l
Make new hires productive on the first day.
Do not appear rushed or ineffective.
l Use feedback to continuously improve.
Believe it or not, scientific theses have been written on the
onboarding process. A chapter in one article titled An
Organizational Encounter describes the transition between
onboarding and fulfilling regular job duties:
“This stage of organizational assimilation involves the
organizational member entering and becoming acquainted
with the new organization and occurs when the newcomer
confronts the reality of his or her organizational role. The
member, while already formally admitted, has not become
socially accepted as a trustworthy or dependable member in
the eyes of their coworkers.”
Jabberwocky? Not quite, but it does illustrate the impor-
l
tance of onboarding in helping someone make the switch
from newcomer to confident employee. During what can be a
glazed-eyes procedure, stop occasionally to ask the hire if
they understand what you’re trying to convey. It’s important
to note what works and what doesn’t; don’t be afraid to be
self-critical. Turn the magnifying glass on yourself, fill out
your own scorecard and see what you can do even better for
the next onboarding process.
Onboarding can be an expensive process for the company,
costing an estimated 30 percent of a new hire’s annual salary.
But remember that new hires who aren’t prepared properly
may not make it past the early months, and that turnover
costs the company even more. How efficiently you keep costs
down shows that you’ve done well, and that onboarding is
money well-spent. n
RITA CRAIG is an award-winning speaker and an expert on talent management and leadership.
She recently hosted an education session at the 2019 ISPA Conference & Expo titled “Let’s Talk
About your Talent growth,” in which attendees learned how to become talent magnets that
attract and retain top-tier employees.