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Implementing the Plan: How Do You Execute an Effective Onboarding Program?

In This Chapter

• Pre-onboarding, general onboarding, and role-specific onboarding • Differences in role-specific onboarding for individual contributors, managers, executives, and remote

employees • Logistics for each component • Communications about onboarding • Deployment and roll-out options

ou presented the business case for the program and received approval to develop and implement what you proposed. You now are ready to implement your company’s onboarding program, equipped with the results of the organizational assessment, the company’s goal for the program, and the general choices that the company made about which program to pursue.

As a key element of successful talent management strategies, onboarding must be carefully planned, reviewed, and tailored to meet the needs and background of your audience as well as the current business strategies and business environment every time it is offered. Pre-onboarding, general onboarding, and role-specific onboarding will need to be integrated into a seamless continuum.

Onboarding, as a company-wide effort, cannot be accomplished without support from other departments and business units. Groups such as facilities, information systems, security, payroll, and finance will need to be involved behind the scenes to make the program successful. Secure their support and involvement to ensure that they will deliver the services that you need. Involve representatives from those groups in discussions about the program to receive their feedback and enhance their ownership of the process. Use a checklist to keep track of what you need from those departments to ensure the flawless delivery of your program.

TOOL The “Department Support Checklist,” located at the end of this chapter, will help you track the status of what you need from other company departments for onboarding.

C o p y r i g h t 2 0 1 8 . A s s o c i a t i o n F o r T a l e n t D e v e l o p m e n t .

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General Preparations for Onboarding Depending on the number of expected hires, their positions, and the extent of the program’s scope, you will need to consider the elements shown in . Make sure that you script what happens in eachTable 4-1 component with clear roles and responsibilities.

TOOL The “Onboarding Checklist,” located at the end of this chapter, takes managers step by step through the entire onboarding process, detailing what they need to do and the topics that they need to discuss.

In these days of technological advances, global connectivity, and job transformations, it is not unusual to have someone working in Singapore and reporting to someone located in London. Some employees perform highly specialized functions that do not require frequent face-to-face interactions. Others work this way because of the nature of the business, and can work from anywhere as long as they meet performance standards. Nonetheless, all new or new-to-role employees must be onboarded.

Table 4-1. Onboarding Program Design Elements

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Pre-Onboarding Organizations recruit candidates for positions to meet their current and future business needs. They seek credentials and experience for success in the position; they also seek cultural fit through the interview process. HR manages the pre-onboarding phase and partners with the employee’s manager to define the need for the position and find the best candidate for it. HR also handles all transactions related to employee benefits, company policies, security, and compliance issues such as leave, work schedule, and the employee handbook.

The employee’s manager participates in the interviewing process and, because they will be working directly with the employee, the quality of that relationship will be a determining factor in the employee’s performance and engagement. The manager’s presence and availability during the onboarding process delivers a message of welcome and support to the employee.

Assuming that the candidate selected for the position, whether external or internal, met these criteria, the pre-onboarding phase begins when they accept the offer. This acceptance also marks the start of L&D’s customization of the general onboarding phase and of the manager’s planning for the role-specific phase,

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based on the profile of each new employee. Companies can capitalize on the time between the offer acceptance and first day of the new or new-to-role

employee by initiating and maintaining continuity in onboarding. Use this transition time to get to know the new or new-to-role employee as an individual to begin building trust while HR handles the administrative tasks, such as completing profiles, registering for benefits, and requesting information from the employee. Consider granting access to company websites and sharing invitations to targeted company events for those in managerial and executive positions.

PRO TIP Have employees complete any new-hire paperwork, whether online or face-to-face, during pre-onboarding to get this task out of the way.

Through these initial interactions, HR and L&D can identify the employee’s development needs and learning preferences as well as the most important drivers of the new or new-to-role employee’s engagement if these did not emerge during the interview process. Some of these drivers for engagement are the manager-employee relationship, intrinsic motivation, leadership, performance management, career development, financial or external incentives, organizational image and brand, and brand alignment (Dávila and Piña-Ramírez 2013). Establishing priorities among those drivers will be useful when tailoring role-specific onboarding.

The moment when the candidate accepts the employment offer becomes a golden opportunity to provide company information through a well-crafted welcome packet highlighting the company brand and its meaning. Consider preparing versions of the packet, or some of its content, in other languages, audio versions, or larger fonts to address any special needs.

TOOL At the end of this chapter, you’ll find suggested contents for a new employee welcome packet. You’ll also find a sample email that less formal workplace environments could use to communicate with the employee to be onboarded.

HR and L&D will continue to gather information valuable to preparing the employee profile for general onboarding and tailor the proportion of presentations and exercises or interactive activities to suit employee needs, as well as details for role-specific onboarding.

Every contact with the employee is an opportunity to introduce and reinforce company culture messages; therefore, everyone who will have contact with the employee has to be ready to serve as company ambassador 24/7. All employees, regardless of role, must be aware of the importance of onboarding. Share with them the latest information about the business.

HR communicates the arrival of the new or new-to-role employee to all other interested parties such as finance, payroll, facilities, security, information systems, and reception. By ensuring identification cards are issued, system access is granted, telephone services are activated, and tools and equipment are assigned (such as desk space, cell phones, and computers), HR contributes to that positive first impression.

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Other logistics that need to be handled during pre-onboarding include confirming appointments, requesting documents, sending directions or dropping a pin to make sure that new or new-to-role employees know where to go, assigning special parking arrangements, setting up conference rooms, and creating welcome packets and other materials. These all send the message that the company cares about its new employees. Build in progress and logistics checkpoints to make sure that everything happens when it should.

PRO TIP Send a welcome note to the employee’s company email address the night before their first day so that they receive it as soon as they log in to the system.

General Onboarding L&D leads general onboarding and partners with the employee’s manager. It designs, facilitates, and monitors the onboarding components across organizational levels and functions. As experts in how people learn, L&D is the go-to resource of onboarding, able to tailor its components to meet individual needs. HR has to assume the responsibility of onboarding if the organization does not have an L&D function. If the organization does not have a formal HR function, managers or company owners have to be responsible for the onboarding process.

General onboarding is usually designed as a group experience for new or new-to-role employees who have not been onboarded in the last three to five years or are in supervisory, managerial, or executive roles. This allows them to come together to begin their assimilation into the company and its culture. A best practice is grouping employees who perform similar roles because they will likely have questions and concerns that are irrelevant to those in different roles. Top managers and executives undergo this type of experience through completely individualized programs.

Capitalize on the new employee’s sense of wonder, pride, and excitement to create a strong bond between them and the company. This is another opportunity to build on your pre-onboarding successes.

Use every opportunity to reinforce the uniqueness of the company and what it offers. Leave a lasting positive memory on the onboarded employees to counteract any possibility of buyer’s remorse after accepting the employment offer. The manager should be there to meet the new employee at the beginning of the day and then again at the end for a recap of the day’s events; this conversation will likely be shared with those waiting at home, who will become their supporters during the entire onboarding process.

Let’s meet Ian and see how this works in practice.

Ian’s Story Ian was eager to start work at a major telemarketer’s call center. He was proud to have been selected from a group of 200 applicants for one of 20 positions. Because he was assigned to work during the first shift, he could even continue pursuing his undergraduate degree.

When Ian accepted the offer, his new manager told him that he would first attend a group orientation and then later receive individualized training to do his job.

Ian arrived on time for the group orientation, but then he had to wait for the receptionist to return to her station. She did not know about the meeting Ian was scheduled to attend, and did not know whom to contact to find out. Ian waited for more than 30 minutes before someone who could take him to his meeting arrived. Ian felt disregarded and lost.

The HR generalist who greeted Ian took him to a large empty room with 15 computers. She pointed him to a cubicle and gave him the code to access the Online Onboarding Portal to complete forms. He had been told he would attend a group session, so he was

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confused and wondered what was going on.

After spending three hours completing forms, Ian got up and went to get lunch by himself because no one was around. When he returned, he ran into the HR generalist, who said that he should have waited for her to go to lunch, even though no one had said anything to him about lunch plans.

The HR generalist then took Ian back to the computer room and told him to continue completing the forms. She said someone would come pick him up at 2:30 to attend a company meeting, but didn’t offer any further explanation.

To minimize the possibility of a new employee having an experience like Ian’s, you’ll need to have answers to questions such as, who needs to know when a new employee arrives? Who should welcome the new employee to the organization? What information should the new employee receive before the first day?

Companies often establish hiring-date calendars to structure participation in group sessions before onboarded employees arrive at their departments or units. We recommend that employees participate in general onboarding no more than three days after they start, because supervisors and managers are often reluctant to allow attendance after new employees assume their responsibilities.

Program Content for General Onboarding A general orientation has to create a “Wow!” experience that can impress a diverse audience; its content has to include elements that will make it meaningful across the board. As you establish the sequence of your orientation’s content, be careful to avoid information overload. Divide and sequence the content in ways that participants can assimilate and own it. Consider structuring the agenda with group sessions in the mornings and training sessions in the afternoons over three to five days.

Even though regulatory and mandatory training requirements vary by industry and position, in general, companies train employees on:

• sexual harassment in the workplace • diversity and inclusion • safety and security • emergency management and disaster recovery • information management and confidentiality • affirmative action • handling domestic violence.

Decisions about approximate dates and times must consider critical business periods, such as month-end closing for finance departments and peak production periods for manufacturing operations. As you build consistency into your program, participants and stakeholders will be able to schedule their time and anticipate their involvement accordingly. We recommend having specific dates, such as the second Monday each month, when the company reaches a particular threshold of new or new-to-role employees.

Organizational history is often the starting point of new employee orientations. They are eager to hear how the business started and how it became what it is. They also want to know where the company is going, so the vision of the future must be part of the general orientation. New-to-role employees may have missed events or dismissed their significance at the time, so this gives them a second opportunity to appreciate them. Remember, everything is new for them because of the new role. This information, usually presented using a combination of media, heightens the employee’s sense of belonging. Weave in how the company’s values emerged, evolved, and are embodied as well as what made the company unique from its inception. Key policies, practices, and procedures can also be highlighted in this section and then discussed in greater detail at the department level during role-specific onboarding.

RESOURCE

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For samples of compelling messages about companies, view the following videos:

» Coco—Inside Chanel ( )www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G88zqPxJ00

» The History of Nike Brand Evolution ( ).www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQNgJ2mpW9I

It is important for a company’s senior-level management and executives to participate in the program. They often welcome attendees and answer questions either in person or through telecommunications or videos. Their presence adds significance to the organizational history because many often have a prominent place in that history. Employees may look up to them and, by hearing their stories, envision a future for themselves in the organization. Living legends—such as a company founder who overcame significant obstacles or a successor who built on the legacy of the founder to take the business to new heights—make the organization’s history real and available for all employees. Their consistent participation in onboarding programs sends a powerful message to the rest of the organization about the program’s importance for the business.

RESOURCE Melanie Padgett Powers (2016) shares lessons from government onboarding that you can adapt for your company in her article, “Power Switch: Onboarding Tips From the Experts Who Help New Presidents Fill 4,000-Plus Positions in Less Than 90 Days.”

As much as possible, avoid having to cancel appointments or presentations at the last minute by scheduling them well in advance or finding appropriate substitutes during specific business periods. Try to prevent occurrences like Melody experienced in the following example.

Melody’s Story Melody was facilitating a session for a group of new employees who had recently joined the team at the mattress factory. They were all entry-level operators and, for many, this was their first work experience. They were eager to find out more about the company and hoping to meet its leaders.

After showing a slide with the pictures of all the top managers, Melody mentioned that one was going to come meet the group. However, in the middle of her presentation, she received a message saying that he would not be able to make it. What a way to make a first impression! What an awkward situation for Melody!

PRO TIP Always have personal knowledge about the delivery capabilities of potential top management substitutes and make sure they meet your standards. Have video messages from key leaders available as backups if a good substitute isn’t available.

Sometimes companies delegate the responsibility of representing top management at events such as general orientations. Whoever is delegated this responsibility has to be ready and confident to do so at a

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moment’s notice. Otherwise, situations such as the following will require extra efforts to mitigate.

Henri’s Story Henri had always wanted to represent the company and speak in front of an audience. He had been preparing for a long time and had even taken acting classes to improve his demeanor onstage. His manager had already recognized Henri’s potential as a successor and he had an individualized development plan to learn more about the business.

On the morning of the orientation when his manager was scheduled to speak, Henri received a phone call that he would need to step in and address the group. Henri accepted the challenge without giving it a second thought.

When introduced, Henri approached the front of the room. His hands were sweating and his voice cracked as he began to speak. He lost his train of thought twice and he had to cut the presentation short. The result? A major setback for Henri because he was not ready, and an even greater one for the company because the first impression the orientation’s attendees received from top management was not a good one.

As a general onboarding practice, be prepared to highlight the company’s locations, products and services, competitors, market share, major awards and recognitions, memorable and recent advertising campaigns, division contributions, and social responsibility, among other elements, that make the company unique. Bring samples of products for attendees to see or otherwise experience if your industry segment allows. For example, a manufacturer of baked goods can bring samples for employees to taste during coffee breaks. A bank can share promotional materials and videos about its products and services. A hospital can include patients’ testimonials about their experience.

As employees learn the nature of the business, it is important for them to hear about financials. Introduce general information about company financials and metrics—trends that affect the business and its growth and are related to employees. Otherwise, you can include public information about revenues and the company’s market share and market position.

Include a clear depiction of the company’s strategic mission and reason for being, as well as its vision, where it wants to be, and how it will lead the way into the future, which will engender a sense of security among employees. These are central issues for the company because all its activities are driven toward fulfilling that mission and reaching that vision.

Company values are often the foundation of the company’s culture. All employees need to understand and believe in them; the general orientation is the first of many instances when values can be brought to life as presenters model them and share examples of employees who embody them. Examples and stories, whether through live testimonials, video clips, or exercises, go a long way, especially when conveyed by employees from different roles and tenures. Allow current employees to discuss what they like about working in the company and describe what it is like to work there. Ask them to think about examples of when someone is living a value. Paint a realistic picture—for example, if one of the values is social responsibility, introduce examples of employees in the company’s community outreach activities.

RESOURCE Television and film director Vern Oakley outlines tips for creating videos for new hires in the 2017 magazine article “How toTD Direct Great Onboarding Videos.”

Gail Griswold gives an example of a company that revamped its onboarding program to communicate its culture with a simulated reality television show in the magazine article “Making New Hires the Star of the Show–Workplace Rx.”TD

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High-level organizational charts allow new or new-to-role employees to pinpoint their place and relationship within the larger business; they also set the stage to present another perspective of the business (

). Introduce processes and reporting relationships (that is, functional, matrix, or dotted lines) andFigure 4-1 their rationale to give a sense of how the business works. You can also use organizational charts to identify key internal and external stakeholders and place them in the context of the organization. Include photos to make connections between faces and roles easier.

Figure 4-1. Sample Organizational Chart

As employees become familiar with the company’s key internal and external stakeholders, they also need to grasp the differences between and interactions among production and service areas. Understanding who provides support to whom and who is ultimately accountable to whom will help guide employees to see their roles and potential contributions to the bigger picture in more general terms.

The company’s leadership culture and how decisions are made is a natural follow-up topic to the general introduction. Leadership styles, chains of command, preferred ways of address, expected levels of formality, and expectations when interacting with members of different departments or levels are some recommended topics for discussion. Likewise, sharing what to expect from a leader and what it takes to be one in the company can be an aspirational message to new or new-to-role employees. Sharing stories about leaders’ paths, especially reinforcing the value of relationships and networks, reinforces the available career opportunities within the company that are so important for employee engagement.

Consider using printed or online reference materials as a way to deliver information. Focus presentations on content that can make an impact on the audience and give participants alternative outlets to learn more about specific topics of interest, such as job aids and portals. Reinforce critical messages through exercises, keeping in mind the organization’s culture while designing them. For example, a company built around customer service across all departments can include role plays or simulations about customer service, such as having some employees play employees and others the parts of customers or internal clients.

Facilitators are the face of your onboarding program; therefore, they must be chosen wisely. Assess their subject matter expertise, business knowledge, people skills, and ability to promote learning. Facilitators have to be able to make even the shiest participants feel comfortable and welcome in a new and sometimes intimidating environment; they also have to live the brand. Select facilitators who have the critical competencies outlined in so that they can leave a lasting positive impression on program attendees.Table 4-2

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Table 4-2. Suggested Competencies for Program Facilitators

Competency Purpose

Use of Core Learning Methods

• Lead large and small groups • Handle participant questions

Time Management • Adapt to group needs • Keep the group focused and on task

Create Environment Conducive to Learning

• Maintain participant involvement • Ensure participants are comfortable in their surroundings • Focus participant attention on the program instead of venue details such as temperature

or table size

Evoke Participation • Draw attendees into participating actively • Foster openness among participants • Recognize the value of everyone’s input

Maintain Objectivity • Promote balance in participation • Keep emotions under control

Reading Group Dynamics • Interpret group silence • Clarify uncertainty • Defuse negativity • Discourage arguing and side conversations • Handle conflict positively

Flexibility • Adapt to the group’s needs within the program’s design • Redirect the group to the program’s topic without coming across as authoritarian

Consistency in the delivery of that branding message is critical to fostering an understanding of the brand, what it stands for, and its importance inside and outside the company. Think of the entire onboarding process as a continuum in the introduction and reinforcement of the company’s brand. Every contact with the employee is an opportunity to introduce or reinforce the message. The alignment of the materials’ look and feel, logo, types of activities and exercises, layout of space, office decor, employees’ personal appearance, facilities’ maintenance, and employees’ personal warmth convey the right brand message.

PRO TIP If your company has appropriate spaces to hold these group onboarding sessions on its premises, showcase them among the resources available to employees and to reinforce your company’s brand.

Some of the content of the general onboarding program may have to be tailored to meet the logistical needs of remote employees. However, we recommend making participation mandatory whenever business needs allow it, whether in person or by videoconferencing. These general sessions may be one of the few opportunities for the employee to interact directly with other employees from all levels and experience the company’s culture firsthand.

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Role-Specific Onboarding The main facilitator in the onboarded employee’s role-specific onboarding is the manager, creating a welcoming and engaging environment and ensuring that the employee is connected with colleagues. Similarly, the manager prepares those key stakeholders with whom the new or new-to-role employee will interact often, as well as with those whose functions are interdependent. Further, managers provide feedback and coaching to the onboarded employee through the entire process.

The manager should partner with L&D to design an individualized program focused on role understanding and any specific training needed to perform the role effectively using a variety of learning approaches. For example, a financial analyst will need to become acquainted with the software used and could shadow another analyst to see how to complete common transactions before beginning to execute them in the system. Some of these training needs may be identified during the recruitment and selection process, while others are standard requirements of the position as stated in its job description. Others may be compliance related, and still others may be corporate requirements.

The manager or HR could also assign a buddy for the onboarded employee from their new group of peers. Buddies can offer advice and guidance about day-to-day operations, provide information, and ease the onboarded employee’s integration into the department and the company through informal interactions for the first 30 to 60 days. Typically, buddies have a natural tendency to ease the way for onboarded employees; however, they are not mentors, coaches, or employee managers and should not act as such. At the very least, buddies provide companionship during lunch and breaks, and facilitate connections with other employees within and outside the department.

TOOL Use the “Buddy Competency Selection Checklist,” located at the end of this chapter, to determine if your candidates are suitable for the role of buddy.

RESOURCE The human resources support company SaplingHR’s “The Free Buddy Program Playbook” (2017) provides an example of what a buddy program is and should contain.

Program Content for Role-Specific Onboarding Content for role-specific onboarding must be tailored to meet individual employee and role needs. Job descriptions are the starting point to plan this content. If the job descriptions are not up-to-date, ask managers or supervisors to provide insights about the positions so you can understand the complexities of each and the needs of employees who hold them. Similarly, supervisors and managers can provide information about potential career paths for those positions, as well as some basics about general development programs. Job descriptions, together with learning needs identified during the interview process and pre-onboarding, are the foundation for the onboarded employee’s individual development plan.

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Role-specific onboarding for new employees who have previous experience in your company’s industry should focus on company branding and differentiation. In contrast, those who do not have experience in your company’s industry (for example, moving from banking to marketing), need to learn about the industry and the business from a very basic level.

New employees who have role-specific experience (such as salespeople), whether it was in your industry or not, need to target differences of the role and culture-specific issues in the company (such as midmarket versus upscale women’s retail clothing). Those who do not have previous role experience (perhaps they have never worked in sales), need to go through an intensive program to understand their role in the company’s context.

Based on the position’s job description and the onboarded employee’s background, the manager should create an agenda of meetings, events, and training sessions for the onboarded employee, and suggest points for discussion during those meetings. Managers provide tools and checklists to monitor progress throughout the role-specific onboarding and serve as a clearinghouse for information and resources for onboarded employees.

We have organized role-specific content by themes to pave the way for a smooth delivery; company-specific supporting materials could be made available to employees on the company’s intranet or on apps. When preparing videos, make sure they explain how the company’s vision emerged, the solutions it provides for customer problems, the company’s positive and engaging work environment, and ways employees can grow and develop.

Businesses that do not have these resources available or employees who do not have access to them could receive printed versions of relevant documents and job aids.

That first day of the role-specific onboarding program marks the onboarded employee’s transition into their department or unit. After greeting and welcoming them to the department or unit, the manager should meet with the employee to review the agenda for the remainder of the process.

TOOL Use the “Simple Onboarding Agenda Sample,” located at the end of this chapter, to start planning your role-specific onboarding programs.

The first point of business is to set the context for the position and clarify role expectations and goals in writing with the onboarded employee; role clarity is crucial for job satisfaction from the first day. Some topics that need to be discussed during that first meeting are:

• performance expectations • performance evaluations (that is, when, how, and who performs them) • supervisor’s working style, availability, and communications preferences • employee’s working style, availability, and communications preferences.

Managers should address the department’s business plans and goals in face-to-face meetings, whether conducted in person or using virtual meeting technology, and point employees to additional resources such as documents in the company’s intranet and other repositories. Company policies and practices as well as workplace culture at the unit level must be part of the overview.

A more detailed description of the department would go beyond organizational charts and include information on department size, reporting structure, roles and functions, products and services, clients and their needs, task distribution, current projects, cyclical projects, collaboration, interdependencies with other departments and units, common acronyms, internal brand, and relationship with corporate. Then include information such as the department’s reason for being, core processes, and unique contribution to the business in terms of products, services, and financials.

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Present a realistic picture of a typical day in the department or unit from the perspective of the manager and the team, with real-life examples of the department’s vision, mission, and values and their connection with those of the overall company. Short testimonial videos could be available in the company’s intranet to help employees to connect with their peers. Detail how the department gets things done, its traditions and celebrations (monthly birthday celebrations, recognitions for years of service, holidays), communication preferences (texts for urgent matters, emails for what can wait, no voicemails), the meaning of open or closed doors or signs on cubicles, special interest groups and activities customary for the department or unit, and informal interactions within and outside regular working hours. Lastly, explain administrative issues such as dress code, scheduling, job flexibility, and emergency response procedures.

PRO TIP Consistently appeal to what drives the onboarded employee to become engaged based on information gathered during the interview process.

Address diversity issues as they relate most to the role and to the onboarded employee whether or not the onboarded employee attended the general orientation. Each company has its own definition of diversity and its own idea of what diversity means in its work.

Describe how and when to interact with others at different levels in the organization, how much latitude employees have to go to their supervisors with questions, and how open other leaders are to meeting with employees for whom they do not have direct responsibilities. This is the time to address when to escalate issues, what to do when the employee’s supervisor is not available, how open the organization is to the initiative of employees to assume leadership roles, and how much titles and positions really matter in the company.

RESOURCE In the magazine article “The Employee Integration Equation,” Keith Ferrazzi and Tim Davis (2015) discuss the data showingTD how critical the first six months of a new hire’s employment are. To be successful, an onboarding strategy must be of longer duration and more employee centered.

In this process, new or new-to-role employees should be able to clarify further their roles in the organization and what they are expected to do and not do to advance their careers. It is another way to tackle how much employees can drive their development without overstepping boundaries. Tuition-assistance programs, tuition-reimbursement programs, specialized trainings and courses, and certifications and licenses are some examples. Introduce opportunities for cross-training as well as special projects and assignments in which the onboarded employee could participate.

The program duration of role-specific onboarding will be highly related to the complexity of the role. Avoid information overload at all costs; spread out the content over time and intersperse individual meetings,

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group meetings, and role-specific training for variety. For example, start and end each day with individual check-in meetings with the supervisor during the first week. Schedule individual meetings over the course of several weeks. Allow time between face-to-face and online training for other activities.

PRO TIP You can involve your stakeholders in onboarding and make them accountable by allocating onboarding costs to each department’s budget.

Consider creating content related to the topics mentioned previously in the company’s intranet with titles such as “Knowing Our Department,” “Knowing Our Department’s History,” “A Day in the Life of Our Department,” “Knowing How We Work,” “Knowing What to Do,” “Diversity in Our Department,” “Knowing Our Leadership Culture,” and “Owning Your Development,” so employees can review specific content. Keep it up-to-date.

Role-Specific Onboarding for Managers L&D faces higher stakes with role-specific onboarding for managers because managers will go on to influence groups of employees whether or not they are direct reports. Factors such as previous experience in the role, company, industry, or elsewhere, as well as tenure in the company when the manager is new to the role, have to be carefully weighed when deciding on the specific components for each manager’s role-specific onboarding and their relative importance. Any areas where the onboarded manager lacks experience will demand more intensive attention.

Let’s meet Phyllis.

Phyllis’s Story Phyllis is a store manager for Makeup-for-all-of-Us. She has been tasked with onboarding Luigi, who was the last salesperson to join her team before the busy holiday shopping season. Phyllis became a store manager approximately three months ago, but she was never onboarded, and this is her first experience as a manager. She previously served as purchasing supervisor for the company at their main office.

Given this situation, Makeup-for-all-of-Us decided to have Luigi participate in the onboarding program at another store. The manager of that store has been with the company for three years and a top performer for the last two. Phyllis was invited to observe Luigi’s onboarding so that she could replicate the process with other employees in the future.

What a great start for Luigi and Phyllis!

Many organizations assume that, because someone has performed a management role in the past, they know what it takes to perform that role in a new context. Overlooking the uniqueness of the new role in the context of the organization can be a costly mistake. Beyond undergoing their own onboarding process, the onboarded managers will also have to transition the team that they inherit and establish themselves as the new leader. This situation is particularly challenging under conditions of organizational restructuring or reorganizations.

Internal role changes, particularly those entailing promotions into managerial roles, entail a separate set of issues. In Phyllis’s case, a former peer is becoming a supervisor, which requires additional support from her new manager, her mentor, L&D, and HR. The onboarded manager needs to learn how to redefine relationship boundaries with former peers. This can be challenging, especially if she was close with her former peers,

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because they might feel excluded when she is handling confidential information and other situations that can only be shared with her new peers and above. In addition, she will have to maintain equity and objectivity at all times and avoid giving any impression of preferential treatment to her former peers.

RESOURCE In her book Sharlyn Lauby (2016) focuses on theManager Onboarding: Five Steps for Setting New Leaders Up for Success, importance of designing an onboarding program specifically for managers to get started on the path to success instead of waiting for an incident, such as a layoff, a reorganization, or even death, to react and provide training. Such a proactive approach is particularly valuable for new managers whose circumstances change radically after being promoted from within.

The onboarded manager’s manager will have to address any decisions to hire externally instead of promoting internally individually with those who applied for or believed they were entitled to the position. Selecting one internal candidate over another may result in emotional reactions from those who were not promoted, especially if the chosen person then becomes the supervisor or manager of those individuals. When an internal promotion occurs, other managers in the company will also require attention during the transition (even if they participated in the promotion decision), because they will need to begin seeing the new manager as their peer. Therefore, the onboarded manager’s manager should work with HR and L&D to clarify expectations about that fine line that exists between employee and supervisor among the onboarded manager, their former peers, and their new peers, who will now become their reference group.

Whether the onboarded manager is a new or a new-to-role employee, their manager will also address any challenges related to the business and the internal dynamics of the direct reports during role-specific onboarding. How the position became available (in the case of a new employee) and the management style of the former manager should also be topics of discussion because, unavoidably, the new manager will be compared with the former one. Raising these issues with the onboarded manager will also be relevant because of the shift in relationships (from direct report to peer), subsequent changes in perspective, and access to information.

The type of training and its duration will depend on the onboarded manager’s level of experience and background. Another consideration is company expectations for future development, in the case of high-potential employees who were hired to track to senior management roles. Depending on the complexity of the role and company, new managers may participate in local and corporate training.

Many of the onboarded manager’s learning experiences will take place during interactions across the organization, which will be critical for current and future roles. For example, senior management will gauge their potential to join their ranks in the future. To facilitate these interactions, the onboarded manager’s manager should select and assign a mentor with at least three years of experience in the role and in the company to support the manager for about three months. The mentor will be the new manager’s guide to understanding unwritten business rules that include official and nonofficial chains of command, expected work hours, allowed risk taking, relationship building, and social events. The mentor will also provide support in terms of influence, execution, conflict management, recognition, and values, and will become an early warning system to reduce risks that could harm the onboarded manager’s career.

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TOOL Use the “Mentor Competency Selection Checklist,” located at the end of this chapter, to determine if your candidates are suitable for the role.

By the end of the first week on the job, new managers should at a minimum begin to schedule individual meetings with their direct reports, followed by the rest of the team.

Role-Specific Onboarding for Executives Based on our experience, companies tend to believe that executives do not need onboarding because they are ready for their roles or they would be ashamed if they are asked to participate in onboarding. Therefore, executive onboarding is a topic that’s not addressed, even though unsuccessful executive onboarding has an average cost of 30 percent of an employee’s annual salary, according to the U.S. Department of Labor (Fatemi 2016). Further, according to a study from the Center for Creative Leadership, “estimates of outright failure in the first 18 months range from 38 percent to over half, and many more executives fail to be as successful as was predicted in the hiring or promotion phase” (Riddle 2016). An HR in Asia article by Nurlita (2017), referring to the same study, argues that the answer to this problem lies in its onboarding program. Therefore, executives, like all employees, benefit from a structured onboarding program even if the program and key players are different.

RESOURCE In the article “Onboarding Isn’t Enough,” Mark Byford, Michael D. Watkins, and Lena TriantogiannisHarvard Business Review (2017) provide solid arguments in support of executive onboarding. Cheryl Ndunguru’s article “ExecutiveThe Public Manager Onboarding: How to Hit the Ground Running” (2012), focuses on what organizations can do to reduce the likelihood of executive failure in the federal government. Her insights can be adapted to nongovernment organizations.

The vice president or director of HR usually handles all matters related to executive onboarding off-site to maintain confidentiality, especially when the incoming executive is an external hire who was likely recruited through an external headhunting firm. Often the incoming executive begins onboarding before the current one leaves or even knows they will leave. By the time the incoming executive arrives in the office, they have to be fully knowledgeable about the business and its culture and ready to deliver business results immediately. Other company executives and groups, such as boards of directors, work with the incoming executive to complete a customized development plan using a combination of delivery methods and resources, such as leadership tools, key stakeholder meetings, new leader-team integration events, executive networking forums, and 360-degree assessments and simulations. The goal of these activities is to:

• Ensure the executive’s cultural fit in the company. • Build relationships with other executives. • Provide political savviness and guidance about unwritten rules. • Spell out workplace terms and conditions. • Inform about organizational structure. • Assist in building the team.

When the incoming executive is promoted internally as part of a succession plan, their manager will also implement a customized development plan. Depending on the industry and the role, this plan may include experiences such as direct role and technical knowledge transfer, attending meetings, leading projects, taking assignments at other locations, assuming other roles, and attending executive training programs.

The entire role-specific onboarding process for executives, whether external hires or internal promotions, typically lasts between six months and a year.

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RESOURCE Douglas Riddle (2016), in provides powerful statistics aboutExecutive Integration: Equipping Transitioning Leaders for Success, the rates of executive success and what companies should do to onboard their executives.

The services of an external executive coach are usually contracted to assist in the incoming executive’s highly tailored and customized transition process, whether an external hire or promoted employee, and serve as a sounding board. External executive coaches assist with the integration process into the company culture and emphasize leveraging strengths, managing potential blind spots, stakeholder mapping, and structuring processes. They also raise provocative questions and provide a critical external perspective within a safe environment.

The differences in roles for role-specific onboarding discussed so far pertain to employees, regardless of level, who are at the same location. Onboarding remote employees requires additional adjustments in roles, as introduced in the following section.

TOOL Use the “Executive Coach Competency and Skills Selection Checklist,” located at the end of this chapter, to determine if your candidates are suitable for the role.

Role-Specific Onboarding for Remote Employees In general, the content for a remote employee’s role-specific onboarding is similar to that of anyone else performing the role on-site. However, the onboarded employee has to be held accountable to the same standards as those who have more traditional work arrangements. Buddies or mentors may also be assigned at the local office where the remote employee works, thus gaining additional significance because they can provide information about housing, schools, basic services, and cultural norms. Counterparts at the home office will offer supplementary information and foster that sense of connection with the rest of the team.

PRO TIP Make sure that at least one co-worker, peer, or direct report of a remote employee sends an email or makes a phone call to connect with the employee and see how they’re doing each day; maintaining contact between the remote employee and the rest of the team fosters a sense of belonging.

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Role-specific onboarding is also the best time to establish company expectations of the remote employee’s participation in events at the main office or the office to which they report. Including the employee in meetings and other business affairs, considering time differences and any other geographical issues, and coming up with creative inclusive ideas for celebrations and other workplace traditions to ensure the remote employee’s participation are ways to maintain contact during and after role-specific onboarding.

The challenges of conducting role-specific onboarding for these employees lie in adapting the content and handling the logistics to deliver the content. Nothing substitutes for direct personal contact regardless of group size. Online communication tends to be best for completing forms and some training sessions; it is also the primary training delivery option for remote employees. If your company prefers delivery through online programs, limit the session duration to no more than two hours and a maximum of four hours per day. Use a variety of teaching tools and direct interactions when you design online programs. Tailor the information to the media that you use, keeping in mind the best way to chunk information based on the media’s characteristics, such as number of characters or words allowed. Make sure that all information is self-explanatory.

Logistics for Onboarding When designing onboarding programs, you’ll need to make many decisions about the logistics, including venue selection, room temperature, room lighting, sound systems, room setup, refreshments, snacks, meals, parking arrangements, audio-visual equipment, computers for online trainings or transactions, videoconferencing and Internet connectivity or systems access, printed materials, promotional materials, special needs of attendees (for example, ramps, larger fonts, or dietary restrictions), and special accommodations (such as security staff for certain members of top management). Use company facilities and resources as much as possible, considering the number of attendees as well as the types of activities and exercises based on the group’s profile. However, if your company lacks the appropriate space, find the right venue and use it regularly; familiarity with the locale and its staff will be beneficial because they will be able to anticipate your needs as a regular client.

Role-specific onboarding takes place mainly at the department or unit level. However, aspects such as reserving rooms for private meetings (particularly in open-office layouts), finding appropriate restaurants for those important “let’s get acquainted” lunches, and all other preparations have to be in place before onboarding begins.

Individual meetings need to be coordinated in advance and participants have to be aware of their role. Schedule meetings at the hosts’ offices so the onboarded employee can become familiar with the different areas of the business. If the organization is spread among several buildings or locations, schedule several meetings that will take place at the same building for a morning or an afternoon to minimize travel time.

Logistics gain additional salience for role-specific onboarding for remote employees. They’ll need to learn how to optimize the technology they’ll use to work remotely. The availability of online resources and these employees’ time at the headquarters or office to which they report has to be leveraged for the particular learning experiences required. Still, the manager should make special efforts to conduct initial contacts in person to develop the manager-employee relationship.

The manager has to hold group meetings using technology, touch base with the employee personally during business trips, and convene the entire team to interact directly on a regular basis, also relying mostly on technology.

Communicating About New Arrivals Preparations for the arrival of the new employee include setting in motion a series of activities that require the participation of different departments. Be advised that some appointments or business situations, such as replacements at the executive level, may require maintaining higher levels of confidentiality and discretion.

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PRO TIP Communicate the arrival of every new or new-to-role employee across the organization. Personalization matters!

Sharing the news about a new or new-to-role employee is more effective when you’ve planned the process out in advance. It’s also helpful to use different media for the announcements; for example, some companies have electronic bulletin boards while others use a more traditional format such as posters.

A cascade model is best used when managers are the first to know about the new employee, possibly because they participated in the selection process. The next communication layer should be the department the onboarded employee is joining; that group should receive the news before the rest of the organization. Make sure the manager communicates the new employee’s starting date, position, and background, as well as how they will be an asset for the team and for the business.

TOOL Use the “Sample Email Announcement,” located at the end of the chapter, to communicate the arrival of a new employee to the organization.

After that meeting, have the manager write an organization-wide announcement for HR to release using the customary means, ranging from printed to electronic communication, as well as updates to relevant directories. The announcement should include who is joining the company, the position or role, general background information, and some details of what you would like others to know about the person. Keep it short, simple, and memorable; stay away from flowery language, jargon, and longwinded biographical sketches. Remember that everyone in the organization will receive this information. Prepare a more detailed bio of no more than 75 words to post on the intranet or for specific groups.

PRO TIP Create a new-hire webpage or tab in your company’s intranet with useful information for the new employee, such as nearby services like ATMs, transportation alternatives, childcare, and food delivery.

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Understanding the Timing of Implementation Implementing the onboarding program is as important as designing it. Onboarding consists of pre-onboarding, general onboarding, and role-specific onboarding. Each one of these components has its own timing and contributors. Strategically articulating each one’s contributions will make a difference in the employee’s experience, which must be tailored according to their role in the company. In the next chapter, we will discuss what you need to do to gather data to evaluate your program.

Questions to Explore • What will you do to ensure the support of the other departments for the onboarding program? • What program components have you considered for your onboarding program? • Does the company see the value of pre-onboarding? If not, what will you do to influence key

stakeholders? • How do the materials that your company provides to new employees reflect the company’s brand?

What can you do to improve them? • Have you built progress and logistical checkpoints in your company’s onboarding program? • How does your company communicate the arrival of a new employee? What can be done differently? • What topics do you include in your company’s new employee orientation? What don’t you include?

Why? • What competencies do you look for in your onboarding facilitators? • How do managers participate in your company’s role-specific onboarding? • How do your company’s employees respond to having a buddy or mentor? • What is the main driver of employee engagement among your company’s new employees? • How is role-specific onboarding different for individual contributors, managers, executives, and

remote employees? How is it similar? • How does your company customize the content of its role-specific onboarding for each position? • How will you convince managers, who are already overwhelmed with work, of the importance of

role-specific onboarding and their responsibility in its success? • If you were your company’s owner, what would you like the onboarding program to include?

Tools for Support

Department Support Checklist Use this checklist to track the status of what you need from other company departments for onboarding programs.

Department Task Status

Information Systems Grant access to systems

Assign computer

Assign telephone extension

Assign cellular telephone

Create email account

Create other media accounts

Security or HR Issue identification card

Issue key card access

Personnel/Payroll Receive payroll processing and payment information

Facilities Assign workspace

Prepare workspace

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Assign lockers/storage

Reserve parking space

Grant parking access

Human Resources Obtain uniforms (if required)

Obtain specialized tools and equipment

Obtain individualized materials for the workspace

Request business cards

Assign company vehicles

Handle relocation

Onboarding Checklist Use this checklist to go through the entire onboarding process. It details what you need to do and the topics you need to discuss.

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Suggested Contents for Welcome Packet The following items are helpful to include in the new employee welcome packet:

• Welcome letter and HR documents • Map of the company • Handouts, policies, and procedures for review and acknowledgment • General benefits information • Marketing materials

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• Reference to company’s websites and links • Company contact list • Dates to remember • Contact information for the help desk and other support (if applicable)

Sample Email Communication With Employee to Be Onboarded The following is an example of an email to send to new employees once they’re hired, but before their first day.

Subject: Next Week’s Onboarding Information

Christine,

We are glad to welcome you to the office next week! Here is everything that you need to know about employee onboarding at IR Sound Corp.

Your First Day and How to Find the Office When you arrive on Wednesday (please come in around 9:30 a.m.), I will be there to get you settled. We’ll get started with your onboarding and I will introduce you to some basics about our business. You will begin to get to know our global team (yes, we are global, we have offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Puerto Rico, and London), how we communicate, our systems, and our sound technology. Following are some details about how to find our main office.

[Insert map and directions or drop a pin]

Let’s Get Started When you come in on Wednesday, you will find your computer ready. You will receive your username and a temporary password so that you can get set up following our security checklist. Your ID is ready for you in the security office.

Office Practices We usually wear casual clothes in the office, so feel free to wear sneakers. Your company polos with our logo will arrive in a week.

We try to have lunch together as a team in our fully equipped lunchroom around 1-1:30 p.m.; there are snacks around the office in case you get hungry before then. You may bring your own food or get carryout from one of the nearby eateries.

You and I will have coffee at 3 p.m. at the IR Cafe. The team also wants to take you out for dinner on Wednesday night! Look for a calendar invite from Leo for details.

Meeting the Team You will meet the team on Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. You’ll also have onboarding meetings with team leads during the rest of your first week. Of course, you will spend quite some time with [Name of direct supervisor].

Please let me know if you have any questions before then! Feel free to call, text, or WhatsApp me at 123-345-5678.

Welcome!

Iván

Onboarding and Engagement Manager

Buddy Competency Selection Checklist Use this checklist to determine if your candidates will work well as buddies.

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Simple Onboarding Agenda Sample Use this sample agenda to start planning your role-specific onboarding programs.

Day 1

Activity Schedule

Welcome by manager 8 a.m.

Overview of the day 8:30-9 a.m.

Knowing our department 9-10 a.m.

Tour of the department or unit and introduction to team 10-11:30 a.m.

Getting acquainted with your office 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Lunch with manager 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Role expectations and goals 1:30-3 p.m.

Time at your desk 3-4:45 p.m.

Closing and feedback of first day with manager 4:45-5 p.m.

Day 2

Activity Schedule

Welcome by manager 8 a.m.

Check-in with new employee about the first day 8:15-8:45 a.m.

A day in the life with the team: knowing how we work 8:45-9:45 a.m.

Time at your desk 9:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Lunch with the team 12:30-2 p.m.

Online training: XXX System 2-4 p.m.

Informal interaction with mentor or buddy 4-4:30 p.m.

Closing and feedback of second day with manager 4:30-4:45 p.m.

Day 3

Activity Schedule

Welcome by manager 8 a.m.

Check-in with new employee about the second day 8:30-9 a.m.

Around the office: Meet key people in your department 9-10:30 a.m.

Knowing your mentor or buddy 10:30-11:15 a.m.

Time at your desk 11:15 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Lunch with your mentor or buddy 12:30-1:30 p.m.

Buddy: Planning for the second week and beyond 1:30-2 p.m.

Shadow a peer to learn best practices 2-3:30 p.m.

Read product guides 3:30-4:45 p.m.

Closing and feedback of third day with manager 4:45-5 p.m.

Mentor Competency Selection Checklist Use this checklist to help you determine if your candidates will be suitable mentors.

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Executive Coach Competency and Skills Selection Checklist Use this checklist to determine if your candidates are suitable for the role of executive coach.

Name:

Selection Criteria Yes No

Communicator

Good at Questioning

Trustworthy

Maintains Confidentiality

Manages Stress

Knowledgeable About Team Building

Accessible

Active Listener

Experienced

Objective

Certified

Previous Executive Coaching Experience

Sample Email Announcement Use a version of this sample email to share a new employee’s arrival and contact information.

To: All Employees

Cc:

Bcc:

Subject: Welcoming Ana Irma Smith

I’m very pleased to announce that Ana Smith will be joining us as diversity and inclusion manager on .[date]

Ana will be responsible for all diversity and inclusion initiatives, strategies, and programs. Diversity and inclusion are integral to the excellence and success of our association, but they are especially vital for the strength of our goals. [Include information about what people need to know.]

Please come to to meet Ana and welcome her to our team.[location]

You can reach Ana at: [office location] [office number or ext.] [mobile number] [email address] [intranet code] [Skype code]

Best Regards,

[Name of Manager]

Additional Resources AON. 2017. .2017 Trends in Global Engagement. www.aon.com/engagement17

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ATD Staff. 2015. “Making New Hires the Star of the Show.” May. TD, www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/making-new-hires-the-star .-of-the-show

Bevegni, S.H. 2015. Linkedin Talent Solutions, October 1. Kit de incorporación de personal. https://business.linkedin.com/content/dam ./business/talent-solutions/regional/es-es/c/pdfs/Onboarding-in-a-Box_ES_FORMS_FINAL.pdf

Biech, E. 2017. Alexandria, VA: ATD Press.The Art and Science of Training.

Byford, M., M.D. Watkins, and L. Triantogiannis. 2017. “Onboarding Isn’t Enough.” May-June.Harvard Business Review,

Chanel. 2013. “Coco–Inside Chanel.” September 12. .www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G88zqPxJ00

Crebar, A. 2018. “Top 7 Employee Onboarding Programs.” Sapling, April 15. www.trysapling.com/resources/top-7-employee .-onboarding-programs

Dávila, N., and W. Piña-Ramírez. 2013. Alexandria,Cutting Through the Noise: The Right Employee Engagement Strategies for You. VA: ASTD Press.

DGS (Delta Global Staffing). 2016. July 15. Associate Onboarding Manual: Everything You Need to Know. http://deltaglobalstaffing ..com/images/pdfs/dgs-associate-a1-onboarding-manual-01.pdf

Fatemi, F. 2016. “The True Cost of a Bad Hire—It’s More Than You Think.” September 28. Forbes, www.forbes.com/sites/falonfatemi ./2016/09/28/the-true-cost-of-a-bad-hire-its-more-than-you-think/#3152d2454aa4

Ferrazzi, K., and T. Davis. 2015. “The Employee Integration Equation.” 69(10): 57-60. TD www.td.org/magazines/td-magazine/the .-employee-integration-equation

KPMG. 2017. “New Director Onboarding.” KPMG Board Leadership Center, September 24. https://boardleadership.kpmg.us ./boardroom-resources/resources-directors/new-director-onboarding.html

Lauby, S. 2016. Alexandria, VA: SHRM Press.Manager Onboarding: Five Steps for Setting New Leaders Up for Success.

Locke, E., and Associates. 2014. “Onboarding Coaching.” Ellis Locke & Associates, February 24. http://ellislocke.com/services ./coaching/onboarding-coaching

Lynn University Employee Services. 2011. “New Employee Onboarding Program.” Lynn University, June 9. https://my.lynn.edu/ICS ./icsfs/Onboarding_Process.pdf?target=9ee8e458-a8d8-4ada-a874-17190a5dd1e9

Martin, M. 2010. “Set Up an Efficient Onboarding Process for New Employees.” Dummies, May 10. www.dummies.com/business ./human-resources/employee-engagement/set-up-an-efficient-onboarding-process-for-new-employees

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Ndunguru, C. 2012. “Executive Onboarding: How to Hit the Ground Running.” Fall. The Public Manager, www.td.org/magazines/the .-public-manager/executive-onboarding-how-to-hit-the-ground-running

Nurlita. 2017. “Onboarding Senior Leadership: Things to Consider for HR Managers.” HR in Asia, April 14. www.hrinasia.com ./recruitment/onboarding-senior-leadership-things-to-consider-for-hr-managers

Oakley, V. 2017. “How to Direct Great Onboarding Videos.” 71(9): 26-29.TD

Padgett Powers, M. 2016. “Power Switch: Onboarding Tips From the Experts Who Help New Presidents Fill 4,000-Plus Positions in Less Than 90 Days.” 61(7): 60-66.HR Magazine

Pennsylvania State Human Resources Office. 2014. HR Service Center, May 21. HR Office’s Onboarding Handbook. www.hrm.oa.pa .gov/hire-sep/Hiring/Documents/onboarding-handbook-hr.pdf

Riddle, D. 2016. Center for Creative Leadership whitepaper. Executive Integration: Equipping Transitioning Leaders for Success. www .ccl.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ExecutiveIntegration.pdf

Sapling HR. 2017. “Free Buddy Program Playbook.” Sapling Google Doc. https://docs.google.com/document/d ./1ICBxJ7wJV523BYw4uqlD4_wQBlRhNP6WW2JuLK6dkv8/edit

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Westwood, R., and L. Johnson. 2011. “Onboarding for Managers.” . Alexandria, VA: ASTD Press.Infoline

Zenefits. 2016. “The Definitive Guide to Onboarding: The First 30 Days.” Zenefits, March 17. www.zenefits.com/get/ultimate

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EBSCOhost - printed on 2/2/2022 11:29 AM via UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GLOBAL CAMPUS. All use subject to https://www.ebsco.com/terms-of-use