18 February, 2021
Ensure a Personalized Employee Onboarding Experience to Boost Employee Engagement
A quick and faultless onboarding of employees acts as the first step to a seamless employee life cycle. Moreover, as the economic recovery from the pandemic creates a surge in demand in a number of industries; hiring, retaining and engaging new workers is a top priority for organizations today. However, what most organizations fail to understand is that beyond formal documentation and offer letters, employee engagement starts from Day 0. A personalized employee onboarding structure acts as a precious opportunity to increase alignment, productivity and brand loyalty. In fact, Harvard Business School states that 23% of new hires typically leave their organization within the first 12 months. Thus, making new hires feel welcome, appreciated and included is of paramount importance. Here are some simple ways in which you can enhance the same:
The first day for employees tends to be hectic, with a focus on extensive documentation, orientations and general overload of impersonal information. A small, tangible token of appreciation in the form of states like stationery, water bottles, t-shirts or bags can bring the much-needed spark of joy and make an employee feel welcome.
Effective leadership connect in an organization has to be fostered from day 1. This can be easily achieved with a message from the CEO/senior executives personally welcoming all new hires and conveying the values the company was built on. In a virtual environment, messages can be sent out through collaboration platforms in various formats.
- Employee Onboarding Survey
Employee Surveys are key to any effective onboarding process and should be conducted on the first day and then again at intervals of 1, 3 and 6 months, giving an insight into a new employee’s engagement levels. These surveys can be automated and even targeted to certain employee segments through a robust engagement platform. This data can be crucial to uncover larger gaps in org-level systems and processes, thus helping HR teams improve overall employee experience for new joiners in particular.
- First Month Completion Recognition
Organizations need to switch their approach from waiting for a year or more to acknowledging employee milestones earlier if they want to keep their millennial workforce excited and motivated. Automated recognition can be triggered on occasions like the first payday or first month anniversary. While recognitions can be monetary or non-monetary, the opportunity to share the same publicly allows an employee and their loved ones to bask in their achievement.
In a previous blog, we spoke about the importance of fostering friendships in the workplace. Orientation for fresh recruits is a great way to establish the same early on. Instilling a sense of belonging in an employee is a challenge greatly exacerbated in a virtual environment. Having a virtual internal social network can help employees blend into organizational culture effortlessly. In addition, team bonding exercises, hobby clubs to connect those with similar interests and entertainment events can help break the ice for new associates.
At a time of interviews, candidates try their level best to create a great first impression. It is only right then for a firm to return the favor by making a great first impression on their new family member. In today’s multigenerational workforce, millennials and Gen Z’s tend to switch jobs more often than their predecessors. Thus, it is essential for HR teams to go beyond just basic enablement of an employee’s initial work period to helping them find a sense of purpose and meaning at their new jobs fast. Your organization’s contingent workforce requires an added layer of personalization when it comes to your RnR and engagement program. Starting on the right foot with some simple measures can go a long way in helping employees stay longer and perform better.