Define Onboarding: The Importance of an Employee Onboarding Process

Define Onboarding Process

To define onboarding as introducing and integrating new employees or customers into their new roles at an organization. It is also known as organizational socialization. Onboarding is essential in helping employees understand their new position and job requirements. Onboarding has become more important to employers in recent years as they have recognized the critical role of human capital in organizational success. It ensures that the employees have the information they need or know where to get it and receive the training required to be successful on the job. Effective onboarding practices help employees become part of the organization and make a dynamic shift toward contribution to organizational goals. Onboarding programs can be informal, but most are formal programs that help quickly bring new employees up to speed and connect them with coworkers.

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Define Different Types of Onboarding

Now, onboarding can be of different types:

1. Employee onboarding: Employee onboarding ensures that the employee has the training they need to know and receive that training required to be successful on the job. Employee onboarding is the process that ensures that the new employees know and understand company policies and procedures.
2. User onboarding: User Onboarding is the method of increasing the possibility that new users become successful customers. User Onboarding is primarily introducing the product to the users and assisting them to the point where they will become faithful customers. Also known as customer onboarding, it is the nurturing process that gets new users and customers acquainted and comfortable with your company’s product or service.
3. Client onboarding: Client onboarding is welcoming new clients into the business. It is the opportunity to begin a strong relationship with the client, address any queries they have, and outline the strategy for going forward.

We hope by now we have successfully managed to define onboarding. Simply put, it assists employees, users, and clients in becoming familiar with the organization. But why do the employers need onboarding? Is it beneficial to the organization as well?

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Why Is Onboarding Important?

A good onboarding program has many benefits:

1. Builds trust: Onboarding develops trust between the new hire and the management and fosters a more productive work atmosphere. It fastens the new hire’s integration into the organizational setup and speeds up their productivity.
2. Retains employees: It helps to retain the new employees. The process of welcoming new employees into the organization is critical; a poor onboarding experience may compel the new hires to bolt from even the most decent employee. Poor onboarding has a negative impact on employees, with approximately 10% of employees resigning from the organization due to its insufficient onboarding experience (Source: Business News Daily, 2020).
3. Familiarizes employees: It helps employees get off to a good start. In most organizations, onboarding introduces new employees to the organization’s history, describes the culture, and informs employees about policies. Employees become more productive than looking for a new job as soon as they get the professional development they need.
4. Increases engagement: Onboarding increases employee engagement, motivation, and retention. It accelerates the pathway to growth and productivity of the new hire and the organization.
5. Boosts organizational growth: Effective onboarding practices help employees become part of the organization and boost the organization’s goals. It assists employees in understanding the rules and requirements of everyday work life, working hours, company disciplines, dress code, over-time policy, employee complaints, grievances handling, career and growth opportunities, leave policy, and performance appraisal.

How To Improve Employee Onboarding?

Now, what makes onboarding effective and productive? The quality of training? The success rates? Whatever factors you deem relevant for an effective onboarding, here are some things to keep in mind to make the new employee’s onboarding experience as smooth, welcoming, and productive as possible:

1. Employers should consider the perspective of the new employee. They must acknowledge what it is like to be a new member and whether the new person’s unique experiences and positions are clear. During the onboarding process, employees need to understand that they matter as individuals to the company.
2. Employers must explain what is next from the start. Explain to the new employee when and where to report, how to dress, whom to meet with, pay dates, vacation, and sick day policies. 37% of employers mention a lack of work-life balance as one of the primary reasons employees leave their company. Each new hire should receive proper onboarding to ensure that everyone follows healthy work practices. (The Manifest, 2020)
3. Employers must also explain the organization’s computer networks, tools, and systems to new employees.
4. Employers must organize their schedules and explain the training to newly hired employees. Employers must assign them effective training activities. According to HR experts, new employees must complete an average of 54 activities for onboarding purposes. A new hire is typically assigned 41 administrative tasks and three documents to complete. In addition, they must meet 10 outcomes. (Sapling HR, 2021)
5. Employers need to be available to answer all the new hire’s inquiries. They should get feedback from the new employee as well. It lets the new employee know how important their input is and lets the employers gain insight to possibly modify and improve the onboarding process and foster an attitude of mutual respect.
6. Organizations should evaluate their training program. 55% of businesses report that they do not measure the effectiveness of onboarding programs (Finances Online, 2020-2021). This should not be the case. Like every training program, employers should also analyze the needs of an onboarding process.
7. Employers can also consider online training to train the new employees effectively. The use of online training makes it feasible to communicate with employees who are located all over the world. Any employee around the globe can participate in the same training environment. It lets them upskill in their jobs at a faster rate and creates significant opportunities for economic mobility.
8. The training design must target the knowledge base, motivations, skills, and competencies critical to individual positions. One can accomplish this by building personalized learning paths.

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Define onboarding

Conclusion

Joining a new organization for what will hopefully be a long-term and mutually beneficial partnership is a critical step for the employee’s career with the organization. Therefore, it is a great idea to monitor the onboarding process and keep checking in with the new employee to see if they are comfortable with what they are doing. Whether you have a small business or a big organization, onboarding can help grow your team more effectively. If done well, it flourishes the organization eventually.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What is onboarding in simple words?

Onboarding is the process of introducing and integrating new employees or customers into their new roles at an organization.

What are examples of onboarding?

Employee onboarding, user onboarding, customer onboarding, and client onboarding are a few examples of onboarding.

What is the purpose of onboarding?

Onboarding programs help quickly bring new employees up to speed and connect them with coworkers. It ensures that the employees have the information they need or know where to get it and receive the training required to be successful on the job.

What is successful onboarding?

To make the new employee’s onboarding experience as smooth, welcoming, and productive as possible, employers should consider the new employee’s perspective. They must acknowledge what it is like to be a new member.