Is Your Business Guilty of These Top 4 Onboarding Mishaps?

CoAdvantage – Onboarding is the process of introducing new hires to the company and getting them started in their role – is crucial to success with new workers. A well-executed onboarding experience can have a tremendous impact on future employee success: Glassdoor found that a strong onboarding process boosts new hire retention by 82%.

Unfortunately, most companies execute onboarding inexpertly, and employees with a negative experience are twice as likely to turnover looking for other career opportunities.

So, what can employers do to make their onboarding experience as successful as possible? Here are four common mistakes to avoid.

1: The employer doesn’t pre-board.

Onboarding doesn’t have to wait for day one. The process can get started as soon the job offer is accepted. For example, the employee can address administrative paperwork before they actually start. It’s also great if the new hire’s future manager and perhaps a few peers reach out to say hello, introduce themselves, and welcome the new hire to the team.

2: The employer rushes through onboarding.

Many employers treat onboarding as a short introductory session lasting perhaps a few days or a week, which can leave new hires “feeling confused, discouraged, and lacking resources.” Instead, onboarding should be conducted in stages over a 90-day period, with regularly scheduled check-ins and new information spread out over time to avoid overwhelming the new hire.

3: The employer treats onboarding as purely administrative, not strategic.

There’s more to onboarding than just paperwork. As an experience that can directly influence employee retention or turnover, employers need to recognize that onboarding has strategic dimensions. The onboarding process should be designed to prime the employee for success, so they can become fully productive and better integrated into the company faster.

4: The employer makes the employee sit and wait.

Often, companies are just plain unprepared for new hires to start. The result is a lot of sitting and waiting. The issue might be that IT doesn’t have them set up yet, or perhaps their new manager is busy with other scheduled obligations, or maybe the facilities department hasn’t set up the new work area yet. Regardless of the specific reason, too many new hires end up spending their first day (or more) twiddling their thumbs. Part of the onboarding process should involve coordinating all departments and personnel to ensure they’ll be ready for the new hire’s start.

CoAdvantage, one of the nation’s largest Professional Employer Organizations (PEOs), helps small to mid-sized companies with HR administration, benefits, payroll, and compliance. To learn more about CoAdvantage’s ability to create a strategic HR function in your business that drives business growth potential, contact us today.