Hiring in the current labor market can be a struggle, and employee loyalty isn’t what it used to be. Once you find the perfect new employee, you hope they’ll stick around for a long time. You can turn that hope into a reality by creating an onboarding process designed to motivate and retain your new talent from the moment they walk in the door.
The best onboarding is more than paperwork and introductions. A good onboarding system aligns new hires with your company culture; ensures they understand their job, their goals, and the expectations placed upon them; and shows them how to get the support they need. This can have five powerful benefits.
1. Increase Employee Satisfaction
Happy employees tend to stick around, while unhappy ones start looking elsewhere—but often not before infecting other employees with their negativity. As Peter Alig notes in his employee satisfaction guide, “A satisfied workforce has greater potential to drive productivity and efficiency while leading to greater employee retention.” Not only is it a benefit to you and your team, but it’s a benefit to your customers and ultimately your bottom line.
You can increase employee satisfaction during the onboarding process by showing that you care about them as people, not just as cogs in the company machine. Instead of throwing them in the deep end, take the time to give them the instruction they need to succeed. Perhaps that means matching them with a mentor who can assist with their training. A supportive onboarding system is a great way to live out your company culture instead of just telling employees what you stand for.
2. Increase Employee Engagement
Most employees want to contribute to their company’s success. But if they don’t know what they’re expected or allowed to do, they can quickly become unengaged, working for little more than a paycheck. Onboarding is a great time to establish expectations, explain policies and procedures, and remove any ambiguities. Employees who are given the freedom to make decisions without being micromanaged are more likely to go above and beyond to help the company succeed. While this may not be possible in all roles, trust is a huge factor in employee motivation and engagement and should be established in the beginning.
3. Improve Job Performance
Employees want to know if they’re doing a good job. But if they don’t know how to judge their performance, they may not live up to their full potential. Orientation is the perfect time to set clear, achievable goals and make sure all new hires get the training and support they need to reach them. Explain how these goals contribute to the company’s larger goals so they understand their personal impact. If you have formal performance reviews, make sure they understand the timeline and process.
4. Reduce Employee Stress
Starting a new job is stressful. You can alleviate that stress by being organized and making things as easy as possible for your new hires. One aspect of starting a new job that many employees find stressful is the need to get a new headshot. Helping people relax and enjoy their session is one of our specialties. At Berks Headshots, we can help you show that your company cares by arranging a fun and hassle-free headshot session. When you enroll in our LINK program for company headshots, we’ll create a custom webpage for your business that makes scheduling a breeze and provides all the information employees need for a successful photoshoot. Though many people dislike formal photographs, they often tell us as they leave our studio that they had fun and felt at ease.
At Berks Headshots, we can help you show that your company cares by arranging a fun and hassle-free headshot session.
5. Increase Employee Retention
When an employee is happy, engaged, valued, and doing well, they’re likely to stay at their current job. Their onboarding experience can have a huge impact on their feelings towards your company for the rest of their career. First impressions matter. Don’t make your new hire feel like an afterthought. Show that you’ve invested in them, and they’ll be more likely to invest in you.
Final Thoughts on Why Your Onboarding System Matters
Depending on the complexity of your company and the role you’re hiring for, onboarding might last thirty days, three months, or even a whole year. While this may seem like a lot, putting in the effort to create and implement an effective onboarding system will actually save you time and aggravation by decreasing replacement hiring. When onboarding is done right, you have to do it less often. That’s just good business.
Check out the rest of our series of posts with tips to improve and streamline your onboarding process!
