retention of the best talent. There are multiple approaches and software in the market that help with the smooth onboarding process. Organizations need to push newly appointed employees to overcome the difficulties and assimilate them into the organizational workflow.

If an organization fails to make proper arrangements to onboard new employees, it may obstruct the organization’s functioning. Incorporation of a standard onboarding process in the organization is essential to keep the ball rolling. Opting for onboarding software solutions eases HR managers’ and organizations’ manual processes. Components like job responsibilities, clarification of job role, creating bonds among new & old employees, and acquaintance with the organizational culture boosts the company’s performance.

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