Five Tips for Onboarding – No Training Required

As a trainer, I fully understand the importance of a successful training program for new team members. Employees have to have the tools and resources to move forward from rookie to pro; however, there is so much more to a thorough onboarding process than training.

Here are the top five things that I think make or break an employee’s first 90 days:

• Truly Welcome Them to The Team:  Taking the time to celebrate the new team member’s job will create a great first impression for the new employee. By having a special lunch, recognizing them at a weekly meeting or possibly starting the day with a much-needed Starbucks, each small gesture will resonate and show the true culture of the organization.
• Assign A Mentor:  A mentor can help a team member fully understand the new position and feel as if they are already part of the team. Not only is a mentor program FREE, but it’s also a great way to create a caring culture by eliminating the typical frustrations for new and current employees.
• Reinforce The WHY:  As discussed in an earlier blog, the WHY is so much more important than the how and the what of a role for any employee, but especially a new employee. Once they understand WHY they are doing something, the how and the what will come much more naturally and passionately. Seeing as how only 25% of employees worldwide feel connected to their company’s mission and half of employees don’t even find significance in their work, employers have a lot to do in order to create a genuine connection to their organizations.
• Set Goals and Clear Expectations:  Amazingly 60% of companies do not set any milestones for new employees. Once new team members understand why their role is important, they need to know what success looks like or else they will feel like they are floundering, or worse failing, in their new position. Goal-setting is a double benefit since leader satisfaction increases by 20% when employees have a formal, successful onboarding and employees will actually know what they need to accomplish and when to have it finished.
• Give Feedback Openly and Regularly:  Feedback is KEY! How else will your new team member know where they stand? If a leader is open and honest with a team member, then the employee will feel comfortable giving their opinion and sharing their ideas as well. Feedback only works if clear goals were set initially, so make sure that expectations are a priority and then provide an immense amount of positive and corrective feedback accordingly.

Since up to 20% of employee turnover happens in the first 45 days, it’s key that we don’t let good talent walk out the door because we didn’t do enough to keep them. Set the foundation for progress and development, and new employees will be more likely to stick around.

What’s your onboarding process?  Let me know in the comment section below.

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