Employee Onboarding refers to integrating a new hire successfully into their new role within the organization.
Corporate learning and development ensures that employee are upgrading their knowledge and expertise in their related fields.
You can’t exactly show someone how to perform better in their role until they are assimilated into their role-but this is something that many leaders across organizations continue to confuse.
Consider these three areas of an employee onboarding process to see how it greatly differs from on the job training.ACCESS
When you are new to an organization, you don’t want to feel alienated or out of place. Leaving a new hire in reception while someone scrambles to collect them for example is a great way to fail at onboarding. Providing a great experience with regards to access includes having their usernames and temporary passwords for all required programs ready to go. Ensuring that they have a desk with the hardware they need to do their job instead of spending half the day waiting for IT to come to them is another common pitfall. Giving them an employee pass card so that they aren’t left outside if they leave for lunch or must step outside of the department to use the bathroom (how embarrassing!) is another must do. Helping new hires to feel like they belong in the actual building, at their desk and in their role is a huge part of successfully onboarding.
GETTING SOCIAL
No one likes to be the new kid on the block, so help your new hires socialize from day one. Arranging a lunch on their first day with their manager and or team is a great way to help them to break the ice. Also, be sure to send out an email announcing the new hire to the company so that they know who the new face is! Where possible, assign a team member to be their guide for the first few days on the job. They can walk them through the facility, share local coffee spots, tell them where everyone goes for lunch and give them the lay of the land. It also provides them with a person to talk to right off the bat.
JUMP START
How many of you recall a position that you started at where you literally spent half your day ‘reading about the company’ and ‘surfing the intranet’? Boring. Also, a great way to quickly disengage a new hire from the organization. Instead of finding useless tasks for the new hire to complete during their first few days with the organization, have a game plan in place to help them get a jump start in their new role. Schedule them in relevant meetings to help them understand the culture and lingo of the company. Set them up with a list of things that they can start working on which in turn will help them learn about the company further. You want the new hire to feel useful and productive in order to stay with you and come back the next day!
Now, its highly unlikely that you’re going to create a full eLearning course on how employees should be more social. But a Learning Leader may have a training session designed on workplace compliance or anti-sexual harassment which are directly related to being a better employee.
There are several steps in a successful new hire onboarding strategy that a successful organization should consider including in their day to day operations.
For more Download this free eBook entitled Employee Onboarding Handbook from TrainingFolks today and side step common onboarding mistakes.
Once you’ve gotten past identifying what defines your corporate training programs from your employee onboarding plans you need to really consider what will make your onboarding a success. Success can be measured by retention of new employees, engagement levels of new hires and the overall improvement of business operations from investing in new talent.
When you look at your current employee onboarding plans does it include essential touch points to make your employee's first day positive and memorable one?
Onboarding is more than just filling out forms in HR, setting up a laptop and phone, and meeting colleagues. To be most effective, it introduces new employees to the company, communicates the corporate vision, and demonstrates they are a valued member of the team. Onboarding can begin before the employee's start date, and carry on through the first month and even the first year.
A solid employee onboarding program can mean the difference between retaining loyal and high-performing talent or losing your best people within a matter of months.
If the onboarding process in your organization varies by department and new employees are not receiving a consistent introduction to your company, your Learning Management System (LMS) can help formalize this process.
Here are seven great reasons to use your LMS for onboarding.
1. Standardize your onboarding program
The common company information every employee needs to know – mission, vision, compliance, security, payroll and benefits – as well as department specific materials can all be housed in one place when using an LMS. This also helps to ensure a consistent experience for all new hires to the company.
2. Evaluate skills and knowledge
While your new hire is likely very good at their job an LMS can help you to identify where there may be need for improvement. The testing capabilities available in the LMS allows you to determine if they are at a basic, intermediate or expert level in the skills to do the job and can help you plan further training.
3. Create learning paths
One of the most valuable features of an LMS is the ability to customize a learning path for each of your employees. You can schedule the standard material and courses, including deadlines for completion, and set up email reminders. Once their skills have been evaluated, you can update the learning path with additional programs to create a continuous learning environment.
4. Inform don’t overwhelm
Creating a training schedule that spaces out the courses and builds upon content already covered establishes a solid foundation and facilitates learning and retention. This is a great way to make sure that your new hires aren't overwhelmed with all of the new information that is being presented to them.
5. Access information on-demand
Give new hires the information they need in one convenient place. Instead of having to constantly ask questions of their colleagues, they can access the LMS to locate the content they need, when they need it. This allows them to become familiar with the job requirements and builds their confidence.
6. Track certifications
Certain industries require compliance and standards training, and certifications that must be renewed to keep them up to date. An LMS can track the completion of these courses in case of an audit, as well as send reminders when they come up for renewal.
7. Reporting for HR and managers
The reporting features of an LMS streamline what would otherwise be a manual process. Human Resources and learning managers can keep track of training completion and results to assess if additional training is required. Reporting can also show HR the effectiveness of the various training programs to determine if they need to be altered or updated.
Is it time to re assess and design a new employee program?
Update your current employee base and organizational culture with the training specialists at TrainingFolks.