Why onboarding is the new kid on the block

Whilst a good induction process ensures an employees can physically find their way around the office, onboarding sets a new worker up for success. Find out why onboarding is the new kid on the block in our latest blog post.

Recruitment is a significant cost for organisationswithsome employers risking their investmentby failing to do more than setting up access to printers and ensuring the superannuation forms are handed to payroll when inducting an employee. It appears that some companies are going to great lengths to attract and recruit talent but are failing to connect them more broadly and deeply to the organisation.

Onboarding is critically important as it is the strategy that sets a new employee up for success. Induction has ensured that employees can physically find their way around the office, but onboarding is the process that connects new starters into the culture and helps them to navigate the organisational structure.

Some organisations will believe that they have an onboarding process because they have set up the employee in their first week with meetings with all the key stakeholders, direct reports and departments. There is no doubt that these actions will help new employees to feel welcome and meet new faces, but there are clear limitations with stopping there.

So, what are the main differences between induction and onboarding?

Induction:

• Is about gathering information from the new employee to ensure that the employee is ‘set up’. This includes aspects like banking and superannuation, tax file details, next of kin, social club forms and other relevant details required to set the new person up as an employee.
• Enables practical integration to enable a new employee to access the building, log on to the computer systems and learn where the customer records are kept.
• Informs new employees all of the helpful information that will help them settle in well. These are things like showing them how to use the coffee machine, where to access the best parking spots, which cafes in the area make the best sandwiches and how to book a meeting room.
• Establishes a meet and greet with key employees. Some organisations will hold morning teas and others will set up individual meetings to help new starters learn ‘who does what’ in the business.
• Has a transactional focus to ensure that the business has key information from the employee and vice versa. It is designed to make sure that new starters are integrated into the main systems and processes and that they have the information they need to complete their job
• Is usually completed within 2 weeks of starting the job

Onboarding:

• Lasts longer than induction. Depending upon the seniority of the position and the strategic objectives, onboarding a position can take many months.
• Will begin before the employee joins the company. Many organisations will send new employees business plans, core information related to their position and links to their intranet prior to day one. This onboarding strategy helps the employee to add more value quickly.
• Focuses on connecting the new employee to the business agenda. The onboarding strategy ensures that there is a focus on strategic objectives, competitive analysis, the current market place, a SWOT analysis and identification of corporate priorities.
• Helps employees to understand what is on the people agenda. What is the culture of the team? Who are the key stakeholders? What did the last engagement survey reveal? What is the capability of the existing team and where are the opportunities?
• Invites employees to understand and connect to the leadership team. What is the leadership culture? What can new employees expect? What are the priorities of the current leadership team?
• Includes long term relationship based programs such as mentoring and buddy programs designed to create a supportive culture and facilitate a way for employees to apply their past skills and experiences to the new environment.
• Focuses on interactions and critical experiences that enhance broader business understanding, trust and teamwork.
• Provides context of how individual performance links to organisational success
• Enables new relationships to be formed and fast tracks a new employee’s ability to translate their actions into strong performance outcomes
• Increases the chance that employees will act and behave in a manner aligned to the organisation’s expectations as the onboarding process makes this clear.

Sure, devising the right induction and onboarding strategy takes time, but employers that only put energy into an induction process are missing a golden opportunity to extract the true value of the talent that they hired.

A well thought out onboarding program shows the new employee that the organisation is committed to partnering with them to achieve success andsends a clear message that they are valued and that the business has considered their hire to be an important business decision. Induction will always play an important role in the new hire process, but onboarding is the new kid on the block.

Further information

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