According to Wikipedia: Onboarding, also known as organizational socialization, refers to the mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to become effective organizational members and insiders.
It has been estimated that every year, close to 25 percent of the workforce will go through some kind of job change. This number will probably continue to increase as the economy shifts and perceived loyalties continue to change in both the workplace and the workforce. The first 30-60-90 days are a critical time to solidify a new employee’s success, integration and loyalty. Without a concerted effort from the employer to help a new employee acclimate in the first year, many will be disillusioned, quit or even fail. There have even been studies saying that almost 50 percent of senior level executives hired, will falter within the first 12-18 months.
In today’s economy, employers are spending more hours and more energy to recruit and find the right talent than ever before. I’ve experienced situations where candidates have had to go through as many as fifteen interviews to get hired. No one wants to make a “hiring mistake”; companies are very risk averse when it comes to hiring, now, more than ever. It’s expensive and time consuming to hire and train a new employee, so how can we try to make sure our new hire is a “good hire” that will last? What can employers do to change the statistics mentioned above? How can we help to ensure the success of our new employees from day one of their employment?
You work so hard to find the “right person” to fill an important role in your company, don’t take them for granted once they walk into your door.
A relevant and significant onboarding program is a critical piece to any successful new employee.
Most new employees walk in the door bursting with enthusiasm and excitement about their new position. It is up to an employer at that point to help build on that enthusiasm with a proper onboarding or new employee orientation/integration plan. This is incredibly important to the success of that employee’s first year and will help to encourage loyalty in addition to helping ensure long term success for the department and the company too.
It’s a proven fact that productivity is higher when you have happy employees that feel a strong connection to their team and to the company they work for. Don’t lose that momentum that they have coming in the door. Make sure that there is a plan to help your employees embrace the company’s vision, mission and values from day one.
Make the employees first day special, take them to lunch, and introduce them to the team. A first day employee orientation is always a good idea, just to cover the basics. (This can be done by the HR staff, but it is VERY important to have senior management support and participation as well.) A general overview of the management team, vision, mission, values, culture, benefits/paperwork and just a straightforward explanation of the “way things work around here”… but don’t just stop there.
The first three months in an organization are crucial to a helping an employee understand how the business is run, learn what the critical success factors are and to feel a part of the team and the culture. Depending on the level of the employee, there could be meetings with the each member of the management team, in addition, a mentor or coach assigned to them to show them the ropes in this particular organization and help them integrate into the new culture.
It’s also a good idea to give your new employee some responsibility for their own development and a chance to prove themselves in their new role. You can offer on-line training, seminars or classes, site visits to the corporate offices or the business units, and individual departmental meetings with the department heads of the areas they will be interacting with. These are just a few suggestions; there are probably many other offerings specific to your own company that can be used to help a successful integration. Give them the tools to navigate successfully through their new environment, but let them take initiative in their own success as well.
Turnover is expensive for companies; help to prevent this problem with an employee on-boarding/integration program that fits the need of your employee and your company. Effective hiring, development and retention of your valued employees is extremely important to any organization looking to keep a competitive advantage in an increasingly mobile and globalized workforce. This initiative must be supported from the most senior levels of the company. With the C level support, a great HR Business Partner can build a program and put it into place, but if you are short staffed, there are lots of coaches and companies who can help you design a program that best fits your company’s needs
Mary Olson-Menzel mary@mvpexec.com Managing Partner of MVP Executive Search & Development, 20+ years of experience working in corporate America and executive search consulting. She specializes in senior level recruitment across digital, print, broadcast and cable media.
Questions from our Readers
Answered by Mary Olson-Menzel
How does one made the transition from freelancer to full-time employee? In my situation, I have been a freelance Producer for almost a decade, but now would like to make a move into a studio or network position. What steps does one need to take to be noticed. And what type of overhauls should I make to my resume? Traditionally, a Producer’s resume is not much more than a list of credits, but that’s probably going to be no good to an HR rep who is receiving a blind submission via the web.
To make the move from freelancer to employee, go the extra mile, with everything that you do, to get noticed by the people in a position to do the hiring. Build relationships with the other team members and management on site, go above and beyond to be helpful and to pick up extra work.
By doing things like this, you should get noticed. Ask what else you can be doing to help in the role. Talk to people and let them know that you are interested in going full time. They might not even know that you want full time unless you let them know.
If you are doing great work, going above and beyond what the job description is and building relationships on site, they will notice and when the opportunity comes available and its a good fit for your skill set, you might just be the one to get hired!
What advice do you have for workers over 50? How do we stay relevant and keep from being replaced by people who are younger and cheaper?
I was at a luncheon this week where I had the opportunity to hear Kim Kelleher, the Worldwide Publisher for Time Inc speak. Her words rang very true to me, about the power of relationships. She spoke of what she called “dynamos” and “dinosaurs”. Dynamos are those “20 somethings” in the work force who know all about new technology and social media, Dinosaurs are those who didn’t grow up with technology at their finger tips but yet have experience and knowledge that the dynamos just don’t have yet.
She talked about how there is a place for everyone and how we can all leverage our own relationships, skill sets and talents, yet also be open to learning from each other. The Dinosaurs can SOAR by using the power of their relationships to help get things done.
These more seasoned individuals have deep and meaningful relationships that have been solidified over time and shared experiences. There is no substitute for that. Whether you are 30, 40, 50 or 60, stay abreast of current events and current trends in the marketplace.
Keep trying to be creative and innovative in your job and bring your “best self” to the workplace every day. Make sure you stay relevant and that you are adding value to the company that you work for in a meaningful way. And remember, younger and cheaper does not always mean better.
Posted on: Cynopsis Media