The advantages of a well-executed onboarding process are numerous. Among the most tangible ones, we can mention the improvement in the employee's arrival experience, greater engagement, greater probability of retaining this talent and also ease in attracting new ones, increased productivity, improved communication between employees and with leaders, strengthening of the culture of company, among others.
With so many positive points, the investment of time and quality in all stages of onboarding has everything to provide great returns.
The Oxford dictionary brings the following meaning for onboarding: "the action or process of integrating a new employee into an organization or familiarizing a new customer with its products or services". Thinking about employee integration, this process can go beyond the first days of their arrival at the company.
In this article Onboarding - 10 steps to perform with quality, we share with you the practical activities for the initial steps. We will now share a little of the concept of each of the 5 stages, from pre-onboarding to continuous employee development.
1 - Pre-integration
This is the period between the acceptance of the position by the candidate and their first day as an employee. Here, the main formalities and contract signatures, sending of documentation, among others, take place. Our suggestion is that you reserve at least 5 business days for this step.
For most candidates, this is a very anxious moment, already imagining what the new workplace will be like and living with the new team. It is important that communication via the company is very organized and assertive, and that the candidate has a channel to solve possible doubts.
2 - Initial Integration
This phase is when we receive and welcome the new employee. This period normally runs from the day he actually starts working at the company (day one) to a few days or weeks, depending on the scope of work, the area in which he will work and also each company.
Initial training for knowledge of the company's activities and particularities is normally applied at this stage. It is also at this time that we begin providing guidance on the company's culture.
3 - Specific Training
After the initial integration, the employee will already have a better understanding of the company's business, the organizational culture and how his function and that of his direct team fit into the gear. From there, we start more specific training for the role he will play.
Our suggestion is, whenever possible, to mix the candidate's time between training and carrying out functions. By putting into practice what he has access to in training, he will have new doubts that will be resolved, and will have greater sensitivity to his evolution.
We consider this phase to be very sensitive, as well-trained employees tend to feel more motivated and engaged with activities and deliverables. Even in smaller companies with less structure, we suggest that this step be carefully planned and executed. The return is almost always from an employee who feels valued, committed and happy with the activity he performs.
4 - Mentoring and Goal Setting
After absorbing the training content necessary for their position, the new employee is ready to assume, along with the team, part of the responsibilities and deliverables. This moment usually occurs after 30 or 45 days of starting in the company, but it can vary according to the function.
It is important to highlight, as we put in the article Onboarding - 10 steps to perform with quality, the role of the mentor, who was available to provide the necessary support at the beginning of this journey.
At this time, leader and employee can have the first assessment chat about the period and set targets for deliveries and development going forward. One suggestion is to set SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound).
5 - Continuous Development
This stage usually starts after 90 to 120 days of the new employee taking up the position. The employee is already well integrated into the team and helping with deliveries. Trainings for the year may have been established and, every quarter or semester, the leader can schedule a feedback chat and the progress achieved. Both the collaborator and the leader can propose fine adjustments to further improve performance.
Final Conclusions
Our suggestions so far seek a more complete Onboarding solution, but the level of execution depends on numerous factors, such as: company size, segment, area of expertise, employee seniority, among others. We believe that there will always be room to improve this process, and fine-tune the term and intensity according to each case. The experiences we've had so far prove that - every effort made in Onboarding - is amply compensated.
By Good Bridge Team.