Tips for Creating Valuable Onboarding Training Programs

In today's increasingly virtual environment, how organizations welcome and onboard new workers have a huge impact on engagement, productivity, and retention. Here are some fresh and innovative employees onboarding ideas that can help you connect with your employees, develop your teams, and reinforce your company's culture. Employee onboarding has changed dramatically in recent years as employees have become more scattered and may work from home, the office, or on-site.

Even before the epidemic, joining a new business is a thrilling moment for many people, but it can also be daunting. Today, new recruits do not receive the same in-person training, and this is unlikely to change very soon.

According to a Gartner, Inc. poll, “82 % of corporate executives plan to enable remote working at least portion of the time, even if employees eventually return to the office”.

A better employee onboarding process

Here are some fresh and innovative employees onboarding ideas that can help you connect with your employees, develop your teams, and reinforce your company's culture. These suggestions may assist organizations who have previously created an employee onboarding process take it to the next level, allowing them to support their employees better while boosting productivity and retention.

Employee onboarding ideas that are both innovative and practical

1. Involve senior management.

According to 91 percent of employees, communication difficulties might impede leaders from being effective when it comes to building relationships with their team members.

According to Harvard Business Review, it's largely due to leaders' failure to interact during critical times that might help employees regard them as trustworthy.
During the onboarding process, especially during a new hire virtual event, leaders and managers have a vital opportunity to engage an employee.
Your recruit will have the chance to form relationships with the leadership team and will feel more at ease knowing that a senior executive knows their name.
Consider hosting a virtual gathering twice or three times a year to bring together your most recent cohort of new recruits.
Consider how your new workers may engage with your leadership team informally, whether it's at a virtual town hall or during an online happy hour.

2. Establish early on a sense of togetherness

Getting to know employees who aren't on a new hire's immediate team will help them feel more connected before they even start. Consider sending an email to introduce the new worker and include fun facts to inspire other employees to talk about them.

Employers can also request that the new recruit complete a get-to-know-you survey so that their co-workers better grasp both their personal and professional selves.
Employers may also create a centralized hub where workers can see a map or chart of employees and what they perform inside the department or firm at any time or send it out through email.
Include a snippet of knowledge about significant leaders to use as an ice breaker or discussion starter.

3. Encourage new hires to start networking right away.

Seventy types of research demonstrate that a new hire's ability to feel socially accepted is decisive in their performance. As a result, it's critical to encourage new employees to begin networking and forming relationships with co-workers straight away.

Suppose a group of workers is being onboarded at the same time. In that case, they should electronically network with each other by connecting on professional networks, exchanging email addresses, and sharing their areas of expertise.
During in-person onboarding, many employees get the opportunity to speak with their co-workers.
In the absence of that, businesses will have to go above and beyond to ensure that new hires interact with other new workers during their first week on the job.

After all, they're likely to wind up in other areas - and having contacts outside of your field may be quite beneficial.

4. Provide a breakdown of tasks and roles.

It's puzzling to learn that 60% of firms don't assign short-term goals and tasks to new workers. Setting goals, roles, and duties for new recruits offers clarity and helps them achieve early successes and gain confidence.

It might take a long time to follow a new hire's development manually.
An employee onboarding software allows managers to automate and streamline the process.
This technology may assist new recruits and supervisors in understanding expectations far in advance of pre-hire, day one, and post-hire requirements.

5. Create a clear corporate mission statement.

Companies that have proven a clear sense of purpose and strong values enhance employee loyalty and affinity for potential candidates.

According to a new McKinsey poll, applicants – particularly younger ones – search for a firm that makes a meaningful contribution to society.

Employees want to work for companies that they can be proud of, which clearly illustrates how they contribute to a better society.
Reinforce a mission beyond producing income and extends to a larger social benefit, especially during times of uncertainty when individuals are rethinking their most important reasons.
While many businesses use this strategy to attract investors and customers, it may also be used to engage a new employee.
Your history may appeal to their beliefs and compel them to support your cause from the moment they start working for you.

6. Assist new hires with onboarding duties

The first 30 days of a new employee's employment with your firm may make or break their prospects of success. Assist your new recruit with administrative duties that may otherwise go through the cracks so they don't become a roadblock.

Managers may assign particular assignments and action items to accomplish by specified dates, such as health and safety courses or training on business rules, through a single hub, which can help keep the employees motivated and on track.
Managers can see how their new recruits are doing in terms of completing assignments and training thanks to the employee onboarding technologies.
In addition, a one-on-one meeting with a new hire's manager during the first week has shown to be a stimulant for early growth.
Employees will have the opportunity to ask any remaining questions when they get up to speed.

7. Ensure that employees have a consistent experience.

The dispersed workforce – which includes remote workers as well as those who work in physical places – provides more access to talent and individual freedom, but it also poses new problems.

74 percent of employees thought they were losing out on corporate news and information prior to the epidemic.
Establishing connectivity across a dispersed workforce has become even more difficult.
Because messages can be shared with the whole workforce, human capital management technology may help create a more united and uniform employee experience.
Because many workers work from home, companies must ensure that everyone is brought up to date on any changes, such as modifying a work from home or sick leave policy.

Employees may take charge of their work experience and obtain the information they need at any time, no matter where they are, such as their benefits manual.

8. Foster a culture of lifelong learning.

Companies are under increased pressure to innovate and compete in the present business climate, making skills more important. Companies are also searching for more cost-effective methods to harness current worker capabilities and decrease recruitment expenses.

Employees are also on the lookout for non-linear career advancement possibilities.
According to Ceridian's 2021 Pulse of Talent study, one-third of respondents stated they would make a lateral transfer if there were a possibility for advancement, indicating that companies can create loyalty by providing this sort of development.
Employees who made lateral transfers had a 62 percent probability of sticking with their present firm after three years, according to LinkedIn research.
Employers are abandoning the "one-size-fits-all" approach to learning efforts in favor of new models and technology platforms that provide appropriate material during onboarding and throughout the employee's lifetime.
Personalized learning platforms, also known as Learning Experience Platforms, assist companies in creating personalized learning paths for each employee by recommending modules based on the learner's activities and interests that are relevant to their unique learning routes.
This can also assist companies in putting in place the infrastructure needed to swiftly up-skill and riskily employees for important positions in order to meet changing company demands.

Looking to the future, it’s not about developing people to rise to a certain title. The focus will be on skills-based and experience-based talent development.

9. Align employee goals with those of the company

Employers can help new hires feel connected to the company and understand how their work contributes to organizational success from an early engagement and retention standpoint.

Talent management software can help organizations align employees’ performance, learning, and career development to the company’s overall goals and progress.
This can help boost engagement and improve retention by giving employees a clearer understanding of the impact of their work.
An onboarding portal or company intranet can also be used to showcase company goals and values so new hires are aligned from the get-go.
Videos are especially effective for engagement and fun for new hires to watch.

10. Align employee objectives with company objectives.

Employers may assist new recruits in feeling connected to the firm and understanding how their work contributes to organizational success from the viewpoint of early engagement and retention. Employee performance, learning, and career development may align with the company's overall goals and progress using talent management software.

By giving employees a better awareness of the effect of their work, may assist enhance engagement and retention.
An onboarding portal or corporate intranet may also be used to highlight company aims and values so that recruits are on the same page right away.
Videos are very helpful in engaging new recruits and are entertaining to watch.

11. Assign friends to help with onboarding:

Not everything, such as who the main internal subject matter experts are for each department or how a new recruit may become engaged with a company's community efforts, will be answered during the official employee onboarding process.

A work buddy may help a new recruit transition into their position by giving culture-related knowledge.
Buddy programs, according to 87 percent of employers, help new hires improve their skills.
Because workers work from various places and won't have the same amount of face-to-face contact, assigning a virtual buddy is critical.
To guarantee a uniform buddy experience across the business, HR executives may design and implement a new hire buddy checklist.
In the future, it will be a chance to link individuals from other departments and teams in order to maximize the benefits of creating relationships across a scattered workforce.

The value of a well-planned staff onboarding procedure

According to research, a planned onboarding process brings new workers up to speed 50% faster, allowing them to contribute more rapidly and efficiently to the company's goals. Employers will need to establish a deliberate and targeted employee onboarding process to help retain talent while getting them up to speed faster as the world of work becomes increasingly digital.

Technology is a crucial component of rethinking the onboarding process, especially in this new context, because it plays an important role in connecting with and leading new workers to success.

According to research, a planned onboarding process brings new workers up to speed 50% faster, allowing them to contribute more rapidly and efficiently to its goals. Employers will need to establish a deliberate and targeted employee onboarding process to help retain talent while getting them up to speed faster as the world of work becomes increasingly digital. Technology is a crucial component of rethinking the onboarding process, especially in this new context, because it plays an important role in connecting with and leading new workers to success. Author:

James Charlie is a contributing writer to MyAssignmentHelpAU. He is a podcaster, style coach and has been a blogger and a professional blogger writing about educational skills, personal development, and motivation since 2010. He has her own blogging website and well-established blog. MyAssignmentHelpAU operates a team of experts and qualified professionals who will provide high-quality MYOB Assignment Help to Australia students."