New employees can be your harshest critics and the impressions made by their experiences in the first few weeks of a new job can have lasting impacts on your retention and engagement strategies.
Over 95% of last month’s Rewards recipients indicated that their organisation has a formal induction program with 74% indicating that their programs extend to casual and part time staff. So it seems Australian organisations are supporting their new staff, which is a great result considering your induction and orientation process is the best method for engaging new employees and garnering commitment from the early stages.
However, getting it right can prove more difficult than it seems and as we all know, first impressions can have a big impact on an employee’s perception and are often very difficult to change. There are several common mistakes organisations make when on-boarding new recruits ranging from information overload to impersonal and boring presentations to complete lack of preparation.
Here are some tips for a successful on-boarding campaign.
Start with the basics
The quicker new recruits get on top of procedures and processes, the quicker they will become productive. Make every day processes like filling out timesheets or using the photocopier as simple as possible. These may not seem like top priorities but when people have to spend time working them out, valuable time can be wasted.
Begin the process before the new recruit starts
Often organisations will wait until the new recruit starts work to begin the on-boarding process but it really starts during recruitment. Begin the discussion early so the new recruit feels comfortable with what is expected in their first few weeks. Something as simple as a list of tasks that they can do without supervision is a great way for new recruits to learn the process at their own pace and meet new people along the way.
Assign a buddy
The idea of the buddy system is not new but when your workforce is running at a fast pace everyday, it is sometimes difficult to ask people to take time out of their own schedules to look after a new recruit. Making this task part of an organisation-wide employee engagement process is a great way to draw out those employees who have the right mix of skills and personality to make a good buddy. Another way is to team up two new recruits so they can learn the process together, providing a level of security and comfort that would otherwise be lacking.
Make the experience fun and engaging
The key to a great first impression is an engaging and interactive induction program. You don’t have to entertain your new recruits but traditional communication methods such as mass seminars and out-dated video presentations just won’t cut it in today’s world of technology and interactive multimedia. An interactive website with self paced induction activities is a great place to start. Providing the wads of paper in an online format cuts through the clutter and gives the new recruit the opportunity to sift through the important information without having to read through piles of paper.
The important thing to remember is that on-boarding doesn’t start and end on the first day. Providing the operational information new recruits need to do their job is the first step. Getting them on-board and engaged in the corporate mission and culture is ongoing.