Employee on-boarding is not a new concept to Human Resources Managers but the challenges of a tight labour market and the expectations of Generation Y are forcing human resources professionals to rethink the traditional induction and orientation models.

More and more employees are looking to their first experiences in an organisation as a barometer of things to come so the importance of an effective on-boarding program has risen up the HR ladder in recent times. The challenge is to balance the operational needs of the organisation, the importance of cultural fit and the individual requirements of the new employee and roll them into an engaging program.

The key outcomes you are looking for from effective on-boarding include:

• Ensuring the employee knows what is expected of them both from an operational and personal perspective.
• Ensuring the new employee has all the information they need to succeed in their very first day and week. Trying to look too far ahead too early can result in key decisions being miscalculated or important information being missed altogether.
• Ensuring the employee is asked for feedback early in the process and that feedback is given to them on their  
  performance within the first month. People want to know they are doing a good job, and not just at their 
  probationary interview.
• Ensuring line managers are prepared to mentor their new recruits through their own processes. If line managers are responsible for induction, they need to know what the outcomes are supposed to be.

Interestingly, over 40% of last month’s Rewards recipients indicated that line managers in the business are responsible for induction but of that group, only 53% indicated that mentoring was part of their job description. Getting the flow of communication right between human resources and line management is key and there are some common pitfalls to be aware of.

The hard way is not necessarily the right way

The old school adage of ‘I had to do it, now you have to do it’ just doesn’t cut it with younger employees in particular. Dealing with multiple and often disparate employee age groups requires different induction strategies, particularly related to cultural fit. Generation Yers are looking for the upfont satisfaction and excitement from a new role where as Generation Xers expect the process to take longer.

Personalise, personalise, personalise

Gone are the days where mass induction processes fulfill company and individual expectations. As more employees are chosen for their specialist skills as well as their personality, cultural and behavioural fit, induction programs need some tailoring to suit the person. This doesn’t mean that each new employee needs their own program, however. In some instances, this could be a simple case of choosing the right buddy to help them through the process.

Effective on-boarding flows right through the employee engagement process and can end in several ways.  The one you are working to maximise however is the retention and development of your star performers so the return on your investment can be realised.