HRMN 400 - New Employee Onboarding – DUE THURS 2/4

HRMN 400 – Week 4 Citations

(Caldwell, Hasan, & Smith, 2018)

(Heathfield, 2019)

(O'Toole, 2020)

(Brown, 2020)

(Platz, 2019)

(Heathfield, How to Welcome and Onboard a New Employee Successfully, 2019)

(Pike, 2014)

(Lagunas, 2014)

(Why the Onboarding Experience Is Key for Retention, 2021)

(Vanden Bos, 2020)

(Dubois, 2010)

(Rudy)

(Forbes Coaches Council, 2017)

(Burkett, 2017)

(Little, 2019)

Bibliography Brown, J. (2020, May 20). Employee Orientation: Keeping New Employees on Board. Retrieved

February 2, 2021, from Balance Career: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/employee- orientation-keeping-new-employees-on-board-1919035

Burkett, H. (2017, June 1). Reinvent Your Onboarding Process. Retrieved February 2, 2021, from HRCI: https://www.hrci.org/community/blogs-and-announcements/hr-leads- business-blog/hr-leads-business/2017/06/01/reinvent-your-onboarding-process

Caldwell, Hasan, & Smith. (2018). New Employee Onboarding - Psychological Contracts and Ethical Perspectives. Retrieved February 3, 2021, from University of Maryland Global Campus: https://learn.umgc.edu/d2l/le/content/543604/viewContent/20431499/View

Dubois, L. (2010, December 13). How to Make an Employee's First 90 Days Successful. Retrieved February 2, 2021, from Inc.com: https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/12/how-to- make-an-employees-first-90-days-successful.html

Forbes Coaches Council. (2017, January 30). Seven New Onboarding Strategies You'll See This Year. Retrieved February 2, 2021, from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/01/30/seven-new-onboarding- strategies-youll-see-this-year/?sh=4cc048957b4d

Heathfield, S. M. (2019, September 30). How to Welcome and Onboard a New Employee Successfully. Retrieved February 2, 2021, from Balance Careers: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-welcome-a-new-employee-1918829

Heathfield, S. M. (2019, October 31). New Employee Orientation: Employee Onboarding. Retrieved February 3, 2021, from Balance Careers: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/new-employee-orientation-employee-onboarding- 1918195

Lagunas, K. (2014, November 25). New Hire Onboarding as a Driver of Employee Engagement. Retrieved February 2, 2021, from Training Mag: https://trainingmag.com/new-hire- onboarding-as-a-driver-of-employee-engagement/

Little, S. (2019, February 26). What is Employee Onboarding -- And Why do You Need It? Retrieved February 2, 2021, from SHRM Blog: https://blog.shrm.org/blog/what-is- employee-onboarding-and-why-do-you-need- it?_ga=2.110698565.1743394787.1542496676-1232592599.1505600439

O'Toole, B. (2020, December 29). Tips for a Better New Employee Orientation. Retrieved February 2, 2021, from Balance Careers: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/tips-for-a- better-new-employee-orientation-1916757

Pike, K. L. (2014). New Employee Onboarding Programs and Person-Organization Fit: An Examination of Socialization Tactics. University of Rhode Island. Seminar Research Paper Series. Retrieved February 2, 2021, from https://digitalcommons.uri.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://www.google.com/&ht tpsredir=1&article=1043&context=lrc_paper_series

Platz, B. (2019, July 13). Steps for Creating a Positive New Employee Onboarding Experience. Retrieved February 3, 2021, from Balance Careers: https://www.thebalancecareers.com/employee-onboarding-positive-new-employee- experience-1918830

Rudy, L. J. (n.d.). Employee Orientation and Training. In Principles of Management. Lumen Learning. Retrieved February 2, 2021, from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny- principlesmanagement/chapter/employee-orientation-and-training/

Vanden Bos, P. (2020, February 6). How to Build an Onboarding Plan for a New Hire. Retrieved February 2, 2021, from Inc.com: https://www.inc.com/guides/2010/04/building-an-onboarding-plan.html

Why the Onboarding Experience Is Key for Retention. (2021, January 23). Retrieved February 2, 2021, from Gallup: https://www.gallup.com/workplace/235121/why-onboarding- experience-key-retention.aspx

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New Employee Onboarding–

Psychological Contracts and Ethical Perspectives

Abstract

Purpose – This paper clarifies the importance of Human Resource Professionals (HRPs) improving the onboarding and assimilation of new employees and explains why this important task is so essential as part of the psychological contract between employers and those new organization members.

Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a conceptual paper that identifies a problem based upon findings in the management literature, explains the nature of psychological contracts and ethical duties, and identifies action steps for improving the new employee onboarding process.

Findings – The paper identifies a ten.-step model for improving employee onboarding and explains why HRPs and those who oversee them need to reexamine their assimilation of new organization members.

Originality/value – This paper contributes to the management literature by addressing a major problem that is poorly managed in many organizations. The mismanagement of this important onboarding process undermines organization effectiveness, decreases trust, and violates the psychological contract held by new employees about the organization’s duties owed to them.

Key Words: Employee Onboarding, Employee Assimilation, New Employee Orientation, Psychological Contract, Duties of Human Resource Professionals.

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New Employee Onboarding–

Psychological Contracts and Ethical Perspectives

Assimilating new employees into an organization is an important task of Human

Resource Professionals (HRPs) and an essential element of their responsibilities as technical

experts in their discipline (Huselid, et al., 2009, pp 196-199). Ineffective onboarding destroys

benefits achieved by hiring talented employees and increases the likelihood that the hard work

spent in recruiting and selecting those employees will be wasted (Smart, 2012). Because many

organizations view their onboarding process as an expense rather than an investment, they

adopt a short-sighted approach to the process. The predictable result from this false economy

is that the transition into the organization for new employees will be painful--leading to

potential underperformance, minimizing the organization’s capability to fully utilize the skills

and abilities of these new employees.

The purposes of this paper are 1) to identify why improving this important Human

Resource Management (HRM) function greatly benefits those new employees and the

organization itself, 2) to clarify the ethical obligations implicit in new employee onboarding, and

3) to provide top managers and HRPs with a model for improving the new employee

onboarding process that meets the ethical expectations and psychological contracts of

incoming employees. The paper begins with a brief explanation of the onboarding process and

the nature of the psychological contract that exist between an organization and its employees.

Building upon a model introduced by the University of Michigan ethics scholar, Larue Hosmer, it

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then presents twelve ethical perspectives that identify how employees perceive the nature of

their onboarding process. The paper then introduces a ten-step model for conducting a top

quality onboarding process, identifying how each of those steps honors the ethical expectations

of the psychological contracts of new employees. The paper concludes with the contributions

of this paper.

The Onboarding Process

Onboarding is the process of introducing a new employee into his or her new job;

acquainting that employee with the organization’s goals, values, rules and policies, and

processes; and socializing the employee into an organizational culture (Watkins, 2016).

Wanous and Reichers (2000) explained that the new employee orientation process occurs while

employees are under a tremendous amount of stress. The typical new employee onboarding

process provides employees with a volume of information that is overwhelming, impractical,

and impossible for new employees to incorporate within a short period of time. In compiling

research about the state of the art of employee onboarding, Srimannarayana (2016) noted that

some organizations included too many complex tasks and information for employees to

realistically digest while other organizations offered too few items that fail to adequately

prepare employees.

Bauer (2010) has explained that an effective onboarding process included four critical

building blocks to improve performance, inoculate against turnover, and increase job

satisfaction:

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• Compliance: This building block is the lowest level of onboarding and includes reviewing or teaching employees about basic legal and policy-related rules and regulations associated with working in the new organization.

• Clarification: This key function ensures that employees understand their new jobs and all its related expectations. Frequently, this function is poorly handled and lacks specificity.

• Culture: Providing employees with a sense of formal and informal organizational norms is often overlooked because members of the organization assume that the organization’s values, assumptions, and norms are easily understood.

• Connection: This key activity refers to creating vital interpersonal relationships and explaining information networks essential for employees to perform successfully.

Unfortunately, Acevedo and Yancey (2010, 349) concluded that most organizations do a

mediocre job of assimilating new employees and, few organizations utilize its full scope or

potential.

Bauer (2010) explained that effective onboarding has short-term and long-term benefits

for both the new employee and the organization, noting that employees effectively assimilated

into an organization have greater job satisfaction and organizational commitment, higher

retention rates, lower time to productivity, and have greater success in achieving customer

satisfaction with their work. In contrast, poor onboarding leads to lower employee satisfaction,

higher turnover, increased costs, lower productivity, and decreased customer satisfaction.

Holton (2001, 73) noted in his study of factors associated with onboarding that “(t)he most

important tactic (for effective onboarding) was allowing new employees to fully utilize their

skills and abilities.” Unfortunately, most organizations focus on establishing managerial control

systems rather than on building commitment and empowering employees (cf. Pfeffer, 1998).

Onboarding and the Psychological Contract

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The employment relationship is inherently an interpersonal relationship with profound

ethical implications associated with HRM (Hosmer, 1987). That relationship is based upon social

exchange theory in which the employer pays money to the employee in exchange for his or her

services (Cropanzano & Mitchell, 2005). The expectations in this relationship frame the

psychological contract that exists between the two parties – a contract that is typically

unwritten and that rarely perfectly coincides but reflects the reciprocal obligations of the

parties (Rousseau, 1995; Robinson & Rousseau, 1994). Consistent with expectancy theory, new

employees are also concerned about 1) how they will benefit as an organization member, and

2) whether it is feasible for them to obtain promised outcomes (Shea-Van Fossen &

Vredenburgh, 2014). The implied psychological contract between employers and employees

has evolved over the past several decades (Pfeffer, 1998), but a growing body of evidence

confirms that employers who create relationships with employees based upon high trust create

organizational cultures in which employees exhibit increased extra-role behavior, are more

creative and innovative, and more profitable than employees in comparable organizations (cf.

Beer, 2009).

Well qualified employees who add the greatest value, or create the most organizational

wealth, for their employers expect to be treated with dignity and respect; given the

opportunity to advance in their organizations; be treated as valued “owners and partners” in

improving the organization; and valued as “Yous,” or as unique individuals, rather than as “Its,”

or fungible commodities with no individual identity (Buber, 1996; Covey, 2004; Block, 2013).

Although some employees are highly committed and inherently dedicated to giving extra-mile

performance, even in the face of poor treatment and ineffective leadership (Organ, et al.,

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2005), research evidence documents that employers who treat employees with high trust, who

demonstrate a personalized approach to employees as valued partners reap the rewards of

better quality, improved employee performance, and increased employee satisfaction (Pfeffer,

1998; Paine, 2003; Smith, et al., 2016).

Louis (1980) examined the problem of employee dissatisfaction with the new employee

entry process more than thirty-five years ago, yet new employees continue to be surprised by

the inadequacies of many organizations’ onboarding systems (Lawson, 2015, Ch. 5). Although

the expectations of incoming employees about the perceived duties owed to them in the

onboarding process may vary, employees feel betrayed when those duties are breached – with

an inevitable decrease in organization commitment (Morrison & Robinson, 1997). A realistic

job preview reduces surprises, clarifies supervisor expectations, provides an opportunity for

employees to ask questions about desired outcomes, and clarifies the psychological contract

(Tekleab et al, 2013).

Hosmer (1995) explained that trust and ethical expectations are closely related and

derived from well-accepted philosophical foundations. Table 1 presents twelve ethical

perspectives, a brief summary of each perspective, and a summary of how new employees

perceive onboarding duties owed to them.

==== Insert Table 1 about Here ===

Each ethical perspective confirms that it is in the best interests of an employer and their

employees for the onboarding process to occur effectively and with high quality (cf. Hosmer,

1995). New employees typically perceive that they are an excellent onboarding process as part

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of the psychological contract owed to them (DeVos, et al., 2005; Klein & Weaver, 2000). The

evidence also confirms that effective onboarding serves all stakeholders, benefiting

organization both long-term and short-term (Bauer, 2010).

A Ten-Step Model for Quality Onboarding

HRPs who incorporate highly effective onboarding programs honor the psychological

contract expectations of their new employees and fulfill their strategic role as ethical stewards

(Huselid, et al., 2009;). The following is a ten-step model for quality onboarding, including steps

prior to the actual arrival of a new employee.

1. Establish the Relationship Online Immediately after Hiring. Typically, the decision to

hire an employee occurs well before the employee actually begins work. Initiating an

online relationship enables an organization to create an immediate personalized

relationship with a new employee--a well-recognized element of effective leadership

(Kouzes & Posner, 2012, Ch. 1) and an opportunity for an employee to learn a great deal

about the organization.

2. Appoint a Trained Mentor-Coach for Each New Employee – The evidence indicates the

quality of mentoring for new employees can make a significant contribution to

employee socialization and learning (Ragins, et al., 2000). Mentoring can be highly

effective at helping employees to improve employee work attitudes, engagement, and

extra-role behavior (Van Dyne & Pierce, 2004).

3. Focus the Onboarding on Relationships and Networks – Assisting new employees to

create relationships with key organization personnel can shorten the socialization and

assimilation process. Sharing information with key organization personnel about the

employee’s qualifications and assisting the employee to become familiar with the

organization’s values communicates to the incoming employee that (s)he is an

important contributor to the organization’s success (Brown, 2007; Rousseau, 1990). The

relationship with the supervisor and the natural work group are both essential elements

in this transition (Parker, et al., 2013).

4. Prepare a Well-Developed and Complete New Employee Orientation Booklet –

Integrating the many diverse pieces of information that new employees needs in

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relocating; acquainting the employee with the community and organization culture;

identifying the organization’s values, mission, and history; explaining employee benefits

and policies; completing required paper work and documentation; and identifying key

job tasks in contributing to the organization’s ability to create value enables a new

employee to obtain this critical information and is consistent with employee

psychological contract expectations (Sutton & Griffin, 2004). Providing that information

in one location also facilitates an employee’s ability to share that information with a

significant other.

5. Prepare Physical Location, Office, and Staffing Support Prior to Onboarding – A

properly equipped office and appropriate staffing support enable an employee to get

off to the best possible start. Initiating those actions prior to a new employee’s arrival

demonstrates that the organization has carefully thought through the new employee’s

assimilation (cf. Marks, 2007).

6. Assist in Transitional Logistics – Recognizing that a new hire may have had to relocate,

sell or buy a home, arrange for schooling for children, and/or make other stressful

transitions of significant proportion, reaching out to new employees to assist them in

those time consuming tasks communicates that an employer is aware of the need for

work-family balance and is committed to the employee’s welfare (Dewe, et al., 2010).

7. Clarify and Affirm Priorities and Expectations – Immediately upon the new employee’s

arrival to the organization, the employee’s supervisor should meet with the new

employee to clarify job responsibilities, key outcomes, and the employee role with the

entire work group; identify key resources and the role of the supervisor; and listen

carefully to the employee’s personal goals and job-related concerns. Creating a high

trust relationship with the new employee is facilitated by such a meeting in addition to

building employee commitment (Leana & Van Buren, 1999).

8. Engage, Empower, and Appreciate the Employee – Employees actively engaged as

owners and partners in an organization are more likely to contribute creative ideas, add

organizational value, and improve organization productivity (Adkins, 2016; Smith, et al.,

2016; Beer, 2009; Saks, 2006;). Building employee self-efficacy and confidence reduces

employee stress, facilitates assimilation into the organization, and enhances employee

performance (Peterson, et al., 2011).

9. Involve Upline in Onboarding Training and Orientation – Actively involving Top

Management Team members and supervisors in the new employee orientation

process–particularly in explaining organizational values and cultural factors–

communicates to employees that organizational leaders are committed to those values

and that they are prepared to perform according to the values that they espouse

(Schein, 2010; Kouzes & Posner, 2012).

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10. Create an Ongoing Coaching Process – As part of the new employee orientation, both

the mentor and supervisor should identify the resources available to assist the

employee to become a highly productive contributor and the checkpoints that will be

used to help the new employee to be assimilated into the organization to achieve time-

targeted performance results (Bachkirova, et al., 2011).

Each of these ten steps communicates to the new employee that (s)he is a priority of the

organization. This ten-step process communicates, “We value you and want you to succeed. We care

about your success, and we have carefully thought through our responsibility to bringing you on board

successfully so that you can have a great experience in our company.” In the words of DePree (2004,

Ch. 1), this approach to the onboarding process and to helping the employee to succeed honors the

“covenantal” obligation of leaders to be “a servant and a debtor” committed to each employee’s well-

being and success. That psychological contract expectation of being valued as a person is the desired

hope of new employees as they transition into organizations. Although all ten of these recommended

steps might not always be practical in every situation, this model provides a guideline which has

applicability for many organizations in a variety of disciplines.

Caldwell and colleagues (2015) have provided a Virtuous Continuum of ethical conduct for

leaders and organizations for evaluating performance outcomes and ethical duties. That continuum,

indicated as Diagram 1, suggests that the responsibility of organizations and leaders is to optimize value

creation and organizational wealth by pursuing the best intetests of all stakeholders.

==== Insert Diagram One about here ====

Similarly, Cameron (2011) has explained that virtuous leadership is also “responsible leadership” and the

obligation of leaders to those whom they serve. A growing body of evidence confirms that honoring this

virtuous responsibility creates organizational wealth, greater commitment, improved customer service,

and better quality (Cameron & Spreitzer, 2012; Beer, 2009; Pfeffer, 1998).

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Contributions of the Paper

Like many practical HRM issues, onboarding of employees is a profoundly ethical process with

implications for the psychological contract between the employer and employee (Hosmer, 1987). This

paper makes five significant contributions.

1) It identifies the nature of onboarding new employees as an ethical and practical opportunity

to improve the relationship between new employees and their organizations. The

responsibilities of HRPs and immediate supervisors in assimilating new employees honors

“covenantal” obligations that benefit organizations and the individuals working for them

2) It identifies the ethical nature of onboarding in comparison with twelve highly regarded

ethical perspectives and as a key element of psychological contracts. By elaborating on the

ethical nature of the onboarding process, this paper integrates those ethical perspectives with

the expectations of employees directly impacts their trust, commitment, and willingness to

engage in value-creating behaviors.

3) It confirms the value of a Virtuous Continuum approach to examining the current practices of

onboarding for HRPs. Honoring duties owed to stakeholders and optimizing value creation are

responsibilities of HRPs and supervisors and the Virtuous Continuum is a useful criterion for

evaluating an organization’s onboarding process (Caldwell, et al., 2014).

4) It identifies a ten-step model for onboarding with each step identifying how each onboarding

activity strengthens the ability of an organization to honor ethical and psychological contract

expectations of employees. The specifics of this proposed model comply with best practices for

onboarding in HRM (Bauer, 2010) while meshing with ethically-related assumptions about the

psychological contract (Rousseau, 1990).

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5) It provides an opportunity for practitioners and scholars to increase their dialogue in

promoting the discussion of ethics in practice. The link between academicians and practitioners

is often weak and scholars are frequently criticized for being impractical (Van Buren &

Greenwood, 2013; Caldwell, 2014). This paper bridges that gap and provides an opportunity for

scholars and HRPs to work together to improve the onboarding process.

Conclusion

Although organizations depend greatly upon the ability of their employees to add value and

improve organizational creativity (Christensen, 2011; Beer, 2009), they often overlook the importance of

helping employees to succeed (Pfeffer, 1998). Van Buren and Greenwood (2013, 716) have noted the

importance of “involvement of business ethics scholarship in debates about important ethical issues in

employment practices.” By addressing the ethical implications of onboarding and assimilation in the

psychological contract that exists between new employees and their organizations, this paper furthers

that purpose while providing specific suggestions for improving a key HRM process.

As HRPs improve the onboarding and assimilation process for new employees, they enhance

each employee’s reason for wanting to connect as invested partners in the success of the organization,

the work group, and the supervisor with whom they work (Yamkovenko & Hatala, 2015). By improving

onboarding and new employee assimilation, HRPs and organization leaders honor the psychological

contracts and ethical assumptions of employees’ and create an organizational culture that generates

greater long-term wealth while serving the needs of their work force (Caldwell, et al., 2011).

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Van Dyne, L. & Pierce, J. L. (2004). “Psychological Ownership and Feelings of Possession: Three Field Studies Predicting Employee Attitudes and Organizational Citizenship Behavior.” Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 25, Iss. 4, pp. 439-459.

Wanous, J. P., & Reichers, A. E., (2000). “New Employee Orientation Programs.” Human Resource Management Review, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 435-451.

Watkins, M.D. , (2016). Summary of the First 90 Days. Sarnia, ON, Canada: Instaread.

Yamkovenko & Hatala, J. P., (2015). “Methods for Analysis of Social Networks Data in HRD Research.” Advances in Developing Human Resources, Vol. 14, Iss. 1, pp. 40-56.

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Table 1: Twelve Ethical Perspectives and Their Ethical Implications for Onboarding

Ethical Perspective Basic Summary Organizational Impacts

Employee Perceptions and Ethical Implications

Self-Interest (Protagoras)

Society benefits when we pursue self-interest without encroaching on others’ rights.

Seeks to optimize long-term wealth creation.

Excellent onboarding and quality training enable new employees to quickly become contributors in creating organizational wealth or value (cf. Caldwell & Hansen, 2010)

Utilitarian Benefit (Bentham & Mills)

A law or act is “right” if it leads to more net social benefits than harms.

Recognizes the need to identify costs, benefits, and impacts of choices.

The Return on Investment of onboarding saves an organization money in the long-run and increases commitment (Pfeffer, 1998)

Personal Virtues (Plato & Aristotle)

Standards must be adopted to govern relationships and articulate virtuous behaviors.

Organizations must govern according to correct principles and virtues.

Creating an excellent onboarding process is congruent with the virtuous obligations that leaders owe to others (DePree, 2004)

Religious Injunction (St. Augustine)

Compassion and kindness must accompany honesty, truthfulness, and temperance.

Honoring relationships equates with interpersonal respect and kindness.

Treating employees as valued “Yous” rather than as “Its” honors the obligations of Religious Injunction (Buber, 1996).

Ethic of Government Regulation (Hobbes & Locke)

“Live by both the letter and the spirit of the law in honoring duties owed to others, but remember that the law by itself is a minimal moral standard.”

Complying with the letter and spirt of the law builds trust and increases personal commitment.

Treating new hires as valued partners and with a concern for their best interests is not a legal obligation but complies with the spirit of the implied contract between the parties and is an important means of building trust (cf. Caldwell & Clapham, 2003).

Universal Rules (Kant)

Inspired rules govern action, resulting in the greater good for society.

Universal rules and values impact organizations and leaders.

Kantian rules mandate that individuals are treated as valued ends rather than as means to ends (Kant & Wood, 2001).

Individual Rights (Rousseau and Jefferson)

An articulated list of protected rights ensures individual freedom and protects individuals.

Organizations are obligated to honor duties owed to individual members.

Employees are likely to view organizations as owing them a complex series of “covenantal” duties and rights (Covey, 1992).

Economic Efficiency (Adam Smith)

Seek the maximum output of needed goods and the maximization of profits.

Acknowledges the importance of wealth creation and value.

Onboarding is win-win benefit that maximizes value creation (cf. Bauer, 2010).

Distributive Justice (Rawls)

Avoid taking any actions that harms the least of us in any way.

Organizations owe individuals fair treatment at all times.

Ineffective onboarding actually harms employees who are under great stress and impedes their ability to succeed (Acevedo & Yancey, 2010).

Contributing Liberty (Nozich)

Avoid actions that interfere with others’ self-fulfillment and development.

Acknowledges the obligation to assist employees to become excellent.

Poor onboarding conflicts with the Ethic of Contributing Liberty because it undermines the effectiveness of new employees (Bauer, 2010).

Ethic of Self- Actualization (Maslow)

Seek to fulfill one’s highest potential and to maximize one’s ability to contribute to creating a better world.

Recognizes that fulfilling one’s potential serves all stakeholders.

The Ethic of Self-Actualization is best served by empowering new employees and helping them to succeed (Smart, 2012).

Ethic of Care (Gilligan)

Emphasizes the importance of creating caring relationships and honoring responsibilities to those with whom relationships exist.

Focuses on the importance of each person and helping them to honor their responsibilities.

The Ethic of Care enables new employees to honor their responsibilities to others. It is also a duty owed to them which demonstrates that the organization cares about their welfare (cf. Cameron, 2011).

Hosmer, 1995

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Diagram 1: The Virtuous Continuum as an Ethical Framework for Leaders and Organizations

Caldwell, Hasan & Smith, 2015

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New Employee Orientation: Employee Onboarding

• • • BY Updated October 31, 2019SUSAN M. HEATHFIELD

New employee orientation is the process you use for welcoming a new employee into your organization. The goal of new employee orientation is to help the new employee feel welcomed, integrated into the organization, and performing the new job successfully as quickly as possible.

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In organizations, a core of information exists that you need to share with every new employee. But, depending on the level of the job, the responsibilities of the job, and the experience of the new employee, components will vary.

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New employee orientation, often spearheaded by a meeting with the Human Resources department, generally contains information in areas such as:

Safety

The work environment

The new job description

Benefits and benefits eligibility

The employee's new manager and coworkers

Company culture

Company history

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The organization chart

Anything else that is relevant for the new employee to working in the new company

New employee orientation often includes an introduction to each department in the company and a list of employees to meet who are crucial to the new employee's success. The best orientations have set up these meetings prior to the new employee's arrival.

Employee onboarding also includes training on-the-job, often with a coworker who does or has done the job. New employee orientation frequently includes spending time doing the jobs in each department to understand the flow of the product or service through the organization.

Timing and Presentation of Employee Orientation Various organizations do new employee orientation differently. Orientations range from a full day or two of paperwork, presentations, and introductions to a daily orientation program that was effective in one company for years.

In the daily orientation program, the manager of the new employee's department sets up a 120- day orientation during which the new employee learned something new about the company every day while also performing the job.

From meeting the CEO to operating each piece of equipment in the plant, this longer-term orientation welcomed the new employee and gradually immersed them in the organization's operation, history, culture, values, and mission.

Early in the 120-day program, new employees attended training sessions and completed the necessary employment and benefits paperwork, but the rest was custom designed for the employee.

Effective new employee orientations often contain components over time whether for 30 days, 90 days or more. It is not effective to hit a new employee with too much information during their first few days of work.

Finally, many organizations assign a mentor or buddy to the new employee. This coworker answers all of their questions and aids the new employee to quickly feel at home.

The selection and training of these employees is critical. You don’t want a disenfranchised or unhappy employee mentoring others.

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How to Have a World-Class Orientation Program Dr. John Sullivan, head of the Human Resource Management Program at San Francisco State University, concludes that several elements contribute to a World-Class orientation program.

The best new employee orientation:

Has targeted goals and meets them

Makes the first day a celebration

Involves the family as well as co-workers

Makes new hires productive on the first day

Is not boring, rushed or ineffective

Uses new employee feedback to continuously improve

If your new employee orientation incorporates these six factors, you know that you are on the right path to an effective orientation that both welcomes and teaches your new employees.

Also Known As New Employee Onboarding, Orientation, Induction.

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Tips for a Better New Employee Orientation How to Create a Superior Employee Orientation Process

• • • BY BARBARA O'TOOLE Updated December 29, 2020

Your new employee orientation is a make 'em or break 'em experience, for a new employee. At its best, the process of new employee orientation solidifies the new employee's relationship with your organization. It fuels their enthusiasm and guides their steps into a long-term positive relationship with your company. State-of-the-art new employee orientation will help you retain the employees that you most want to keep over the long term. Retention starts with orientation.

Table of Contents

New Hires Are Human

The Ideal Orientation

Make Employees Welcome

Prepare for Productivity

Manage the Integration

Evaluate the Success

A Positive Example

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Done poorly, your new employee orientation will leave your new employees wondering why on earth they walked through your door. This lays the foundation for a negative employee experience of your job and organization—why go there when the war for excellent talent is escalating?

Table of Contents

New Hires Are Human

The Ideal Orientation

Make Employees Welcome

Prepare for Productivity

Manage the Integration

Evaluate the Success

A Positive Example

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Picture this scenario, which plays out every day in organizations. Your company’s new employee orientation program has slick, pre-printed handouts. The program’s savvy, friendly presenter uses good visuals such as overhead transparencies and a white marker board. Participants receive a guided tour of the facility. The hundred-page employee handbook is safely tucked under their arms or increasingly, the new employee is given a link to an employee handbook that is the equivalent of 100 pages online.

Table of Contents

New Hires Are Human

The Ideal Orientation

Make Employees Welcome

Prepare for Productivity

Manage the Integration

Evaluate the Success

A Positive Example

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Remember That Your New Hires Are Human Many new hires question their decision to change companies by the end of their first day. Their anxieties are fueled by mistakes that companies often make during that first-day new employee orientation program. These common mistakes include:

Overwhelming the new hire with facts, figures, names, and faces packed into one eight- hour day;

Showing boring orientation videos;

Providing lengthy front-of-the-room lectures; and

Failing to prepare for the new hire by providing appropriate equipment such as a laptop and adequate assignments so the new employee feels as if they have jumped right into the work of the new job.

A company’s positive first impressions can cement the deal for a newly recruited employee. Those positive strokes can also speed integration and productivity. Research shows that good orientation programs can improve employee retention by 25 percent.

Yet the average employee feels bewildered, overwhelmed by this new employee orientation, and far from welcome. This was not your intention at all. What’s missing? How can you take your program from simply orienting to integrating and welcoming your new hire?

Does this sound familiar about your standard new employee orientation? If yes, before you completely revamp your present new employee orientation process, ask yourself the following question: "What do you want to achieve during new employee orientation? What first impression do you want to make?"

Table of Contents

New Hires Are Human

The Ideal Orientation

Make Employees Welcome

Prepare for Productivity

Manage the Integration

Evaluate the Success

A Positive Example

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The Ideal Orientation for Your New Hires Dr. John Sullivan, Professor of Management at San Francisco State University and prolific writer, speaker, and consultant, concludes that several elements contribute to a world-class new employee orientation program. The best new employee orientation: 1

Table of Contents

New Hires Are Human

The Ideal Orientation

Make Employees Welcome

Prepare for Productivity

Manage the Integration

Evaluate the Success

A Positive Example

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Targets goals and meets them,

Makes the first day a celebration that keeps employees engaged and enthused,

Involves family as well as coworkers,

Makes new hires productive on the first day,

Is not boring, rushed, or ineffective,

Uses systematic data analysis and feedback to continuously improve, and

Asks managers what components were helpful in getting new employees productive and contributing faster.

Table of Contents

New Hires Are Human

The Ideal Orientation

Make Employees Welcome

Prepare for Productivity

Manage the Integration

Evaluate the Success

A Positive Example

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Make Employees Feel Welcomed and Like They Belong Most organizations are great at celebrating the departure of a beloved coworker. Why are organizations often so awful at welcoming a new employee? Think about arranging a party to welcome a new employee. Celebrations produce enthusiasm. Have you experienced starting a new job only to have your coworkers and supervisor ignore you during the first week?

If so, you understand the effectiveness of even a little enthusiasm. Some simple celebration methods might include a letter of welcome signed by the CEO, a company t-shirt signed by all department members, and a cake with candles on the employee’s first day. Involve families in the celebration. Schedule a welcome luncheon or dinner for spouses, partners, and families during the employee’s first month.

As an example, a map showing nearby eateries is helpful and appreciated. (An invitation to lunch from coworkers each day during the employee’s first week is even more welcoming.) Go one step further than providing a map of the facility and the parking lot. Take a picture of your new person in the parking lot, in front of the company sign. Visuals have a great impact.

Prepare for Instant Productivity From Your New Hire Employers frequently overlook the most fundamental question of the new recruit. He or she wants to know how their work impacts the department and ultimately, the company. Your new employee orientation should include an overview of each department’s function. Include information about what specifically goes into each department (inputs) and what comes out (products).

Provide examples of how these functions relate to the employee’s job. Spend some time during the new employee orientation allowing each person to examine how his new job and its responsibilities fit in. Discuss the expected contributions and how they will help the company. Be sure to point out how new employees can offer feedback for making improvements.

Old-fashioned welcome wagons were once used to deliver goodies to new members of a community. You can establish your own welcome wagon. Freebies that aid the new hire in performing their job will reinforce the belief that company employees are glad he or she is here and want them to succeed.

Examine your new employee orientation program from the perspective of the new employees. Anticipate their anxieties, as well as their questions. Provide a glossary of

Table of Contents

New Hires Are Human

The Ideal Orientation

Make Employees Welcome

Prepare for Productivity

Manage the Integration

Evaluate the Success

A Positive Example

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Distribute a help source card that provides the names and email addresses of people who are pre-designated for questions. You may also want to assign a departmental mentor to assist with questions and the new employee orientation process during the employee’s first month.

Manage the Integration of Your New Hire Ideally, the new hire’s immediate manager will participate in part of the new employee orientation. A fun way to incorporate the supervisor is in the style of the old "Newlywed Game." The supervisor has to guess how they think their new employee will answer questions. If their answers match, points are awarded for prizes.

For an effective new employee orientation process, many companies expect the supervisor to provide the departmental, and work-specific orientation. The Human Resources department handles the company overview, the handbooks, the benefits, and other basic information. But, then, the supervisor takes over.

On the first day, a new employee should meet with their new supervisor. The meeting should include a plan for specific training. Both the supervisor and the new employee are encouraged to share their expectations for the job, including fears or reservations each may have. The manager keeps the meeting positive and adjourns with the new hire started on a meaningful assignment.

Evaluate the Success of the New Employee Orientation Good training programs ask for participant evaluations. At the end of your new employee orientation, offer a brief, five-question survey focused on the presentation.

Follow up with a survey that focuses on content in ten days or so. Encourage feedback about what information the new employee would have liked to have received during the new employee

company acronyms, buzzwords, and FAQs so they don’t have to ask the most basic questions.

Avoid the mistake of allowing the new employee to sit idle. (In some organizations, the Human Resources group helps with the design of a checklist, which assists supervisors to provide a thorough orientation that excites and motivates the new employee.)

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ARTICLE SOURCES

orientation program. Find out what information was overload or unneeded. Incorporate the suggestions to improve your new employee orientation program.

First impressions of your organization, both good and bad, are made the first day. Decide the objectives of your new employee orientation program. Meet those objectives honestly and positively. Successful integration will happen only if your new employee decides he or she has made a wise decision to join your organization. Your effective new employee orientation can help make or break that decision.

A Positive Example of a Successful New Hire Orientation The best new employee orientation was instituted at Edgewood Tool and Manufacturing, a small stamping plant near Detroit. Every manager who hired a new employee was required to write a 120-day orientation plan for the new employee. It involved one action a day.

Actions included meeting the Director of Quality, calling on a customer, and having lunch with the CEO. You can bet that the new employee was thoroughly welcomed and integrated into the organization after 120 different orientation events.

Dr. John Sullivan.com. " ." Accessed December 29, 2020.How to Help New Hires Get Up to Speed

Table of Contents

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Employee Orientation: Keeping New Employees on Board

Why orientation is key to retaining new employees

• • • BY  DR. JUDITH BROWN   Updated May 20, 2020

Orienting employees to their workplaces and their jobs is one of the most neglected functions in many organizations. An employee handbook and piles of paperwork are not sufficient anymore when it comes to welcoming a new employee to your organization.

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The most frequent complaints about new employee orientation are that it is overwhelming, boring, or that the new employee is left to sink or swim. Employees feel as if the organization dumped too much information on them which they were supposed to understand and implement in much too short of a time period.

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The result is often a confused new employee who is not as productive as he could be. He is also more likely to leave the organization within a year. It is costly to both the employer and the employee. Multiply this by the number of employees that you hire each year, and the cost of turnover becomes significant.

With an ongoing labor crunch, developing an effective employee orientation experience continues to be crucial. It is critical that new hire programs are carefully planned to educate the employee about the organization's values and history and about who is who in the organization.

A well thought out orientation program, whether it lasts one day or six months, will help not only in the retention of employees but also in the increases in employee productivity. Organizations that have good orientation programs get new people up to speed faster, have better alignment between what the employees do and what the organization needs them to do, and have lower turnover rates.

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Purposes of Orientation Employers have to realize that orientation isn't just a nice gesture put on by the organization. It serves as an important element of the new employee welcome and organization integration.

To Reduce Startup Costs Proper orientation can help the employee get up to speed much more quickly, thereby reducing the costs associated with learning the job.

To Reduce Anxiety Any employee, when put into a new, strange situation, will experience anxiety that can impede his or her ability to learn to do the job. Proper orientation helps to reduce anxiety that results from entering into an unknown situation and helps provide guidelines for behavior and conduct, so the employee doesn't have to experience the stress of guessing.

To Reduce Employee Turnover Employee turnover increases as employees feel they are not valued or are put in positions where they can't possibly do their jobs. Orientation shows that the organization values the employee, and helps provide the tools necessary for succeeding in the job.

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To Save Time for the Supervisor Simply put, the better the initial orientation, the less likely that supervisors and coworkers will have to spend time teaching the employee. You can effectively and efficiently cover all of the things about the company, the departments, the work environment, and the cultureduring orientation. The manager and coworkers will then need only to reinforce these concepts.

To Develop Realistic Job Expectations, Positive Attitudes, and Job Satisfaction It is important that employees learn as soon as possible what is expected of them, and what to expect from others, in addition to learning about the values and attitudes of the organization. While people can learn from experience, they will make many mistakes that are unnecessary

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and potentially damaging. The main reasons orientation programs fail: The program was not planned; the employee was unaware of the job requirements; the employee does not feel welcome.

Employee orientation is important—orientation provides a lot of benefits, and you can use feedback from participating employees to make your orientations even better.

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All new employees should complete a new employee orientation program that is designed to assist them in adjusting to their jobs and work environment and to instill a positive work attitude and motivation at the onset.

A thoughtful new employee orientation program can reduce turnover and save an organization thousands of dollars. One reason people change jobs is that they never feel welcome or part of the organization they join.

What Do You Need to Include in the Process? The most important principle to convey during orientation is your commitment to continuous improvement and continual learning. That way, new employees become comfortable with asking questions to obtain the information that they need to learn, problem solve and make decisions.

A well-thought-out orientation process takes energy, time and commitment. However, it usually pays off for the individual employee, the department, and the organization. One such example is Mecklenburg County's (North Carolina) success in revamping its employee orientation program.

The employer wanted to live up to its credo of employees being the organization's greatest resource. In 1996, as part of a larger initiative to redesign services to meet customer needs, the Mecklenburg County Human Resources Department staff made a smart decision. They viewed new employees as part of their customer base and asked their customers what they wanted.

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Employees were asked what they wanted and needed from orientation. They were also asked what they liked and didn't like about orientation. New employees were asked what they wanted to know about the organization. Additionally, the organization's senior managers were asked what they believed was important for employees to learn when joining the county payroll.

Using feedback collected from employees, Mecklenburg's HR training staff first realized that meeting employees' needs required more than a half day training session. Trusting employee feedback, the trainers crafted a one-day orientation that gave employees what they said they wanted and what senior management believed employees needed to know.

Essentially, the orientation mix now includes the less exciting topics such as W-2s and various policies and procedures, but it also includes details that let the employee know something about the organization.

Need more on how to plan an employee orientation that's beneficial and fun?

Key Planning Questions Human Resource professionals and line managers first need to consider key new employee orientation planning questions before implementing or revamping a current program. These are the key questions to ask.

What things do new employees need to know about this work environment that would make them more comfortable?

What impression and impact do you want to have on a new employee's first day?

What key policies and procedures must employees be aware of on the first day to avoid mistakes on the second day? Concentrate on vital issues.

What special things (desk, work area, equipment, special instructions) can you provide to make new employees feel comfortable, welcome and secure?

What positive experience can you provide for the new employee that she could discuss with her family at the end of the first day of work? The experience should be something to make the new employee feel valued by the organization.

How can you help the new employee's supervisor be available to the new employee on the first day to provide personal attention and to convey a clear message that the new employee is an important addition to the work team?

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How to Put Your Best Foot Forward for a New Employee Since first impressions are crucial, here are some tips for putting your best foot forward. Have some fun. Concentrate only on the very important topics of the handbook. Play some games— this can help people learn. Games include:

Photo Match: after the tour. Each employee is provided photos of other employees and a list of names. The object is to match the name with the face.

Signature Hunt: While employees are touring the facility, provide them with a piece of paper with the names of several associates they will be meeting. They are then asked to obtain the signatures of the people they meet. The employee who obtains the most signatures from a variety of new coworkers gets a prize.

Other games that pertain to what the employee learned during orientation are also effective assurances that orientation is successful.

Steps in Making the New Hire Welcome

Begin the process before the new person starts work. Send an agenda to the new associate with the offer letter so that the employee knows what to expect. Stay in touch after he or she has accepted the position to answer questions. Make sure the new person's work area is ready for the first day of work.

Make sure that key coworkers know the employee is starting and encourage them to come to say "hello" before orientation begins. A new employee welcome letter with an agenda allows coworkers to stay in touch with the new employee and her schedule.

Assign a mentor or buddy, to show the new person around, make introductions, and start training. Let the mentor have sufficient notice so that they can make preparations. The mentoring relationship should continue for 90 days and may continue much longer if the pair makes a great connection. Many relationships go on for years and may even turn into a sponsorship.

Start with the basics. People become productive sooner if they are firmly grounded in the basic knowledge they need to understand their job. Focus on the why, when, where, and how of the position before expecting them to handle assignments or big projects. Don't overwhelm them with too much information.

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Provide samples about how to complete forms and the person's job description with the orientation packet.

Have some fun. Concentrate only on the very important topics of the handbook. Play some games—this can help people learn.

Provide a list of FAQs with a contact person, and phone number or extension.

Plan to take the new employee to lunch, or ask others to join the new employee in the lunchroom or in a conference room with other members of the department. The first day on the job is not the day to leave the new employee alone during lunch.

This is a good time for the supervisor to take the employee to lunch, include other coworkers, and make sure the employee is at ease. It's also an excellent environment in which employees can get to know each other and the new coworker.

Keep the new person's family in mind. A new job means an adjustment for the entire family, especially if they have relocated. Do what you can to ease the transition and help them feel comfortable in the community.

Ask for feedback. Find out from former new hires how they perceived the orientation process, and don't be afraid to make changes based on those recommendations. You can send an evaluation two to four weeks after the employee has started, and ask: Now that you have been with the company awhile did the new employee orientation meet your needs? After the employee has worked for you for a while, and he finds out what he should have learned but did not at the orientation. At Mecklenburg County, after their redesign process, one of the trainers, Allyson Birbiglia said, "We recognize that we have to continuously improve orientation to meet the changing needs of our customers. What works now may not serve our employees well next month or next year."

An effective orientation program—or the lack of one—will make a significant difference in how quickly a new employee becomes productive and has other long-term impacts on your organization. The end of the first day, the end of the first week, the end of each day in your employment, is just as important as the beginning.

Help your employees feel that you want them to come back the next day, and the next, and the next.

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Dr. Judith Brown is a Program Manager for Policy and Performance Management at Naval Intelligence.

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Steps for Creating a Positive New Employee Onboarding Experience

• • • BY BRIAN PLATZ Updated July 13, 2019

In the talent management universe, the new employee orientation and mainstreaming process are known as employee onboarding. Keeping in mind that you never get a second chance to make a first impression, your business should make sure that new hires feel welcomed, valued, and prepared for what lies ahead during your new employee orientation or onboarding process.

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The onboarding process should help get your newest team members on track and up to speed so they can start contributing to your success as soon as possible.

2/2/2021 Steps for Creating a Positive New Employee Onboarding Experience

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Watch Now: 9 Onboarding Techniques That Actually Work

2:02

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Familiarity Breeds Contentment A friend recently married into a large family and was overwhelmed with the sea of new faces, names, and relationships. To ease her transition, a well-meaning uncle prepared a set of flashcards, complete with photos, names, hometowns, and professions. Thanks to his efforts, she knew that the woman making the tearful toast at the wedding was her mother-in-law’s first cousin.

A similar approach will help familiarize new hires with the corporate family tree and could help avert embarrassing situations such as the new hire who asks a stranger for help with the fax machine, only to discover later that he was the CFO.

Rather than flashcards, a “who’s who” area with photos, names, and titles on your company Intranet will do the trick. Offline, a simple bulletin board with staff pictures, names, and positions will get the job done.

Make Onboarding Simple and Interesting The employee onboarding period can be quite complex and uncertain. Consider the experience from the employee’s perspective, and then make an effort to make it fun, interesting, exciting, painless, and as simple as possible. If you do, you will make your new team member feel valued, wanted, interested and excited. By engendering these positive emotions from the word go, you make the new employee want to do great work and add great value to your organization.

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One easy solution is to post new employee orientation schedules, materials, benefits forms, and an extensive FAQ about the company on an Intranet that is accessible to new hires from a link in a welcome email before their first day on the job. By providing some information in advance, you eliminate a common source of new hire angst and give them a better chance to start off on the right foot.

Don’t Make New Hires Learn the Hard Way Every workplace comes with its own set of rules and regulations, benefits, and bonuses, nuances, and traditions. Don’t make your new employees learn these things the hard way. If your company observes a “casual Friday” rule, make sure all new employees know this before they show up at the office on their first Friday in a neatly-pressed suit.

Every company offers a range of benefits and perks. They’ll seem even more valuable if you make sure your new employees know about them from the onset. Give new employees an easy way to keep track of exactly what they’re eligible for, and how they can take advantage of these benefits.

It applies to social functions as well as benefits packages. If your company plays in a corporate softball league, let the new guy know right away. Welcoming the whole person, rather than just a set of job functions, will help new hires more quickly assimilate into your corporate culture. And you never know – maybe that unassuming new financial analyst will be the secret weapon that your team needs to shut out your fiercest rival.

Again, post policies and procedures in writing somewhere convenient. Verbal mentions during a marathon new employee orientation session can easily go unheard, especially on a new hire’s first day in the office. Similarly, a stack of papers and reminders can easily get lost in the shuffle. An online resource that is regularly updated, and always accessible, is the best practice when it comes to information sharing.

Make New Employee Orientation Personal Don’t make day one all about paperwork. Instead, prioritize interpersonal relationships with key colleagues. Consider assigning welcome mentors to each new hire, so they can immediately get a feel for the personality of your organization. This day of first impressions will have an enormous impact on the employee experience, so make it a good one.

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Of course, some paperwork must be handled on or before the start date. Keep in mind that when your new hire goes home to tell his family about his first day on the job, he would rather have something more exciting to report other than, “I filled out over 30 forms.”

When it comes to documentation, get the key documentation on file in advance or as quickly as you can on day one. For everything else, create an online hub where new hires can find materials as they need them. Once they’ve settled into their new job, send a reminder email that certain materials are available online, and encourage them to visit the Intranet for information frequently.

When it comes to onboarding new talent at your company, the Internet is the most powerful tool in your toolbox. A web-based employee onboarding system will let you standardize, streamline, track, and coordinate every step of the process, all while making your company’s most recent hires feel valued and supported.

It’s been proven that happy employees are more productive employees. So, if you’re looking to drive bottom-line results with state of the art talent management tactics, it’s time to get “on board.”

Brian Platz is the Executive Vice President and General Manager of SilkRoad Technology, a web-based talent management solutions provider. Using SilkRoad’s Life Suite™, an integrated set of management solutions, companies are able to hire better employees, identify high and low performers, drive a pay-for-performance culture, and improve employee tenure. Platz has more than a decade of experience developing Internet products, e-business initiatives, and e- commerce solutions.

How to Create a Superior Employee

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Orientation Process

What Does a Hiring Manager Do in the Workplace?

Two Sample Letters to Make Your New Employee Feel Welcome

Why Orientation Is Key to Retaining New Employees

How Employees Can Contribute to a Positive Work Environment

You Can Quickly Integrate a New Employee With a Successful Orientation

Here Are Sample Announcements That Will Welcome a New Employee

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Welcome a New Employee With an Introduction Letter

Questions You Need to Ask to Succeed at Your New Job

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How to Welcome and Onboard a New Employee Successfully

• • • BY Updated September 30, 2019SUSAN M. HEATHFIELD

What's Involved in Welcoming a New Employee? Welcoming a new employee is more than making a company announcement and a boss assignment. Welcoming a new employee, to give the new employee the best possibility of integrating successfully in your company, requires a series of steps that start after your job offer is accepted.

Table of Contents

What's Involved in Welcoming an Employee?

New Employee Welcome Steps

Before the New Employee Start Date

What to Do During the Final Few Days

Welcome the New Employee on Day One

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Integration and retention of your new employee start during the hiring process, and they also intensify when the new employee starts the new job. You have a lot at stake in how you welcome your new employee. These recommendations will help you get it right.

Table of Contents

What's Involved in Welcoming an Employee?

New Employee Welcome Steps

Before the New Employee Start Date

What to Do During the Final Few Days

Welcome the New Employee on Day One

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These welcoming steps for the new employee continue right into his or her employment. If you do these welcome and onboarding steps well, you will create a successful new employee. Here's how to make this happen.

Table of Contents

What's Involved in Welcoming an Employee?

New Employee Welcome Steps

Before the New Employee Start Date

What to Do During the Final Few Days

Welcome the New Employee on Day One

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New Employee Welcome Steps If you follow these recommended steps, your new employee is set up for success. You are also most likely to gain the employee's loyalty and thus, retain them.

Before the New Employee Start Date

Contact the new employee shortly after he or she signs and returns your job offer. The purpose of the note or phone call is to express your excitement that the new employee has joined your team. This call is best made by the hiring manager, the employee to whom the new employee will report. Set up the expectation that the new employee will hear from you regularly during the normal two-four weeks before the start day.

Send benefits information and the employee handbook early so that the new employee may review them at his or her leisure and arrive for the first day with questions. You may have other documents that are pertinent to your business to share as well. If these are online, provide the employee with a link and early access. These actions contribute to the trust you are establishing with the new employee.

If your organization has an online wiki or another intranet, provide the new employee with early access. This is especially important if you have an online staff directory with photos of employees. Your new employee will feel as if he or she is getting to know coworkers early. Lacking an online photo album, consider setting up an employee bulletin board in each department with employee photos and other business and employee information. Or, do both.

Send an official company welcome letter from Human Resources. This welcome letter for the new employee should contain a confirmation of such items as start date, start time, work dress code, where to go, the first day's schedule, and other details that the new employee needs to know.

Assign the new employee a mentor, a more experienced employee with no reporting relationship to the new employee. The mentor should call the new employee to get to know him or her before the start date.

Table of Contents

What's Involved in Welcoming an Employee?

New Employee Welcome Steps

Before the New Employee Start Date

What to Do During the Final Few Days

Welcome the New Employee on Day One

2/2/2021 How to Welcome and Onboard a New Employee

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What to Do During the Final Days Before You Welcome Your New Employee

Prepare for the employee’s first day by having everything ready for his or her arrival. An earlier article stresses the ten best ways to turn off a new employee. Many of them have to do with the organization’s failure to prepare to welcome the new employee from day one. These items seem so simple. For example, don’t ask an employee to start during a week when his or her new boss is out of town. Don't schedule a new employee without preparing their work area. Demonstrate respect for the new employee.

Develop a checklist for new employee preparation that includes assigning a computer or laptop, installing software programs necessary, preparing a desk and cubicle or office, providing mail access and an email account, and so forth. Every office needs a list and an employee assigned to make the items happen before the new employee starts work at their new job.

Decorate the new employee’s office area with welcome signs, flowers, and snacks. Let the quirkiness of your employees and work culture shine through in the itemsthat you provide to welcome the new employee. Company swag is appreciated, too. A mug with the company logo and other items that welcome the new employee will make him, or her feel quickly at home.

What to Do To Welcome the New Employee on Day One

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Make sure that the first day's schedule is full of meeting people and onboarding activities. Schedule a good portion of the morning with the new employee’s boss and mentor. This is your last chance to make a positive impression on your new employee. Don’t let the day go to waste and contain nothing but paperwork and HR meetings. The day is for bonding with the boss, the mentor, and coworkers not about filling in forms.

Prepare an onboarding schedule in advance that is customized to the needs of the department and the new employee. Make sure that the onboarding schedule fills only part of each day so that the new employee can feel productive immediately in his or her new job. For example, one company required that the employee’s manager put together a 120-day onboarding plan that provided something new for the employee to learn every day. The employee’s boss and mentor were responsible for creating, sharing, and monitoring the onboarding schedule.

Make sure that the new employee meets with Human Resources staff on the first day so he or she can ask questions about benefits, policies, and compensation. HR cooperates with the manager and mentor to tell the new employee what he or she needs to know and to introduce the culture and the organization’s expectations of employees. This is also an opportunity to begin communicating the value of your comprehensive benefits package.

Schedule lunch on the first day with the new employee’s coworkers and set up a schedule to make sure that he or she has a coworker with whom to eat each day of the first week. The new employee’s boss and mentor should also attend this lunch. The goal is that the new employee has the opportunity to meet many new coworkers from across the organization so they feel welcomed and part of their new workplace.

The Bottom Line The impressions the new employee forms during the first few days and the onboarding period will have an enormous impact on the new employee's experience of your organization. It is well worth your time and attention to make the new employee's welcome positive, affirming, and exciting.

Table of Contents

University of Rhode Island DigitalCommons@URI

Seminar Research Paper Series Schmidt Labor Research Center

2014

New Employee Onboarding Programs and Person- Organization Fit: An Examination of Socialization Tactics Kaylee L. Pike University of Rhode Island

Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/lrc_paper_series

This Seminar Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the Schmidt Labor Research Center at DigitalCommons@URI. It has been accepted for inclusion in Seminar Research Paper Series by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@URI. For more information, please contact [email protected].

Recommended Citation Pike, Kaylee L., "New Employee Onboarding Programs and Person-Organization Fit: An Examination of Socialization Tactics" (2014). Seminar Research Paper Series. Paper 24. http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/lrc_paper_series/24http://digitalcommons.uri.edu/lrc_paper_series/24

© Kaylee Pike, 2014

NEW EMPLOYEE ONBOARDING PROGRAMS AND PERSON-ORGANIZATION FIT: AN EXAMINATION OF SOCIALIZATION TACTICS

KAYLEE L. PIKE

University of Rhode Island

The primary goals of new employee onboarding programs are to increase performance levels and create higher levels of fit within both the job and the organization. Employee fit has been shown to increase job satisfaction and organizational commitment while reducing turnover rates. As the United States recovers from the economic recession, higher performing employees are placing a greater emphasis on job satisfaction, and employers are seeking innovative techniques for increasing fit. Onboarding programs have emerged as one of the leading measures for driving employee fit, but there is a lack of research to support its effectiveness. This paper seeks to examine the effectiveness of onboarding programs at creating person-organization fit through organizational socialization tactics. By analyzing theoretical background and empirical research, I will evaluate the effectiveness of onboarding at driving cultural assimilation and reducing turnover rates.

DRIVING COMMITMENT

New employee orientation programs, or “Onboarding” programs, have recently captured the spotlight among employers across the United States. Onboarding programs are designed to help newly hired employees learn about the business including daily functions and job responsibilities, as well as the business’ culture and values. There are two central purposes for developing onboarding programs. First, onboarding programs help new employees understand their specific roles in the job and in the company. By knowing what to expect and what is expected of them, employees feel more comfortable in their positions and will be more productive in a shorter amount of time. Additionally, onboarding programs are designed to create better fit within the organization by aligning company culture with those of the newly hired employees. This process known as organizational socialization facilitates a greater commitment to the company by influencing a better person-organization fit among new hires (Cable & Parsons, 2001). It is important to note here that for the purposes of this paper, I will focus on person-organization fit, rather than person-job fit. While person-job fit is equally important to productivity and ultimately turnover, this paper will only focus on the person-organization fit obtained through socialization in the onboarding process.

SIGNIFICANCE OF RESEARCH

A Recovering Economy

Research has shown that employee fit within an organization has an impact on turnover rates. For the purposes of this paper, only statistics for voluntary employee turnover will be used for analysis, although it is important to note that involuntary turnover such as layoffs due to changing economic conditions are typically included in total turnover rates. Research has also shown that a large portion of employee turnover occurs within the first year of employment. Table 1 demonstrates the average turnover rates from 2009-2011 as recorded by the SHRM Human Capital Benchmarking Database (Jacobs, 2012).

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TABLE 1

All-Industry Average Turnover Rates for 2009-2011 by Type

Year Average Annual

Turnover

Average Voluntary

Turnover

Average Involuntary

Turnover

2009 14% 8% 7%

2010 15% 13% 9%

2011 13% 9% 6%

Source: SHRM Human Capital Benchmarking Database (2010-2011, 2011-2012 & 2012-2013)

High turnover can be costly for employers due to a number of factors. For example, recruiting, hiring and onboarding costs can be rather high. Also, when employees leave the organization, other workers need to compensate for the decreased personnel resulting in lower productivity rates among remaining workers. Further, remaining workers often need to take time out of their schedules to interview, train, and assist new hires, taking away from normal daily productivity. This can often lead to a decrease in customer satisfaction due to the lack of adequate personnel available to assist with customer service. Finally, when employees leave the company, the company loses valuable historical knowledge about the business as well as productivity from the vacant position (Jacobs, 2012).

Recent developments in economic conditions also play a major role in determining the significance of onboarding. For example, according to a recent research report from the SHRM 2012 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement study, job satisfaction rates have begun to trend downward from 2009- 2012. Rates significantly increased from 2008-2009 due to the economic recession; however, as economic conditions improve, job satisfaction rates have been steadily decreasing towards pre-recession levels (Jacobs, 2012).

Since job satisfaction and turnover rates move in opposite directions, a downward trend in job satisfaction would result in an upward trend in voluntary turnover rates. As the economy slowly recovers from the 2008 economic recession, the employment market is projected to improve conditions for job seekers. As a result of these recent trends, voluntary turnover is projected to increase as higher performing employees seek to find better organizational fit within a more hospitable employment market. Therefore, HR professionals will need to focus on retaining top performers through employee fit (Jacobs, 2012).

The purpose of this paper is to research the effectiveness of onboarding programs at creating better employee fit to ultimately reduce voluntary turnover rates within organizations. As a result of these trends, I will seek to answer the question: Are higher-intensity onboarding programs more effective than lower-intensity onboarding programs at creating better employee fit?

OVERVIEW OF THE ONBOARDING PROCESS

Onboarding programs are designed to drive faster time to productivity and reduce the various shock factors among new hires, reduce turnover rates and in turn, turnover costs, and drive assimilation of the organizational culture and values. Organizational socialization is key in the assimilation process because it helps companies retain top performing talent and eliminate those that are not fit for the organization. Typically, new hires will either assimilate to the culture and values of the organization or leave. Onboarding speeds up the process and helps to eliminate those workers that are misfit in the company within an earlier time frame. Stein and Christiansen (2010) explain the core elements of an Onboarding program (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

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Pre-Boarding

This element takes place primarily in the recruitment and selection stage but also includes all of the administrative tasks leading up to day one at the company. An example of an important element in this stage could include a welcome or greeting from the CEO of the company. This small gesture helps new hires feel more important and welcomed within the organization when they receive a greeting from senior leadership (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Organizational Socialization

As discussed above, socialization is an important driver of person-organization fit. It goes deeper than the daily job functions and KSAs needed to complete the necessary tasks of the job. Socialization engages new employees on a different level and helps foster higher job satisfaction rates. According to Stein and Christiansen (2010), there are four key components of organizational socialization that need to be addressed in some way in effective onboarding programs. These components speak to the primary needs of new hires when entering a new organization (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Culture. It is important for new hires to understand the fundamental culture and values of the organization. This helps new employees connect with the broader purpose of the organization and gives them a better sense of fit within the company as a whole. This component also outlines clear performance expectations, social norms, and “unspoken habits of thought and behavior” (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Network Development This element provides new hires with a network of resources and allows them to interact both with other new hires and with their coworkers and teammates. It is important for new hires to get to know the people that they will be working with to help them feel a sense of acceptance and to learn about the different values, norms, and processes that they will encounter on a daily basis. Further, networking gives new hires resources to help them with issues or questions that they may have or develop along the way and throughout their careers (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Career Development. This element shows new hires a clear career path within the organization. New hires typically value career development and often look for opportunities to grow in their careers within their new company. If an organization shows new hires the potential opportunities for career growth early on, they will likely feel more committed and motivated to work hard in the organization (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Strategy. Finally, this element illustrates the significance of the new hire’s individual role within the larger scope of the company. This helps show new hires how they can personally contribute to the overall goals and objectives of the company and helps them see the significance of their daily job functions. This provides new hires with a sense of purpose and fit within the organization and shows them that their role, no matter how small, is important to the company’s success (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Follow Up

The final element in onboarding programs is continuous follow up with the new hire. This can last throughout the entire first year at the organization. Follow-up helps keep the new hire engaged and provides them with a resource for clarifying misunderstandings and answering questions that arise as the new hire navigates his or her first year at the company. This element also allows the company to obtain important feedback from the new hires on their overall experience and satisfaction. This can lead

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to opportunities for the company to make improvements to both the onboarding process and other procedures within the organization (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Assimilation

Assimilation takes place when new hires are able to adopt the core culture of the company and accept the common standards and norms of the organization. There are a number of important elements that are included in a company’s culture that need to be articulated to new hires through onboarding and socialization (Pellet, 2009).These factors make up the general culture of an organization and must be clearly communicated to employees in order to ensure that expectations are consistent with reality. In theory, as a result, new hires will either assimilate to the culture or leave the company (Pellet, 2009). For the purposes of this paper, I will focus on the socialization aspect of Onboarding programs and use socialization techniques as the basis for my research.

THEORETICAL ANALYSIS

There are a number of key theories that are put into practice when analyzing the potential effects of onboarding on person-organization fit. As a result of the major gap in empirical research regarding these potential outcomes, there is a heavy reliance on theories and mental models to analyze onboarding development. Organizational culture and commitment theories illustrate the importance of aligning a new hire’s culture with that of the company to foster a greater commitment.

Maslow’s Hierarchy

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is one of the most widely used models in Human Resources and behavioral analysis. In turn, the hierarchy of needs translates to each of the major components of a high- intensity onboarding program. This analysis demonstrates how each socialization element, when executed properly, caters to each level of need and can bring an employee to fulfillment through self- actualization.

Physiological Needs. Physiological needs refer to basic human survival needs such as food, water, and shelter. In regards to HR Management, these needs are achieved through the selection process. For example, when a new employee is hired, he or she will receive a pay check and be able to obtain the essential physiological needs for survival. Therefore, an employee enters the onboarding process with this first level already fulfilled (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Safety and Security Needs. Safety and Security needs refer to human needs of order and stability. Effective onboarding programs offer safety and security needs through structure and organization. For example, onboarding programs that follow a structured agenda and execute formal, organized events and activities will help fulfill new employees’ needs for safety and security. Onboarding programs that are more unstructured and informal do not guide employees and set the proper limits to ensure that this level is fulfilled (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Needs for Belonging. Needs for Belonging refers to the human need for interaction with and acceptance by others. These needs are realized in onboarding through various opportunities for social interaction with fellow new hires and co-workers, typically those who have the most in common. When new employees have an opportunity to interact with peers, they will feel more comfortable and accepted in their new setting. By gaining the acceptance of co-workers early on in their time with the company, new hires are more likely to have a stronger connection to the company and feelings of anxiety and fear regarding social acceptance are eased (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Needs for belonging are also realized through networking opportunities with various workers throughout the company. Not only does this help new employees gain context and valuable resources,

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but it also allows them to experience acceptance at an organizational level as opposed to just within their specific department or silo (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Self-Esteem Needs. Self-esteem needs refer to humans’ need to feel good about themselves. This includes self-respect, achievements, status and importance. Onboarding fulfills a person’s self-esteem needs by outlining how each individual employee fits into the larger organization as a whole. Effective onboarding programs demonstrate to new hires why their individual role is important and how they contribute towards the strategic goals and objectives of the organization (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Self-Actualization. Self-actualization is the highest level of fulfillment that a person can reach. It includes the need for realizing one’s full potential and continuously seeking personal growth. Effective onboarding processes include elements that help new hires see opportunities for potential career growth within the company. If a new hire can see a path for career development within the organization, he or she will be less likely to leave the company and seek other career opportunities. Showing new employees how they can grow with the company will help them reach self-actualization within their work environment (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Organizational Culture

Social Norms. Social Norms are behavioral expectations that are typically enforced by other members of a group. Social norms can include peripheral, relevant, and pivotal norms depending on the severity of consequences. In general, individuals comply with social norms if they are dominated by a self-concept

external motivation, identify with the group, or internalize the behavior (Scholl, 2003).

Social Values. Social values refer to private or internal values as well as public or espouse values. Private values are important because individuals feel a sense of guilt when they act against private values. In a more social, organizational setting, public values refer to the shared social values that individuals adopt from the group. Individuals will act in ways that are consistent with communal values in order to gain acceptance and support from the group, even though they may not hold those social values personally (Scholl, 2003).

Social Identities. Social Identities refer to an individual’s identity with a particular group. An individual will behave according to the group norms and values, and make their identities known to others. Role expectations and status fall within a person’s social identity (Scholl, 2003).

Shared Mental Models and Cognitive Schema. Shared mental models and organizational social cognition refer to how individuals “think about other people in social situations” (Sims Jr. & Lorenzi, 1992). Specifically, organizational social cognition refers to the “study of human information processing (both conscious and unconscious) as it influences, and is influenced by, the complex social and structural phenomena within the modern organization... [or] how people think about people, situations, and people in situations” (Sims Jr. & Lorenzi, 1992). Cognitive schema focuses on the way in which people think and behave. There are different ways in which people process information, make decisions, and behave in certain situations. Cognitive schema, or social learning theory examines this notion (Gibson, 2004; Scholl, 2002b). In regards to human resource development and the onboarding process, cognitive schema demonstrates how new hires will behave in their specific role according to expectations, how they will approach tasks and problems, and how they perceive themselves in regards to their own values and KSAs.

Additionally, cognitive schema helps new hires develop a sense of consensual schema with their peers through the socialization process. This helps align their way of thinking with others in their peer group as well as with the company as a whole. Furthermore, cognitive schema speaks to a new hire’s decision- making factors. For example, according to cognitive theory, a person has either a flexible or rigid schema. This means that a new hire is either set in his or her ways, or is willing to change and adapt. Therefore, if a new hire has a flexible schema, he or she is more likely to assimilate to the culture of the organization.

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In contrast, if a new hire has a rigid schema, he or she is more likely to leave the organization if his or her values do not align with those of the company (Gibson, 2004; Scholl, 2002b).

Organizational Commitment

A commitment based strategy within an organization can be built through an investment-based approach, a reciprocity approach, by limiting alternatives, or by developing a social identity. Developing a social identity through onboarding programs can help an organization build a commitment based strategy as opposed to a control strategy. Helping employees develop a social identity can be achieved when the employees identify with the company mission, build individual success within the larger organizational goals, find security through a visible career path, receive skill validation from peers and leaders, and feel a sense that the organization has trust in their judgment and abilities (Scholl, 2008). Companies typically facilitate these perceptions through innovative group social activities (O'Malley, 2000).

Self-Concept – External

The self-concept external theory of motivation refers to motivation based on three external validation factors. First, individuals motivated by self-concept external seek acceptance from members of their workgroup. Individuals with a self-concept external motivation seek feelings of worth, or perceptions by members of the group that his or her role in the team is important to the overall functioning of the organization, and is therefore respected by members of the workgroup. Finally, individuals with a self- concept external motivation seek status within their workgroups. For example, these individuals seek to be perceived by members of the group as the best at their particular role and to be perceived as an indispensable and irreplaceable member of the team (Scholl, 2002a).

In relation to new employee socialization, the self-concept external theory of motivation plays a primary role in predicting newcomer information seeking. In theory, newcomers to an organization will seek information from peers and supervisors, as well as through observations to help them adapt to their new environment. Individuals that are motivated by self-concept external are more likely to take a more in depth approach to newcomer information seeking, in order to gain acceptance, worth, and status from their workgroup in a faster time period.

This concept was assessed in a longitudinal study conducted by Elizabeth Wolfe Morrison (1993) that examined the effects of information seeking on facilitating the socialization process. The results of the study demonstrated that newcomers sought technical information and performance feedback to facilitate task mastery, referent information and performance feedback to facilitate role clarity, and normative information to facilitate social integration. Morrison (1993) speculated that personality traits are correlated to the frequency of newcomer information seeking measures (Morrison, 1993).

THE ONBOARDING SCALE AND HYPOTHESIS DEVELOPMENT

The 6 Dimensions of Socialization Tactics

An organization’s approach to socialization can be broken down into six dimensions developed by Van Maanen and Schein (1979). The six dimensions refer to methods that an organization can employ to deliver the socialization content to newcomers in order to facilitate newcomer adjustment. Van Maanen and Schein’s (1979) six dimensions of socialization tactics refer to the structure of the onboarding program and include collective-individual, formal-informal, sequential-random, fixed-variable, serial-disjunctive, and investiture-divestiture approaches (VanMaanen & Schein, 1979).

In order to simplify these six approaches to socialization, Jones (1986) categorized the six approaches into three factors based on similar characteristics. The three factors included context, content, and social aspects (Jones, 1986). Subsequently, researchers categorized the six dimensions into two clear tactical

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approaches: institutionalized and individualized. Institutionalized tactics include the collective, formal, sequential, fixed, serial, and investiture approaches. On the other end, individualized tactics include the individual, informal, random, variable, disjunctive, and divestiture approaches (Cable & Parsons, 2001).

Bauer et al (2007) expanded on these three factors by hypothesizing that newcomer adjustment is based on role clarity, self-efficacy, and social acceptance. Bauer et al (2007) found that in addition to the use of socialization tactics, these measures are also achieved through newcomer information seeking. Together, newcomer information seeking and the six dimensions of socialization tactics yield the desired outcomes of socialization, which typically include increased performance and productivity, higher levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment, and lower turnover rates (Bauer, Bodner, Erdogan, & Truxillo, 2007).

FIGURE 1 Antecedents and Outcomes of Newcomer Adjustment during Organizational Socialization

Newcomer Information Seeking

Newcomer Adjustment

Role Clarity (+) Self-Efficacy (+)

Social Acceptance (+)

Outcomes Performance (+)

Job Satisfaction (+) Organizational Commitment (+)

Intention to Remain (+) Turnover (-)

Organizational Socialization Tactics

Source: Bauer et al (2007)

Collective/Individual. The collective approach to socialization refers to group learning. New hires go through the socialization process with peers in a group setting and bond through shared experience. In the individual approach, newcomers gain experience within the organization separate from their peer groups. Each individual’s experience is different and unique (Allen, 2006; Bauer et al., 2007; VanMaanen & Schein, 1979). While the collective approach fosters a consistent message to all newcomers, the individual approach opens the door to unique experiences and messages that come from a variety of sources. Research suggests that by using social learning methods, the collective approach to socialization provides a common message regarding the different aspects of the role and the organization, which ultimately leads to shared values and reduced uncertainty (Allen, 2006; Bauer et al., 2007).

Formal/Informal. The formal approach refers to socialization that takes place separate from the job setting. Newcomers participate in a program that is separate from the actual job and current employees, and learn about role expectations and the organization through segregated activities. The informal approach refers to on-the-job training that does not typically include any clearly defined socialization activities (Bauer et al., 2007; VanMaanen & Schein, 1979). Similar to the collective approach, the formal approach to socialization is thought to facilitate a more consistent message to newcomers, as well as reduce uncertainty and foster shared values (Allen, 2006; Bauer et al., 2007).

Sequential/Random. The sequential approach to socialization provides newcomers with specific information regarding the sequence of activities during the socialization process. The sequential approach gives new hires the order in which they will experience different learning programs and participate in activities, as opposed to the random approach, where the order of events is unknown (Allen, 2006; VanMaanen & Schein, 1979). The sequential approach is thought to reduce newcomer anxiety associated with new environment adjustment by establishing a routine and facilitating a sense of personal control (Allen, 2006; Bauer et al., 2007).

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Fixed/Variable. A fixed approach to socialization gives newcomers a specific timetable of when socialization events will take place and when each stage of the process will start and finish. In contrast, the variable approach operates with an unknown timeline of events (Allen, 2006; Bauer et al., 2007; VanMaanen & Schein, 1979). The fixed approach is similar to the sequential approach in that it develops a sense of control in new hires (Allen, 2006).

Serial/Disjunctive. The serial approach provides newcomers with a role model or mentor that will help guide the new hire through the socialization process. The disjunctive approach leaves new hires to navigate their way without the help of an experienced peer (Allen, 2006; Bauer et al., 2007; VanMaanen & Schein, 1979). Serial tactics have been shown to help new hires make better sense of the new organization by helping them build relationships with experienced members of the group and by providing them with a valuable resource within the company. Furthermore, by building these relationships, newcomers tend to gain more confidence and competence in their roles (Allen, 2006).

Investiture/Divestiture. Similar to serial tactics, the investiture approach provides new hires with positive feedback from more experienced peers. In contrast, a divestiture approach provides a newcomer with negative feedback until he or she can fully adapt to the group (Bauer et al., 2007; VanMaanen & Schein, 1979). Providing newcomers with positive feedback and support through the investiture approach will help them to develop a key sense of confidence and competence in their new positions. In contrast, providing little support and giving negative feedback through the divestiture approach may discourage new hires (Allen, 2006).

Hypothesis 1. The collective, formal, serial, and investiture approaches to socialization will have the highest correlation with increased organizational commitment.

The Onboarding Scale

For the purposes of this paper, I have developed a scale to measure onboarding programs based on Van Maanen and Schein’s (1979) six dimensions of socialization tactics and the subsequent research that followed. Similar to the continuum referenced by Cable and Parsons (2001) of institutionalized to individualized socialization tactics, I have developed a scale that ranges from “high-intensity” onboarding to “low-intensity” onboarding.

For the purposes of this paper, a high-intensity program incorporates more of the institutionalized methods, where the highest-intensity program uses all of the institutionalized approaches to socialization through a variety of activities and events. At the other end of the scale, a low-intensity program uses more of the individualized approaches, where the lowest-intensity program covers the minimum basic information and leaves the socialization process to newcomer information seeking methods.

Hypothesis 2. Higher-intensity onboarding programs that incorporate all six institutionalized approaches to socialization create better person-organization fit than lower-intensity onboarding

programs that incorporate all six individualized approaches to socialization.

CASE STUDY – GOOGLE

In order to illustrate a high-intensity onboarding program, Johnson and Seges’ (2010) case study on newcomer socialization at Google exhibits a model for the highest-intensity program based on the guidelines previously described. The onboarding process at Google for incoming software engineers, or “Nooglers,” incorporates all of the institutionalized tactics through a number of different activities over the course of the Nooglers’ first three months at Google and beyond (Johnson & Seges, 2010).

Nooglers at Google participate in a collective, formal program that incorporates social learning that is separate from the actual job setting. Nooglers are given check-lists that provide a timeline and description of the different events and experiences that they will encounter throughout their first four weeks at

Schmidt Labor Research Center Seminar Series 9

Google. This exemplifies the sequential and fixed tactics. Nooglers also experience serial and investiture methods through a formal mentoring program, the Noogler support community, the NEHEN (Noogler Engineers Helping Engineering Nooglers) Society, and voluntary knowledge-sharing events called Tech Talks. In addition to these tactics, Nooglers also experience a large amount of training through both off- the-job simulations, and on-the-job introductory projects (Johnson & Seges, 2010).

Person-Environment Fit

There is a prevalent amount of evidence that shows that a person’s fit within his or her environment is directly related to turnover. Person-environment (P-E) fit refers to the three key fit factors that an employee will encounter at an organization. Person-supervisor (P-S) fit refers to the relationship between an employee and his or her direct supervisor. This is typically measured through similar personality traits. Person-job (P-J) fit refers to the relationship between the employee and his or her specific role and job responsibilities within the organization. This is typically measured by KSAs, prior experience, and education level. Person-organization (P-O) fit refers to the relationship between an employee and the organization as a whole. This is commonly measured through shared culture and social acceptance (Tak, 2011).

Jinkook Tak (2011) examined turnover behavior in relation to these three elements of person- environment fit among new employees in a longitudinal study across a number of different industries. Tak (2011) collected data through two online surveys. The first survey gathered data from 901 respondents whose current employer was their first and who had been with their respective organizations for less than six months. The second survey was distributed six months after the first survey to the 901 employees that responded to the first survey. Out of the 901 original respondents, only 297 individuals (33%) responded to the second survey. The two surveys measured the employees’ perceptions of how well they fit with their jobs, organizations, and supervisors, as well as their intentions to leave their organizations and whether or not they actually left. Tak controlled for demographic information and job-related variables (Tak, 2011).

The results of the study found that of the 297 employees who responded to the second survey, 80 respondents had left their organizations. There was a significant correlation between perceptions of person-job fit and intention to leave the organization. There was also a significant correlation between perceptions of person-organization fit and actual turnover. Person-Supervisor fit had a correlation with both turnover intention and turnover behavior. Therefore, P-J fit has a direct effect on turnover attitudes while P-O fit has a direct effect on turnover behavior. This is a logical conclusion because if a person does not fit with his or her job, but fits with the organization, he or she could potentially transfer internally to a different job within the organization that better fits his or her KSAs and experience level. In turn, if an employee does not fit with the organization, he or she would likely seek employment at a different organization where there is a better cultural alignment (Tak, 2011).

Hypothesis 3. Higher-intensity onboarding programs that incorporate the six institutionalized approaches to socialization reduce turnover.

ANALYSIS

Person-Organization Fit

Cable and Parsons (2001) conducted a longitudinal study to examine the effectiveness of the six socialization tactics at creating person-organization fit. It was predicted that each of the institutionalized socialization tactics such as collective and formal (context), sequential and fixed (content), and serial and investiture (social aspects), would be positively related to perceptions of person-organization fit among

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new employees. Data was collected in three waves over a two year period across a number of different organizations (Cable & Parsons, 2001).

The first wave distributed a survey to 1,000 graduating students from a large southeastern university. The survey was distributed to students as they were leaving an orientation at the career office, prior to their interviewing for jobs. Of the 1,000 surveys distributed, a total of 461 students (46%) returned the completed survey. The first wave survey measured personal values, prior work experience, and demographic information (Cable & Parsons, 2001).

The second wave of data collection sent another survey to 420 of the 461 first wave respondents who had permanent addresses on file with the university alumni office six months after graduation. In order to increase response rates, if the respondents did not return the second survey within one month, a reminder message and duplicate second wave survey was sent to those individuals. Of the 420 surveys sent, 129 individuals (31%) responded to the second wave survey. In addition to pre-hire information such as the number of job offers the individuals received, the second wave survey examined “their organizational tenure, the socialization tactics that they experienced since joining their organization, their perceptions of their organizations’ values, and their subjective P-O fit perceptions” (Cable & Parsons, 2001).

The third wave of data was collected one year after the second wave through a final survey sent to the 129 respondents to the second wave survey. The same tactics were employed to raise response rates as in the second wave, where participants were mailed a reminder letter and copy of the survey if they did not respond within one month. Of the 129 surveys mailed, 101 individuals (78%) responded to the third wave survey. This survey measured whether or not the respondents were still at the same organization and reassessed their personal values (Cable & Parsons, 2001).

The results of the study found that sequential, fixed, serial, and investiture tactics were all positively related to newcomer perceptions of person-organization fit. Collective and formal approaches did not prove to have a greater impact on perceptions of person-organization fit than programs that used individual or informal approaches. Therefore, the content and social aspects of onboarding had a greater effect on person-organization fit than the context aspects (Cable & Parsons, 2001).

In a similar, prior study, Allen and Meyer (1990) conducted a longitudinal analysis of the effects of socialization tactics on newcomer commitment and role orientation. Data was collected from recent undergraduate business program and MBA graduates after their first six months and twelve months of employment (Allen & Meyer, 1990).

Upon graduation, students provided information about jobs that they had accepted and when they would start. After six months, 207 surveys were mailed to the students and 170 surveys (82%) were returned. In order to ensure the most accurate results regarding socialization, Allen and Meyer (1990) used 132 surveys out of the 170 returned because these individuals were not previously associated with their employers, for example through a family business or through pre-graduation employment. Six months later at the twelve month mark, a second wave of surveys were sent to the 132 individuals and received 105 survey responses. The two surveys measured socialization tactics, role orientation measures, and organizational commitment levels (Allen & Meyer, 1990).

The results of the study demonstrated that all six dimensions of institutionalized socialization tactics significantly correlated with organizational commitment after six months. The investiture approach proved to have the strongest correlation with organizational commitment after six months, and proved to be the only approach that significantly correlated with commitment after twelve months. Since all six institutional tactics correlated with commitment after the first six months, and only one approach correlated after twelve months, it is possible that either the other approaches were no longer in place after twelve months, or the newcomers’ anxiety or stress associated with entering a new environment had already been alleviated at the twelve month point (Allen & Meyer, 1990).

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Therefore, there is evidence that the six institutional approaches to socialization have a significant correlation to the desired outcomes of person-organization fit, with investiture, serial, fixed, and sequential tactics having the strongest correlation.

Turnover

David G. Allen (2006) conducted a longitudinal study to examine the effects of organizational socialization tactics on newcomer embeddedness and turnover rates. It was hypothesized that each of the six institutionalized socialization tactics were positively related to organizational embeddedness and negatively related to turnover (Allen, 2006). A negative relationship refers to outcomes that move in opposite directions. For example, a negative relationship would show that increasing organizational embeddedness results in decreasing turnover rates.

The sample included 259 employees at a large financial services organization who had been employed at the organization for less than twelve months. The organization reported that there was no standardized socialization program, and all newcomer onboarding approaches were left to the discretion of the managers at each individual location across the country. Therefore, the sample of employees within the organization experienced different socialization approaches based on their locations. Employees completed an online survey that also recorded their names and employee identification numbers separately to be compared to turnover research at a later date. Two hundred thirty two completed surveys were received (Allen, 2006).

One year after the survey data was obtained, turnover data was collected from the organization. After omitting ten employees who had been involuntarily terminated by the organization, the final sample included 222 employees. Of this final sample, 55 employees (24.8%) left the organization voluntarily (Allen, 2006).

The results of the study indicated that all six institutionalized socialization tactics are positively related to on-the-job embeddedness, which was significantly negatively related to turnover. Collective, fixed, and investiture approaches were the most significantly positively related to on-the-job embeddedness. Also, investiture and serial tactics were significantly negatively related to turnover. Therefore, evidence suggests that the social aspects of the socialization process have the most positive effect on reducing turnover in organizations.

FINDINGS

Research shows that the six institutionalized approaches to organizational socialization are positively related to person-organization fit, and negatively related to turnover. Hypothesis 1 is partially supported because, while evidence shows that serial and investiture tactics are significantly correlated with organizational commitment, Cable and Parsons’ (2001) research did not show that there was any correlation between collective and formal tactics and person-organization fit. In addition, Allen and Meyer’s (1990) research demonstrated that while all six institutionalized dimensions of socialization were correlated with person-organization fit after six months, only the investiture approach was correlated with P-O fit after twelve months (Allen, 2006; Allen & Meyer, 1990; Cable & Parsons, 2001).

Similarly, Hypothesis 2 was partially supported because Allen and Meyer’s (1990) research showed a correlation between all six institutionalized dimensions of socialization and person-organization fit after six months; however, Cable and Parsons (2001) showed that only the serial, investiture, sequential, and fixed tactics were correlated with person-organization fit (Cable & Parsons, 2001). Hypothesis 3 was supported because Allen’s (2006) findings show that all six institutionalized approaches to socialization are negatively related to turnover. Therefore, incorporating these six tactics effectively reduces turnover rates (Allen, 2006).

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RECOMMENDATIONS

Needs Assessment

As in any effective training program, it is important to conduct a needs assessment to determine the central areas that are in need of focus and development. This could include modifications to an existing onboarding program or developing a new onboarding program from scratch. When completing the needs assessment, it is important to consider the following:

 Internal needs for development

 External benchmarking

 Opportunities for improvement

 Organizational validation and buy-in

These four considerations will assist in determining the proper elements necessary to get the most out of an onboarding program. Since not all companies are the same, not all onboarding programs will fit at all companies. Therefore, it is important to determine which elements will work best according to the unique features of each individual company (Stein & Christiansen, 2010). Furthermore, conducting a needs assessment allows an organization to address specific needs and concerns in its approach to onboarding.

Case Study – US Libraries

Recent research predicts that 60%-70% of librarians will retire within the next ten years. As a result, libraries across the United States are faced with the task of replacing more than half of its workforce. One of the most prevalent problems associated with this task is the libraries’ failure to attract younger generation librarians, and the even bigger problem of their inability to retain the ones that they can attract. In an attempt to solve this problem, libraries across the United States are turning to onboarding programs to help retain young librarians. In order to develop the most effective program possible, the library system needed to conduct a needs assessment to determine why younger librarians are leaving the field (Chapman, 2009).

The results of the needs assessment showed that there was a generational gap between the older veteran librarians and the new younger librarians. This fostered a disconnect in ideology, values, and role expectations. The younger generation library staff felt isolated from the current workforce because there was a strong divestiture approach employed by the veteran staff towards the new staff. The older generation librarians provided negative feedback to the younger generation librarians until they could adapt to the current culture. However, due to the generational gap, newcomers were not adapting or assimilating to the expected culture, getting frustrated, and leaving the field (Chapman, 2009).

In order to remedy these findings, the libraries determined that serial and investiture tactics would work best for newcomers to help them create better connections with the older generation library staff. Direct supervisors will act as mediators between the two generations and facilitate positive social interactions to help newcomers feel more welcome in the environment. Additionally, a mentor program will be set up so new hires are assigned to a veteran member of the staff who acts as a connection between the newcomer and the older group of employees. The libraries also determined that the collective and formal approaches would work best at introducing new hires to the company, job, expectations, and culture prior to entering the job setting (Chapman, 2009).

Recommended Best Practices

In general, there are a number of important considerations that must be taken into account when developing an effective onboarding program. First, there is a time element associated with learning. For

Schmidt Labor Research Center Seminar Series 13

example, it is important to consider a phased out approach to onboarding so that employees are not receiving a multitude of information in a short amount of time. Too much information at once creates a disconnect with the employee and leads to early burn out and a lack of knowledge retention (Sims, 2011).

Another important consideration is overselling the company. While onboarding is meant to engage the employee and create a higher level of commitment to the company, it is still important to be honest and realistic about expectations and job functions. If the onboarding process oversells the company, the new hire will be disappointed and disconnected once he or she experiences what the daily functions and company is really like. Therefore, it is important to outline the realistic elements of the company and job early on to ensure that there are no surprises when the new hire dives into his or her daily job functions (Sims, 2011).

Furthermore, it is also important to provide employees with a context for the information that is given to them through onboarding. If employees do not have the proper context, it is harder for them to absorb and fully understand the information that is given to them in the onboarding process. Even though they have the information needed, without context, they may not understand how to apply the information properly (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

Finally, it is important to have buy-in at all levels of the organization when developing an effective onboarding program. In order to get the most return on onboarding development, it is essential to have full commitment to the process from the CEO and senior leadership team, to direct line supervisors, to peers and co-workers. This ensures that new hires receive a consistent message and feel a sense of acceptance and fit throughout the entire organization (Stein & Christiansen, 2010).

DISCUSSION

Limitations and Opportunities for Further Research

One of the key limitations of the research involved a lack of detail regarding some of the specific elements or events involved in the onboarding programs that were evaluated. While all of the research studies examined the structural aspects of onboarding programs, none went into detail about how those approaches were translated into activities. On the other hand, this could also be considered a key strength of the research because in focusing on the structural design of the program as opposed to the specific events, the results of the research can be better generalized across different organizations, industries, and job classifications. Regardless, future research could examine the most effective onboarding program activities in particular organizations or groups.

Furthermore, the research did not examine the effectiveness of using a needs assessment to determine any gaps that could be filled or remedied through onboarding. As in any training and development program, a needs assessment is a key factor in determining which approaches will work best and which aspects need the most improvement. None of the studies that examined onboarding programs researched the effectiveness of conducting a needs assessment. This could be a highly effective tool in tailoring an onboarding program according to the most prevalent needs of the organization or the program that is currently in place.

Finally, another opportunity for further research involves the role of newcomer information seeking. While there is a small amount of research that examines newcomer information seeking, none of the studies that researched onboarding practices looked at information seeking at an in depth level in their assessments. Further research could examine the role that newcomer proactivity plays both with higher- intensity onboarding programs in place and with lower-intensity onboarding programs in place.

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REFERENCES

Allen, D. G. 2006. Do Organizational Socialization Teactics Influence Newcomer Embeddedness and Turnover? Journal of Management, 32(2): 237-256.

Allen, N. J., & Meyer, J. P. 1990. Organizational Socialization Tactics: A Longitudinal Analysis of Links to Newcomers' Commitment and Role Orientation. The Academy of Management Journal, 33(4): 847- 858.

Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., & Truxillo, D. M. 2007. Newcomer Adjustment During Organizational Socialization: A Meta-Analytic Review of Antecedents, Outcomes, and Methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3): 707-721.

Cable, D. M., & Parsons, C. K. 2001. Socialization Tactics and Person-Organization Fit. Personell Psychology, 54(1): 1-23.

Chapman, C. 2009. Retention Begins Before Day One: Orientation and Socialization in Libraries. New Library World, 110(3/4): 122-135.

Gibson, S. K. 2004. Social Learning (Cognitive) Theory and Implications for Human Resource Development. Advances in Developing Human Resources(6): 193-210.

Jacobs, E. 2012. Executive Brief: Tracking Trends in Employee Turnover, Vol. 2014: Society for Human Resource Management.

Johnson, M., & Seges, M. 2010. Learning to be a Programmer in a Complex Organization: A Case Study on Practice-Based Learning during the Onboarding Process at Google. Journal of Workplace Learning, 22(3): 180-194.

Jones, G. R. 1986. Socialization Tactics, Self-efficacy, and Newcomers' Adjustments to Organizations. Academy of Management Journal, 29: 262-279.

Morrison, E. W. 1993. Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Information Seeking on Newcomer Socialization. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(2): 173-183.

O'Malley, M. 2000. Creating Commitment: How to Attract and Retail Talented Employees by Building Relationships That Last. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Pellet, L. 2009. The Cultural Fit Factor: Creating an Employment Brand that Attracts, Retains, and Repels the Right Employees. Virginia: Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Scholl, R. 2002a. Motivation Overview, Scholl WebNotes: The University of Rhode Island.

Scholl, R. 2002b. Social Cognition & Cognitive Schema, Scholl Webnotes: The University of Rhode Island.

Scholl, R. 2003. Organizational Culture, Scholl WebNotes: The University of Rhode Island.

Scholl, R. 2008. Organizational Commitment, Scholl WebNotes: The University of Rhode Island.

Sims, D., SPHR. 2011. Creative Onboarding Programs: Tools for Energizing Your Orientation Program. New York: McGraw Hill Education.

Sims Jr., H. P., & Lorenzi, P. 1992. The New Leadership Paradigm: Social Learning and Cognition in Organizations. Newbury Park: Sage Publications.

Stein, M., & Christiansen, L. 2010. Successful Onboarding: A Strategy to Unlock Hidden Value Within Your Organization. New York: McGraw Hill/ Kaiser Associates, Inc.

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Tak, J. 2011. Relationships between Various Person-Environment Fit Types and Employee Withdrawal Behavior: A Longitudinal Study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 78: 315-320.

VanMaanen, J., & Schein, E. H. 1979. Toward a Theory of Organizational Socialization. Research in Organizational Behavior, 1: 209-264.

2/2/2021 New Hire Onboarding as a Driver of Employee Engagement - Training

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New Hire Onboarding as a Driver of Employee Engagement The most effective employee onboarding programs share several essential elements—Momentum, Enablement, Collaboration, Assimilation, and Connection.

Many organizations recognize the bene�ts that result from a highly engaged workforce—

improved retention and employee and team performance, to name just a couple. But few

organizations have strategies in place that foster engagement in a signi�cant and

sustainable way.

A growing number of leading organizations are systematically fostering engagement

through new hire onboarding. Having implemented a more robust onboarding program,

they are seeing improvements in key talent metrics and are consistently winning the war

for talent.

As the point at which new hires are introduced to company policies and procedures,

performance expectations, and workplace culture, onboarding presents a unique

opportunity to set the stage for the rest of an employee’s lifecycle. However, very few

organizations consider their onboarding programs to be particularly effective. Brandon

Hall Group’s 2014 State of Talent Acquisition Study shows that 40 percent of

organizations rated their onboarding programs as less than moderately effective.

But those organizations that have invested time and resources to improve the quality and

scope of their onboarding process—the 27 percent that rated their onboarding process as

more than moderately effective—are consistently outperforming the rest:

78 percent saw increases in revenue in the last �scal year (1 in 3 saw increases of more

than 10 percent).

64 percent saw positive gains in the majority of their organizational KPIs.

54 percent saw signi�cant gains in employee engagement metrics, including employee

turnover, absenteeism, productivity, and employee satisfaction.

Although even small improvements in onboarding can yield big wins, for any overhaul

initiative to be successful in the long-term, a few key questions must be answered �rst.

These include:

By Kyle Lagunas, Talent Acquisition Analyst, Brandon Hall Group - November 25, 2014

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What are your goals? Ask yourself, your executives, and your business unit leaders

what talent outcomes are most important—and how a better onboarding program

could drive them.

When does onboarding begin? In truth, onboarding begins much sooner than an

employee’s �rst day. Throughout the selection and hiring stage, employees glimpse the

inner workings of the organization—including HR process, organizational transparency,

and levels of communication. Organizations that struggle to manage the transition

from hire to onboarding risk loss of momentum and engagement.

How long does onboarding last? HPOs are taking a different approach to performance

—one of enablement rather than enforcement. They are providing new employees with

ample opportunity to master the necessary skills and knowledge required for a long

and successful career with the organization. While this may delay the time before

employees enter the operation, it ensures that they will hit the ground running once

they do.

Who are the key players in onboarding? From HR to IT to Operations, new-hire

onboarding tasks rely on several parties to complete. And from an administrative and

compliance perspective, it’s crucial that you assign clear ownership to onboarding

processes and tasks.

Essential Elements

As presented in the Brandon Hall Group report, High-Performance Onboarding: A New

Model for Excellence, the most effective employee onboarding programs share several

essential elements—Momentum, Enablement, Collaboration, Assimilation, and

Connection—that breathe life into traditional administrative processes.

Momentum. Momentum isn’t a word you often hear in the realm of people process, but it

is a major component of onboarding success. At high-performing organizations, pre-

boarding—wherein new hire forms and paperwork are completed and workstations are

ready before employees’ �rst day—is standard practice. New hires’ �rst days are well

organized and orchestrated, and often spent learning about the company and workplace.

For example, DeVry Education Group, one of the largest publicly held, international,

higher education institutions based in North America, regularly onboards upward of 120

new employees every month in various institutions around the world. DeVry’s program,

built on a technology solution, automates much of the administrative work typically

associated with onboarding.

After that, new colleagues take part in a highly immersive, virtual reality environment

called Virtual Day 1. Here they are introduced to the DeVry Group culture and values, as

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well as company objectives, resources, colleagues. They also can chat live with the

moderator and their colleagues as they work their way through a timed, multi-venue

experience.

From there, communications are paced on Day 1, Day 3, Day 7, Day 14, Day 30—all the

way through their �rst year. By maintaining momentum throughout new hires’ �rst days

and months through regular check-ins, DeVry Group is able to ensure things are going

smoothly or to make adjustments as needed if there are signs employee concern or

disengagement.

Collaboration. Collaboration is increasingly important in an integrated talent

management process. The goal is to show new hires how your company works, how it

makes money, and how the different parts �t together. Cross-instruction, often in groups,

is a widely popular method of fostering collaboration in onboarding. Many invite

individual department heads to give a presentation of their role and expertise, and give an

overview of the products and services they oversee. Not only does this approach to

onboarding deepen new hires’ understanding of the disparate parts of the organization—

and their role in it all—but it also builds a sense of camaraderie from their �rst day.

DeVry Group leverages a combination of social media tools (i.e., new hire community) and

real-time consultation (AskHR live chat) to support collaboration within its various

onboarding phases—starting before the employee’s �rst day and extending through their

�rst year of employment.

Enablement. Employees need to know explicitly how their jobs make the organization’s

mission and vision possible. Enablement focuses on providing new hires with the

knowledge they need to get started, and connecting them to resources they need for

long-term effectiveness.

To drive engagement and knowledge retention, Travelport, a leading travel commerce

platform that operates in 70 countries, deployed a “gami�cation-like” approach to its

onboarding portal. Travelport devised a clever strategy of leveraging a passport concept.

New hires virtually collect “stamps” for their online passport as they interact with the

varied information and activities on the site. They can view an interactive map that shows

the progress of their onboarding journey demonstrated by the various stamps they have

collected.

Assimilation. Often, the only way new hires learn about the nuances of a company and its

culture is after they have done something wrong (or not quite right). Failure to assimilate

isn’t just frustrating for new hires; a poorly assimilated employee places stress on an

entire team.

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Zions Bancorporation, one of the premier �nancial services companies in the United

States, operates 500 banking of�ces in 10 Western states under local management teams

and community identities. Therefore, it is important for employees to feel connected to

the company as a whole, as well as the speci�c location where they work. Through role-

based work�ow in their onboarding process, Zions has the ability to automate not only

the collection of key new employee data, but also direct resources and policy

acknowledgements at a corporate level, and to branches/divisions/locations. Employees

also are presented with branding that is re�ective of the bank at which they work.

This is why the best onboarding programs take care to provide new hires with clarity on

many levels—clarity of responsibilities, clarity of individual and team goals, clarity of the

roles of other business units—all to ensure new employees can focus on reaching a point

of pro�ciency.

Connection. Establishing meaningful connections with the people your new employees

are working with serves two purposes: It reinforces a sense of belonging and gives them

access to subject matter experts who can guide them through the �rst months of their

tenure. Employees who are connected to the greater organization (its culture and

purpose) are far more engaged than those who are not.

For this reason, every new employee at California Pizza Kitchen, which struggles with

turnover in the early stages of employment, participates in a “Be Our Guest Day.” New

employees sit down together for a meal at their restaurant, and are encouraged to order

several things as an introduction to the food. “We encourage them to be adventurous, try

new things. If more than one new employee starts on the same day, they order family style

and share a meal together,” says Cassidy Prideaux, senior manager of People,

Communications and Culture. “For your �rst 90 days, you can’t order the same thing

twice.”

All told, connection is arguably the most important piece of our model, as it has the single

largest impact on employee tenure. Employees who have a strong connection to the

organization and good relationships with their colleagues are more likely to stay beyond

their �rst year.

Kyle Lagunas is Talent Acquisition analyst for Brandon Hall Group, an independent HCM

research and advisory services �rm. BHG provides insights around key performance areas,

including learning and development, talent management, leadership development, talent

acquisition and HR/workforce management.

Kyle Lagunas, Talent Acquisition Analyst, Brandon Hall Group

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

Why the Onboarding Experience Is Key for Retention

"Rock Stars Wanted" might not be the job-posting headline, but it's the underlining message companies communicate during the recruiting process.

Most companies want the best talent, and they do not shy away from making that perfectly clear. Slackers need not apply.

So they woo candidates with promises of unique cultures, perks and opportunities during the recruitment phase. And the company's employee value proposition (EVP) becomes a distraction meant to lure top talent and set the stage for what's to come if you're one of the fortunate few -- one of a kind -- who receives the coveted offer letter.

A company's EVP sets the stage and expectations for the rest of the new hire's employee experience.

Unfortunately, many organizations fail to deliver on the promises they make during recruitment, resulting in a poor onboarding experience and a setback to the connection they initially established with the new star.

Gallup finds that only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job onboarding new employees. This failure gets in the way of the formation of an emotional bond between the new hire and the company -- a connection that can make or break retention.

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According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), employee turnover can be as much as 50% in the first 18 months of employment. Employees leaving the workforce can be expensive and put pressure on highly burdened resources as well as a company's financial bottom line.

SHRM estimates that it will cost a company six to nine months of an employee's salary to identify and onboard a replacement. Others in the field believe the cost to be much higher.

How to Avoid New Hire Turnover and Disengagement by Understanding the Journey

The decision to join a new organization is often accompanied by leaving another, and new hires are placing bets that their new role will be better than the last, fulfilling a need the previous employer was not. It is a decision that starts with rational considerations but is ultimately decided based on emotions.

Applying for a new job is a decision that people make after asking for opinions from friends, family and colleagues. It's a choice they make after searching online for ratings and reviews from current and past employees, and after listening to the company's promises during recruitment.

After making this decision, all future interactions people have with their new employer shape their perceptions of what it is like to be on the "inside" -- to be an integral member of the organization.

From an employee perspective, onboarding involves a series of firsts: first day on the job, first time meeting a manager and coworkers, first work projects and tasks, and first opportunities to share their talents with the organization.

Eager about their new role, enthusiastic about how they will contribute and anxious about how their colleagues will receive them, new hires head off to their new position with visions of what it will be like when they arrive.

This anticipation is accompanied by high levels of adrenaline as the excitement -- and nervousness -- builds for that first day, week and month.

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With all of this in mind, companies should make sure new hires feel welcomed and immediately appreciated, quickly developing a sense of purpose and belonging.

From an employer perspective, onboarding is the best time to deliver on the EVP and other promises made during the job-seeking and candidacy stages.

Define and create your ideal culture. Gallup helps you differentiate your culture and achieve true transformation.

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Rock Star Employees Wanted but Not Truly Welcomed

The transition from candidate to employee should feel like a natural handoff that continues the momentum and fuels the excitement for the new job.

Deviating from the energy generated during the hiring phase to treating the phase of onboarding as a one-day -- or one-week -- event, or as an administrative process focused on paperwork, orientation manuals and supply cabinet shopping, puts an early strain on the employee-employer relationship.

Throwing new hires into work immediately without training or context, not socializing -- or even introducing -- them to the rest of the team, focusing on tactical work too early, or not meeting and receiving feedback from managers early and often are more the norm than the exception.

But this isn't how it should be. Companies should treat onboarding with the appropriate amount of enthusiasm equal to or greater than that of the new hire's. The time leading up to and extending beyond the first day on the job is all part of onboarding.

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Don't lose the momentum you've gained during attraction and recruitment by failing to deliver during the onboarding process. Welcome new hires like they are the rock stars you diligently selected.

If you don't welcome new employees like rock stars, the experiential disappointment could start them off on an emotionally slippery slope, leading to low engagement and seeking out a new opportunity.

Learn more about how you can create emotional connections with your employees during hiring and onboarding:

Read the first article in this series on how to hire and onboard star employees. Download our State of the American Workplace report to gain an in-depth perspective on what employees want most out of a job and company. Inquire about our solutions for creating a compelling employment brand and employee value proposition. Create a better employee experience from start to finish with Gallup Access, our online survey and management platform.

RELEASE DATE: SOURCE: Gallup https://www.gallup.com/workplace/235121/why-onboarding-experience-key-retention.aspx CONTACT: Gallup World Headquarters, 901 F Street, Washington, D.C., 20001, U.S.A +1 202.715.3030

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H U M A N R E S O U R C E S

How to Build an Onboarding Plan for a New Hire Managers are often so driven to recruit talented workers that they neglect to think about what

will happen once the new hire arrives ready to work. Big mistake.

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With the economy on the upswing, many growing companies are starting to

go after talented new employees. That means a lot of �rst days on the jobs,

and lot of time and money to spend while new sta�ers get up to speed. What if you

could shrink the time it takes for an employee to reach his or her full potential?

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That's the promise of a growing trend in human-resources management called

onboarding; its advocates describe it as a comprehensive approach to bringing on new

hires that goes beyond simple orientation. Onboarding plans are intended to make

new employees familiar with the overall goals of a company and support them as they

embark on early projects all in an e�ort to achieve the perception of success (and

productivity) quickly. The ultimate payo� is to reduce turnover and encourage

workers to stay with an organization for a longer tenure.

'It's really about calculating the cost of hiring new workers to the business,' says John

Sullivan, former chief talent o�cer for Agilent Technologies and a professor of

management at San Francisco State University. 'Companies need new hires to be

productive and, at a small company especially, every employee counts.'

Here's a look at how your company can set up an onboarding process to shorten the

learning curve for new hires.

Article continues after video.

F E A T U R E D V I D E O

Wake-Up Call: 'Commitment Will Always Beat Out Talent'

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Onboarding a New Hire: Plan Ahead

Think onboarding begins on an employee's �rst day? Wrong. A successful onboarding

program actually begins during the recruitment and hiring process, says Erin

Perry, director of client solutions at Pinstripe, a recruiting company based in

Brook�eld, Wisconsin. An onboarding process is linked to and in some ways starts

with the employer brand that you create to attract people who are the right �t for

your company's overall goals. 'If you're a high tech organization that has a cool brand

and that uses social media and talks about innovation when you're advertising to

attract new associates, that's great," Perry says. "But if on a new hire's �rst day you

hand them 15 di�erent forms to �ll out, your employment brand message has just

died."

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Experts suggest you begin the orientation process before a candidate is formally hired

by including ample information about your workplace and your culture in the

Careers section on your website. 'The orientation should begin at the �rst click of the

mouse when someone �rst goes on the company's website, so by the time the person

comes in for the interview, they already know quite a lot about the organization,'

says Richard Jordan, a business coach who has been responsible for reshaping the

recruiting and orientation process at a number of technology �rms. That way, you are

more likely to attract candidates who are more engaged with your company's goals

and culture and are more likely to become highly productive employees.

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A new hire will surely be required to �ll out a lot of new paperwork, so why not get a

head start? Many companies choose to send necessary legal forms along with a formal

o�er letter. You can also send an employee handbook ahead of time, so that new sta�

members aren't overwhelmed with information on the �rst day.

HR software and other related applications can also be deployed ahead of time.

Automated systems are especially useful because onboarding requires the

involvement of multiple departments within a company, all working together to

welcome and engage a new employee, to make him or her feel as comfortable as

possible from Day One. The right technology can help coordinate various individuals

and tasks by taking care of paperwork electronically, or sending noti�cations alerting

IT support sta� to con�gure a new hire's laptop and BlackBerry.

Technology can also be an e�ective way to socialize your new hire into your

company's organizational culture, Perry says. On a company Intranet, you can make

available to a new hire multimedia such as video and podcasts that state your

company's overall strategic goals, talk about your company's values, and provide

employee testimonials. As a bonus, these videos can feature company leaders, which

will help introduce key players, cutting down on the endless name game that typically

happens on an employee's �rst day.

Dig Deeper: How to Improve Your Hiring Practices

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Onboarding a New Hire: On the First Day, Nail the Details

The prospect of the �rst day on the job is nerve-wracking. New hires are eager to

impress their new bosses. So, if they don't know where the photocopier is or how to

use it, chances are they aren't going to ask, and will waste time trying to �gure the

little things out for themselves. And if you throw a bunch of information at them,

chances are they're not going to remember most of it. With an e�ective onboarding

program, you should aim to present basic information in an easy-to-digest fashion, so

that a rookie can turn to the more demanding aspects of his or her job.

The way to do that is to consider the small, logistical details that add up to a sense of

comfort and familiarity one has in a workplace. This is good not just for a new hire's

peace of mind, but also for the overall health and well-being of your business. 'If a

person is new and doesn't know how to use the phone system and accidentally hangs

up on a potential client, that client is not going to care that they were new,' says John

Sullivan. 'They're just going to be angry.'

Here's a list of things you should have ready by the time your new hires walk in the

door:

Send out an e-mail to everyone in the o�ce so they're prepared to welcome a

new employee.

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And here's a list of questions you should answer for the new employee voluntarily:

A new employee's immediate supervisor should also be present on the �rst day. 'The

worst thing you can do is have new hires show up when their immediate supervisor

isn't there for three or four days,' Sullivan says. 'It's like getting married and not

having your spouse on your honeymoon.'

Provide a name plate on his or her desk or o�ce door as a tangible sign that

you've prepared the space.

Set up the computer.

Con�gure the new employee's e-mail accounts.

Provide guides for any necessary software he or she will be using.

Set up his or her phone system, and provide instructions for using voicemail.

Have a stack of business cards waiting.

What should he or she bring? (Telling them to bring two forms of ID to verify

paperwork is a good idea.)

Where should he or she park?

Who should he or she ask for in the lobby?

Where are the restrooms?

Where is the copy machine? (And how does it work?)

Where is the cafeteria?

Who should the employee talk to if he or she has additional questions? (It's a

good idea to assign a co-worker or a hiring manager as a mentor to check-in

with the new hire throughout at least the �rst week.)

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Dig Deeper: Mastering a New Employee's First Day

Onboarding a New Hire: Individualizing the Process

Unlike a traditional �rst-day orientation, where an employee generally spends a good

chunk of time signing forms for Human Resources and reviewing the policies of the

organization, onboarding is intended to be a multi-faceted approach. And while the

list of things to consider for a new hire's �rst day applies to pretty much any

employee, that doesn't mean you should forget about the unique needs of each

individual. Quite the opposite, in fact.

For example, di�erent people prefer di�erent management styles, so why not ask a

new employee from the start how he or she wants to be managed? 'Onboarding is a

performance-based, customized approach,' Sullivan says. 'Why don't ask you upfront

what is the best way to manage you?'

A more personal element to the process can engage new employees, giving them the

ability to identify their personal goals with the overall success of the organization. Ari

Weinzweig, CEO of the Zingerman's Community of Businesses, a group of food

specialty businesses in Ann Arbor, Michigan, still personally teaches an orientation

class to new sta�ers. 'By taking the time to teach the orientation, the clear message

that comes across is that we value them and their work so highly that the head of the

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Make sure a new sta� member understands how he or she can individually contribute

to the company. Explain to the employee how your performance appraisal system

works, so he or she won't waste time on things that don't matter, and can quickly

begin to work on key objectives. If you make a custom onboarding plan, 'you're

leaving the individual with the impression that employees are very important assets

to the organization, chosen from among many candidates, and that their talent and

potential is recognized,' Jordan says. 'You want to make sure you develop their career

path within the organization.'

How vested an employee feels to a company also has to do with the social

relationships he or she makes with co-workers. An onboarding process should

consider those relationships and facilitate them from the very beginning. Organize a

lunch on the �rst day with the new employee's team or department the new

employee. Or try giving your new employee a week's worth of gift certi�cates for

lunch, so he or she can take a colleague to lunch each day.

Dig Deeper: How Hiring Rituals Build Company Culture

Onboarding a New Hire: Following Through on Your Plan

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On-boarding doesn't end on the Friday of a new employee's �rst week on the job. The

process should continue over the span of several months and, during that time, it is

essential to solicit feedback from all constituents. A good way to do that is to assign a

recruiting manager to keep track of the new hire's �rst few months on the job, Jordan

says, because that individual will already have developed a relationship with the

employee.

'I'm a big believer of surveying at every step of the process,' Perry says. She suggests

surveying at the end of the �rst week and at the close of each of the employee's �rst

three months, asking di�erent questions at each stage. Begin with questions about the

recruiting process, how the �rst day met the employee's expectations, and whether

they are struggling with any issues related to technology. Then, start asking whether

the employee has the necessary tools to complete his or her job and, �nally, begin

asking about an employee's strategic goals. You want to learn how engaged or

connected the new hire feels to the organization.

You also want to make sure someone is accountable, preferably a line manager who

realizes the cost savings to the business if a new employee gets up to speed quicker.

You want managers to be very aware that you are measuring productivity through

metrics. Make sure employees actually are becoming productive and, if they are not,

�gure out what is going wrong. Continually �ne-tune how you onboard employees to

make sure you can maximize the bene�ts of the process.

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Once you've done that, you can begin to establish a general checklist of what you

want to cover when you're onboarding. Even within that structured plan or process,

make sure you leave room for those personal touches. 'Your employees are going to

get orientated whether you plan for it or not," Perry observes. "But if you do plan it,

it's a lot more likely to be successful."

Dig Deeper: How to Improve Employee Retention

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These articles are editorially independent - that means editors and reporters research

and write on these products free of any in�uence of any marketing or sales

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UPDATED FEB 6, 2020

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H U M A N R E S O U R C E S

How to Make an Employee's First 90 Days Successful Onboarding is vital to the success of the new employee and your business itself. Here are specific steps to make an employee's first three months

fruitful.

B Y L O U D U B O I S @ L O U _ D U B O I S

When a new employee reports to their �rst day on the job, the feeling is

quite similar to those �rst day of the school year jitters we all had as kids.

And while it's a challenge for the employee to familiarize him or herself quickly with

the o�ce, the job responsibilities, new co-workers and more, it's just as important and

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stressful for their managers. Making a new hire feel comfortable and a part of the

team from day one is imperative to make the employee a successful and productive

member of your business.

"Most companies drop the ball early on," notes Jon Picoult, founder and principle of

Watermark Consulting, a Connecticut-based consultancy that helps businesses inspire

their employees by making them brand advocates. "Imagine you've been wooed

throughout an entire recruiting process, and then you show up on your �rst day and

the receptionist isn't even expecting you or your o�ce isn't set up. What are you

going to tell your spouse when you go home and they ask 'How was your �rst day?'"

This process, de�ned by human resources experts as onboarding, is a crucial element

in both individual and organizational development and establishes a foundation for

future success. So what exactly is employee onboarding, why should you focus on it

early, and how exactly do you assess it throughout the �rst 90 days? In this guide, we'll

explore all those questions to get your next new hire on track.

How to Make An Employee's First 90 Days Successful: What is Onboarding?

You might associate onboarding with human resources jargon for an employee's �rst

90 days. But onboarding, the technical terminology for an employee's familiarization

with a new organization, is de�ned di�erently by nearly everyone you talk to. Its

advocates describe it as a comprehensive approach to bringing on new hires that goes

beyond simple orientation. Onboarding plans are intended to make new employees

familiar with the overall goals of a company and support them as they embark on

early projects all in an e�ort to achieve the perception of success and productivity N E W S L E T T E R S L E A D I N N O V A T E G R O W

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quickly. The ultimate payo� is to reduce turnover and encourage workers to stay with

an organization for a longer tenure.

"Transitions are periods of opportunity, a chance to start afresh and to make needed

changes in an organization," writes Michael Watkins, a professor at the International

Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland and author

of The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels. "But they are

also periods of acute vulnerability, because you lack established working relationships

and a detailed understanding of your new role."

Dig Deeper: How To Build An Onboarding Plan for a New Hire

How to Make An Employee's First 90 Days Successful: Why Focus on Employee

Orientation Early

According to Ron Thomas, an HR strategy consultant and blogger at

StrategyFocusedHR who developed a highly successful talent management strategy

while at Martha Stewart Living and IBM, employee retention and success is the

ultimate goal. But companies today are dealing with a challenging environment

regarding employee satisfaction. In short, Thomas notes that employees no longer

have loyalty to one employer and are looking for organizations that can build their

skills and experience and make them more valuable resources. In turn, managers are

pressured to maximize the return on talent more quickly and more e�ciently than

ever before, and as a result, managers must balance leadership with management,

creativity with control and the needs of people with productivity. N E W S L E T T E R S L E A D I N N O V A T E G R O W

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"When we're talking about onboarding and an employee's �rst ninety days on the

job, what we're really talking about is employee retention," Thomas says. "Without a

proper plan for bringing new employees on board, managers run the risk of

miscommunication of goals and expectations, sub-par performance, lower morale,

bad decisions and potentially �nancial loss in the form of employee turnover."

The amount of time you have as an employer to motivate a new employee and make

them a successful team member is quite limited. Many past studies indicate that the

�rst ninety days are the most important in a new job, but for many, it's a process that

starts long before the employee is even in the building. You can do a lot of di�erent

things to increase an employee's comfort level and productivity in the �rst ninety

days, from lunches to meetings to introductions and more. But an individualized

program shows them that you truly do care about their success within your business.

There is no hard and fast way to do it, but some combination of emails, meetings,

events and more can make the di�erence.

Article continues after video.

F E A T U R E D V I D E O

Wake-Up Call: 'Commitment Will Always Beat Out Talent'

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"When you do it right, you accelerate these new team members' time to productivity

or help them to deliver better results faster," says George Bradt, the managing

director of PrimeGenesis, a Connecticut-based executive onboarding and transition

acceleration group he founded in 2002. "And when you do it wrong, they are less

productive and they most often fail. According to a study done by the Center for

Creative Leadership, forty percent of executives hired at the senior level are pushed

out, fail or quit within the �rst eight months. So if you don't do it right, you have this

extremely high failure rate. That's why you need to be focused."

Dig Deeper: New Employee Orientation Guide and Checklist

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Before They Start: Small things should be your focus before the employee starts. Send

a welcome note sharing your excitement for them to join the team, send the �rst

week's orientation schedule and new hire paperwork, involve HR and other team

members (this isn't just a responsibility of the manager), set up the employee's work

station (phone, computer, etc.) and more. Getting a head start before the employee is

in the building goes a long way to building trust and excitement with the new hire.

Day One: As you manage the message on day one, it's really important to make the

new employee feel welcome. This is the most important day of their employment,

Bradt says. Simple steps to ensure an employee's satisfaction early include greeting

them, physically being there as the boss, informally introducing them to the internal

team, which includes everyone they'll need to work with to be successful. Setting up

onboarding conversations early on where you are assimilating the employee and

making active introductions rather than just sharing names and emails is vital. The

activities you have the employee participating in the �rst day should follow the job

details from day one; so if you're in customer service, get them on the phone with a

customer.

"At the end of day one, have a debrie�ng with the boss to make sure that the

employee had a good day," Bradt adds. "That shows that you care about them and you

want to hear their opinions. And then include a take-home package, which could vary

by organization. If you're a soap company, give them soap samples, if you're a

�nancial services company, a one-page guide to household �nances. Really anything

that they can take home and share with people at home to answer that question

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According to Thomas, day one is also a good time to begin setting both short- and

long-term goals, whether they are professional (actual projects the new hire will be

working on) or personal (regarding familiarization with the organization, contacts

made, etc.).

"It's a great idea to give them a project early on so they really feel like they're

contributing," Thomas says. "It doesn't have to be the most in-depth work, but it will

be good to get their feet wet and they won't feel like they're simply getting oriented.

From there, start thinking about the bigger project at hand, which should have been

something you addressed with the candidate before you even made the hire."

Week 1 Assessment: After one week on the job, the employee should begin to feel

comfortable with their responsibilities, should have met at least one (ideally more)

new business contacts each day, should be familiar with their team members (in their

department and out) and should be able to walk into your o�ce with any questions.

A good idea, according to Picoult, is to o�er up an informal session of drinks, cake, or

something similar with the other team members at the end of week one so that the

new hire can assess their learnings, ask any questions to the group and hang out in a

less formal setting.

According to Thomas, it might be a good idea to set up a questionnaire for the

employee to complete after week one. Issues you want them to address (perhaps with

a 1-5 point scale, 1 being a minimum explanation and 5 thorough) are their

orientation, objectives set, motivation from the manager, assimilation, adaptation,

mentor, organizational philosophy, feedback, facility tours and more. This is a very N E W S L E T T E R S L E A D I N N O V A T E G R O W

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simple way to address your onboarding policies throughout the process to see when

and how progress is made.

15 Day Follow Up: "During the follow-up stage, the manager should check in on the

employee's progress toward the goals discussed in the departmental orientation," says

Thomas. At this time the manager can help the employee identify and resolve any

issues/challenges and therefore, increase the potential for good performance.

30 Day Check In: The important thing to note in the �rst 30 days is to familiarize the

new employee with the company through recruiting and introductions. You

shouldn't expect the new hire to make extreme strides from a business perspective

during this time, but you should make them feel welcome as a person so that they can

then dig in.

"It's important for any employee, but especially for new ones, to give them a

combination of smaller and larger projects," Bradt says. "You don't want somebody to

come in and think only about one big project, so start them o� with something a

little less intensive to get them started."

45 Day Benchmark: Many outlets state that it takes 45 days to get the new employee

fully acclimated and acquainted with their new business, and HR industry studies

show that a signi�cant amount of sta� turnover – as high as 20 percent – typically

occurs in the �rst 45 days of employment. So this is a great time to sit down with the

new hire not only to assess their familiarity with the organization and their role but

also to see how happy they are. You can assess their performance to this point on

some of the shorter projects you assigned while also �guring out where their mind is N E W S L E T T E R S L E A D I N N O V A T E G R O W

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regarding the bigger picture projects you hired them for. This meeting could go a long

way in retaining the employee.

90 Day Review: Typically the amount of time it takes for an employee to fully be

accepted into an organization (in terms of health coverage, bene�ts, sick days, etc.),

the ninety-day mark is when you should start seeing serious results from your new

hire. Anything faster can mean that the employee hasn't been analytical enough in

their assessment of the business, and by this time they should have a thorough

understanding of what will need to be done.

Dig Deeper: The 60-Day New Employee Survey

How to Make An Employee's First 90 Days Successful: The Real Focus of the First

90 Days

Depending on your business and the job you've recently hired for, these policies can

obviously vary. But in short, there are four items you as a company and as a manager

you need to focus on in the �rst three months for your new employee.

1. Engaging the new employee by communicating and asking how things are going

and by taking them to lunch or co�ee, even if it's just in the o�ce.

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DEC 13, 2010

2. Maintaining an open-door policy as a manager and ensure that this is

communicated to every employee, not just the new hire. This exudes that if they have

questions, you'll be there for them.

3. Include both short- and long-term projects for the new hire from an early stage.

New employees feel an inherent desire to contribute to the business right away. You

don't want them working on the big projects, though, until they're really up to speed

on the way your company works.

4. In addition to a regular meeting that managers should set up, ensure that the new

employee's direct manager conducts a review at the end of the �rst 90 days that

actually involves the employee (make it two-way feedback).

5. Sponsoring and organizing company get-togethers, formally or informally—

anything from co�ee and donuts in the conference room to a happy hour or a retreat

can bring the sta� together and encourage a team atmosphere.

Dig Deeper: What to do to make a new employee feel welcome

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2/2/2021 Employee Orientation and Training | Principles of Management

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Employee Orientation and Training

2/2/2021 Employee Orientation and Training | Principles of Management

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LEARNING OUTCOMES

Describe employee orientation approaches.

Describe employee training approaches.

Before any employee can get to work, he or she must go through a process of onboarding that includes:

Filling out legal and financial paperwork

Learning about and signing up for eligible benefits

Reviewing the employee handbook and policies

Receiving any necessary training in job-specific technology, procedures, etc.

Sometimes, corporations believe that they can hand new employees a stack of paperwork and assume they will fill it out correctly and figure out how to fit in with their new employer. This is rarely a good idea, as every employer has its own systems and expectations—and being the “new kid on the block” is tough enough without adding a laundry list of do-it-yourself tasks.

Why Orientation and Training Are Important

When a new employee arrives, he or she is likely to have preconceived ideas about what is expected of him or her, and are likely to be anxious about making a good impression. Often, those ideas are based either on prior experience, on word of mouth, or on information the new employees have gathered through the media. None of these sources will help a new employee if his expectations don’t match reality.

Orientation and training can serve many positive purposes. For example, they can:

1. Lower costs by helping the employee get up to speed quickly and avoid time- or money-

consuming mistakes.

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2. Help the employee to gain confidence and feel valued because he or she knows the company’s

system, people, and expectations.

3. Improve the employee’s performance by helping him or her to build skills and relationships

quickly.

Employees who know what they’re doing can save their employer a huge amount of money. Almost half of Walmart’s workers turn over each year,[1] which could be why it often scores poorly for customer service. Walmart said inept shelf-stocking cost $3 billion in 2014.[2] Costco pays more to have happier staff who quit less and build up skills. Margins are higher as a result.[3]

Even an employee who makes $8 per hour can end up costing a company around $3,500 in turnover costs, both direct and indirect.[4] Some studies have put the costs of employee turnover in certain industries even higher—one report from Cornell University’s Center for Hospitality Research estimated an overall turnover rate of 120 percent in the quick-service restaurant industry, with turnover costs averaging $5,864 per employee.[5]

How Human Resources Onboards Employees

Human resources professionals are usually in charge of ensuring new hires have completed all necessary paperwork, signed up for benefits, reviewed safety and ethics policies, and received a comprehensive tour of the workplace. Before getting into the details of the workplace, most HR managers will ensure that employees have filled out and signed paperwork that proves their eligibility to work in the United States, as well as tax forms and other important documents.

Together with the hiring manager, HR may also set up and implement training, introduce new hires to key staff, provide keys or codes, and explain (for example) how mail is sent and received, when and where to get lunch, where to park, and whether it’s okay to use social media during work hours.

How Managers Welcome New Employees

Even though HR will (or should) walk a new employee through necessary paperwork and training, it’s important for managers to make their new hires feel welcome. It’s equally important to help new hires acclimate to a new work setting. To do this, many managers will:

Send a welcome letter to their new hire before they arrive, providing information about what to

expect on their first day at the new job. Sometimes this letter will include suggestions for

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appropriate attire, parking information, and other key details.

Meet with HR to discuss exactly when and how the new hire will learn about company policies

and benefits.

Meet with team members to set up the new hire’s work space, passwords, telephones, and

access to necessary systems.

Assign one individual to serve as the new employee’s mentor or buddy (usually someone who

knows the ropes and can provide answers to most reasonable questions).

Plan for the new hire’s schedule and initial set of tasks, as well as a process for helping the new

hire to ask questions, review procedures, and ensure that he or she is off to a good start.

Plan for any training the new hire will need (in collaboration with HR and department members).

Set up a lunch with the new hire and other members of the working team as a way to get to

know one another, answer questions, and make personal connections.

Options for New Employee Training

Training can take many forms, depending upon the type of work for which the employee is hired and the employee’s existing level of skill. Training may be more critical if the company uses proprietary

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software or systems that don’t exist in other locations or if procedures or policies are unusual, involve industrial or official secrets, require specialized knowledge, or are legally complex.

Some types of training techniques include:

Self-paced online training in areas such as software skills, safety procedures, or other technical

skills.

Hands-on training in the use of equipment or machines ranging from copiers to heavy

equipment.

Leader-led group training programs to teach “soft” skills such as coaching, team-building,

customer service, client management.

Formal business courses through outside vendors.

“Shadowing” or following a skilled employee to observe and learn skills and procedures.

Mentoring or one-on-one meetings to review work, discuss options, and provide feedback.

The key to successful training is to ensure that the employee truly understands and can use the information provided. Evaluation can involve formal testing or informal conversations. It’s important to let the new hire know that questions are welcome—and there is no such thing as a “dumb question.”

1. Rachel Abrams, “Walmart Worker Advocates Express Skepticism Over Raises,” June 3, 2016,

accessed July 27, 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/04/business/walmart-worker-

advocates-express-skepticism-over-raises.html. ↵

2. “Serfs up,” The Economist, March 26, 2015, accessed July 27,

2017, https://www.economist.com/news/business/21647320-american-firms-are-having-

get-back-habit-granting-pay-rises-serfs-up. ↵

3. Wayne F. Cascio, “The High Cost of Low Wages,” December 2006, accessed July 27,

2017, https://hbr.org/2006/12/the-high-cost-of-low-wages. ↵

4. The Build Network, “Try Fixing the Problem Before Replacing It,” Inc., Feb. 27, 2014, accessed

July 27, 2017, https://www.inc.com/the-build-network/turnover-costs.html. ↵

5. J. B. Tracey and Timothy R. Hinkin. “The Costs of Employee Turnover: When the Devil Is in the

Details.” Cornell Hospitality Report 6, no. 15 (2006), 6,

2/2/2021 Employee Orientation and Training | Principles of Management

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-principlesmanagement/chapter/employee-orientation-and-training/ 6/7

8. http://scholarship.sha.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?

article=1148&context=chrpubs. ↵

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2/2/2021 Council Post: Seven New Onboarding Strategies You'll See This Year

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/01/30/seven-new-onboarding-strategies-youll-see-this-year/?sh=4cc048957b4d 1/4

Leadership

POST WRITTEN BY

Forbes Coaches Council

Top business and career coaches from Forbes Coaches Council offer �rsthand insights on leadership development & careers.

Seven New Onboarding Strategies

You'll See This Year

Jan 30, 2017, 09:00am EST

Forbes Coaches Council COUNCIL POST | Membership (fee-based)

According to a study from Equifax, more than half of all employees who left

their job in the past year did so within the first 12 months.

To counter this problem, more and more companies are turning their efforts

toward retention, and that starts with onboarding. Recently, we asked

members of Forbes Coaches Council to describe new onboarding strategies

companies will be using this year. Here's what they said.

2/2/2021 Council Post: Seven New Onboarding Strategies You'll See This Year

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1. Purposefully Introducing Candidates To Workplace Culture

New employees are often unfamiliar with the cultural nuances of a novel

workplace environment. Companies now realize providing clear guidance on

culture and how to maximize an employee's success within it as a strategic

priority. Also, because many “rules of the road” are often policy-based and

not found in a handbook, discussions on culture will likely escalate to

enhance the onboarding process. - Karima Mariama-Arthur,

Esq., WordSmithRapport

2. Mentorship Programs

Companies have just invested a lot of time and talent on culture and training

this past year. Their teams are moving in one direction and now someone

new will be added to the mix, how do you integrate this new person?

Establish a mentorship program where new employees have someone that

will walk them through the soft skills of how things work. Mentors step up,

lead and integrate. - Dina Simon, Simon Says Lead

3. Follow-Up

The key factor in successful onboarding will be following up throughout the

process to be sure that the new employee is assimilating into the culture and

is obtaining the support and education they need to be successful in their

new position. - Lynda Foster, Cortex Leadership Consulting

4. Clear Goals And Objectives

Nestled between talent acquisition and talent development, onboarding is

the backbone of bench strength. New employees are successful right out of

the gate when they are given the best-engineered equipment: clear goals and

objectives; the right tools and equipment to achieve the goals; honest and

From left to right: Karima Mariama-Arthur, Esq., Dina Simon, Lynda Foster, Stacy Feiner, Mark S. Babbit, Sharon Hull, Edyta Pacuk. All photos courtesy of the individual members.

2/2/2021 Council Post: Seven New Onboarding Strategies You'll See This Year

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regular feedback for career development; and sincere, consistent

acknowledgment of a job well done. - Stacy Feiner, PsyD, BDO USA

5. Onboarding As A Team Sport

In 2017, more companies will onboard using a “First 90 Days” mindset.

From Day 1 to Day 90, a new employee will be walked through every detail

that affects their job, their fit within company culture and the organization’s

mission. The “First 90 Days” is not an HR function. From colleagues to the

CEO, many people will be responsible for making sure those first 90 days set

a positive tone and precedence. - Mark S. Babbitt, YouTern

6. Welcome Buddies

Assign a veteran employee to plan a welcome event and to introduce the new

employee to the office. Ask the "buddy" to connect with the new employee

weekly for the first month to see what their needs are, and at least monthly

during the first six months. Reward the veteran with protected time from

her duties in order to complete this task. It's legitimate work on behalf of the

organization. - Sharon Hull, Metta Solutions, LLC

7. More External Support

While organizations are more aware that onboarding is a critical success

factor when bringing a new person in, the overworked management group

has currently less time than ever to meaningfully integrate the new

employee. I anticipate 2017 will bring more external onboarding

coaching/support to help the individuals hit the ground running as soon as

possible. - Edyta Pacuk, MarchFifteen Consulting Inc.

Forbes Coaches Council

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2/2/2021 Reinvent Your Onboarding Process

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Reinvent Your Onboarding Process At Cirrus Logic, ranked eighth on the 2015 Great Place to Work Best Medium Workplaces list, new hires are immersed in a culture camp called the School of Cirrus Rocks. At the camp, participants first learn about company values through storytelling. They then break into groups and create a story in the form of a song about working at the company. Later, they meet at a local bar with local musicians to perform their songs and get cheered on by their teams and supervisors.

While many organizations prefer more structure to onboarding programs, others follow a sink-or-swim approach, where new employees must figure out on their own what the team and the organization expects from them. Whatever form onboarding takes in your workplace, it is one of the most important contributions a hiring manager or HR professional can make to talent retention, employee engagement and organizational performance.

What Is Onboarding and Why Does It Matter? Onboarding is the process of getting new hires adjusted, quickly and smoothly, to the social and performance aspects of their new jobs. The more prepared new hires are, the faster they'll be able to connect and contribute to an organization's mission and values. While most organizations do some type of onboarding, few do it well. For example, studies show that:

Nearly 1-in-3 of new hires leave the company, voluntarily or involuntarily, before the end of their first year. And this number has been increasing steadily for the last four years, finds PwC Saratoga. Bradford D. Smart, Ph.D., estimates that 50 percent of all senior outside hires fail within 18 months on the job. 22 percent of staff turnover occurs in the first 45 days of employment, finds the Wynhurst Group.

The cost of new-hire turnover is significant, with PwC Saratoga estimating that costs can be 50-to-150 percent of the annual salary for the job.

Onboarding Best Practices There are several things organizations can do to improve onboarding and reduce the risks of turnover:

Commit to a formal orientation plan. There is no one-size-fits-all strategy for onboarding, but best-in-class organizations often have formal programs that are strategic, consistent and integrated. Of course, not all organizations can commit to a culture camp like the one at Cirrus Logic. But it’s essential for an organization to be "all in" with an onboarding program when it comes to time and resources.

Jun 1, 2017 | Holly Burkett, Ph.D., SPHR, HRCI Guest Blogger

®

2/2/2021 Reinvent Your Onboarding Process

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Make the first day special. It may be just another day for you as an established employee, but for the new employee, the first day on the job is special. In some companies, the CEO takes every employee to lunch within the first month. At Cirrus Logic, participants are given a special memento to remember their experience ― a miniature guitar. Since the trajectory of a new hire’s success is set as early as the first two weeks, it pays to make the first day a special one.

Foster connections. The New Flyer Orientation & Assimilation program at Radio Flyer is a six-month onboarding process with a distinct connections phase. This is where new hires meet with their team and various groups within the organization to learn about products and customers, and the company’s mission, vision and values. Employees act as coaches and the CEO facilitates two courses in the series.

Involving management and peers in onboarding is particularly important. A major reason why newly hired employees struggle and ultimately leave employers is because they fail to build key connections and strong interpersonal relationships within the company.

Leverage technology. Many organizations use technology to complement the social aspect of onboarding. This includes streaming videos of employees that explain what a typical day at the company is like, talking about what their first days and months on the job were like, and offering up words of advice for the new employees. Online social networks for employees ― like Facebook ― can link new workers with veterans. Many companies use technology to post welcoming messages from the CEO and other members of the senior leadership team.

The Importance of Follow Up It’s important to recognize that effective onboarding take place over time. Best practices include using milestones such as 30, 60, 90 and 120 days to follow-up and check in on progress, concerns and suggestions. Radio Flyer’s onboarding process incorporates five yearly check-ins. Sample follow-up questions are:

Was it clear to you what to do once you received your offer letter? Is your job as it was described to you during the hiring process? Did you feel welcome on your first day? Did your managers take the time to coach you? Were you provided the tools to do your job effectively?

Other leading companies survey hiring managers monthly or quarterly to gauge their satisfaction with the hiring and onboarding process.

Benefits of Effective Onboarding At Radio Flyer, turnover rates have decreased and employee satisfaction with the organization has significantly increased since the inception of the program. In general, companies with well-designed and well-integrated onboarding processes can improve organizational performance. Specific benefits include:

2/2/2021 Reinvent Your Onboarding Process

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• Increased time to new-hire productivity and proficiency. • Improved retention rates through better employee assimilation. • Reduced turnover costs. • Increased efficiencies. • Improved service levels for hiring managers.

Finally, research from the Wynhurst Group shows that new employees who go through a structured onboarding process are 58 percent more likely to stay with the company for more than three years. So, what are you waiting for? Take some of these examples and best practices and pledge to rock your new hires’ experience by reinventing and reinvigorating your own onboarding process.

Holly Burkett, Ph.D., SPHR, is an accomplished talent builder, strategic change agent, HRD consultant, speaker, coach, trainer and award-winning author of Learning for the Long Run. Her Twitter handle is @evalworks. Portions of this article are excerpted from her book.

2/2/2021 What is Employee Onboarding -- And Why do You Need It? | Blog.SHRM.org

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By Sean Little (/Author/782) On February 26, 2019 0 Comments (/Blog/What-Is-Employee-Onboarding-And-Why-Do-You-Need-It#Comments)

What is Employee Onboarding -- And Why do You Need It?

  

Finding the best candidates for positions in your organization is only part of building an effective team. The process of

onboarding new employees can be one of the most critical factors in ensuring recently hired talent will be productive,

contented workers. However, in some organizations, onboarding is often confused with orientation. While orientation might

be necessary -- paperwork and other routine tasks must be completed -- onboarding is a comprehensive process involving

management and other employees that can last up to 12 months.

Goals of an Effective Onboarding Process

Overall, effective onboarding should acclimate the new employee to allow him or her to become a

contributing member of the staff in the briefest period possible, while engaging the employee to

enhance productivity and improve the opportunity for the company to retain the employee. A better

understanding of the concept can perhaps be gained by examining certain key words individually.

Acclimate -- Acclimating a new employee is far more than just pointing out the location of the

break room or explaining the parking situation. Every workplace has its own personality, and

every company has its own goals and philosophies. Newly hired employees need to understand

what the company expects from them and the specific role they will play in achieving team or

company goals. At the same time, new hires need to be made aware of what they can expect

from the company, such as management support, availability of resources or performance

reviews.

Engage -- A Gallup study (http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/163130/employee-

engagement-drives-growth.aspx) showed a correlation between engaged employees and a

company's profitability, turnover rate, safety record, absenteeism, product quality and customer

ratings. An effective onboarding plan offers an ideal opportunity to boost employee

engagement, such as fostering a supportive relationship between a new hire and management,

reinforcing the company's commitment to helping employees' professional growth or proving

that management recognizes the employee's talent.

Retain -- According to an article in 'Inc." about the costs of employee turnover,

(http://www.inc.com/suzanne-lucas/why-employee-turnover-is-so-costly.html) monetary costs to

replace an employee can be as much as 150 percent of the annual salary. Most of these costs

are hidden, reflected in lower productivity, reduced morale among remaining employees who

are asked to do more and special knowledge or experience that only the departing employee

20 (https://blog.shrm.org/flag/flag/blog_likes/5372? destination=node/5372%3F_ga%3D2.110698565.1743394787.1542496

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

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possessed. Quantifiable costs can include fees to recruiters, interviewing costs and the cost to

train a new employee.

Tips for Effective Employee Onboarding

Effective employee onboarding requires good prior planning. Ideally, the onboarding plan should be

integrated with the recruitment plan. In other words, as soon as the decision is made to hire an

employee, the plan to onboard the new hire should at least be outlined although specific details, such

as the current employee who will assist with acclimation, may be added later. The following tips can

help onboard a new employee successfully.

Prepare a comprehensive, written statement of the new hire's responsibilities and objectives. If

possible, have this available during the interview process to reduce the potential for

misunderstandings.

No later than the day before the new employee is to report for work, send an email or memo to

all current employees. A new hire can be especially unsettled if, when he or she arrives to start

work, no one seems to know who this person is or who to notify.

Choose an employee -- ideally a peer of the new hire -- to assist with orientation and

acclimation. Pay careful attention to the selection of this employee. Be sure to choose someone

who would be a good role model for the new hire and who will have a good attitude about the

assignment.

Supervisors and managers need to play a significant role in the onboarding process. It is during

the early days that the future tone of the relationship can be established. As repeated studies

have shown, the leading factor in employee dissatisfaction is a negative relationship with his or

her immediate manager. Onboarding is an excellent time to convince new hires that they are

respected, valued and appreciated. As the onboarding process continues, managers should

offer encouragement, review the employee's progress and provide feedback.

If possible, make lunch the first day a group event, with the entire department or office treating

the new hire. This is a good way to socialize and allow the new employee to get to know co-

workers. Consider asking one or more co-workers to be the new hire's "lunch buddy" for the

first week or two to give the new employee a chance to learn the best options for lunch in the

area.

When new hires arrive for their first day on the job, they have the right to have their work area

ready to go. Make sure the phone is working, the computer is functioning and that the area is

clean. If the area has been used for staging files bound for the archives or excess office

supplies, have them removed.

Get feedback from current employees to help create an onboarding plan. Ask them how their

first weeks or months could have been improved or what they wish managers had done during

that time. Ask them to think of things that they wish they had known during their early days.

Their experiences can help ensure that new hires get the information and assistance they truly

need, rather than just what a specific manager feels they should want.

Be willing to be creative with onboarding. Mohit Garg wrote an interesting article on

using gamification during onboarding (http://www.mindtickle.com/blog/3-examples-of-

gamification-in-new-employee-onboarding-and-why-this-works/) and the reasons that it works. 

2/2/2021 What is Employee Onboarding -- And Why do You Need It? | Blog.SHRM.org

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TAGS: ONBOARDING (/TAGS/ONBOARDING)

Onboarding is not a one-day, one-week or one-month event. It is an ongoing process that starts with

the decision to hire an employee and continues until the new hire is a productive member of the

team. Although this might sound like a great deal of effort, the rewards can make it worth every

minute invested. 

Originally published in February 2015.

(/author/782) WRITTEN BY Sean.Little (/author/782)

Sean Little is the VP of Marketing for FirstJob.com (http://FirstJob.com). FirstJob matches

current students and recent college graduates with internships and quality career opportunities. Sean

also runs FirstJob’s campus ambassador program at campuses across the country, helping students

learn marketing topics while connecting them with top brands and job opportunities. When not busy

trying to help recent grads find their dream job, Sean can be found out in San Francisco partaking in

live music. 

The SHRM Blog does not accept solicitation for guest posts.

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