There are a number of steps employers can take to onboard and welcome new employees to their organization. It’s a matter of matching your brand to the employee and demonstrating that you have more to offer than a paycheck.
Developing onboarding programs that create a comfortable and motivating work environment to inspire long-term careers are well worth the effort. Employees deliver the client experience and make your brand real. No marketing program, merchandising display or clever slogan can instill confidence and convey trust to customers as well as your staff can. Employee onboarding is an important tool for making that happen.
The Pre-Employment Experience
It’s important to excite your new employee before their first day of work. Consider sending a Welcome Aboard gift or package to the employee’s home. While the package should contain information about your organization, more importantly it should be about generating excitement.
Include a handwritten note from the hiring manager. Place a marketing item or two in the package, but don’t overload the box with literature. This is a gift package – not a source of reading material and homework. Have some fun with it by adding items like a coffee mug or a T-shirt.
The First 90 Days
A 90 day branded road map is helpful to new employees. Letting them know what is going to happen, what you expect them to learn, and how it will be accomplished gives the employee both immediate goals and a direction for their career. The job then becomes more than just completing the task at hand but also a career to commence.
Job proficiency task lists can function as an on-the-job training plan to map out the specifics of how and when the employee will become proficient in their new job role and responsibilities. It should clearly define the training game plan and expectations. This will reduce frustration and will also help avoid the sink-or-swim syndrome.
Brand Orientation
It is critical that employees understand who you are as an organization and what you stand for. In addition to the learning and training that’s taking place in the first 90 days, the journey should also include brand orientation.
Brand orientation learning topics would include:
Don’t make the introduction to your brand part of day one or week one orientation. Make it a unique culture program that is hands on and engaging. Include a grand finale event to celebrate the mover from trainee to official team member at the end of 90 days. They need to be officially welcomed to the company. This could be a special lunch, a presentation, or a ceremony that is officiated by your president. It is the recognition of joining the team and the excitement of their arrival, it’s a celebration.
Managers
It is also important to be sure that managers and supervisors have specific talking points with the new employee at key dates to facilitate good lines of communication and identify issues early. In the first 30 days talking points can include:
Expand your talking points for months two and three to discuss the best things that have happened so far, contributions, and continued support.
From Onboarding to Ongoing!
A new journey map should be presented to employees after the first 90 days, answering the question of what happens next. This is a great opportunity to re-engage with these employees. Keeping your onboarding program alive means making a commitment to your culture. Everything you do, every employee touch point, every training delivery, and every interaction affects your culture regardless of how long the employee has been with you.
Today’s workforce does not want to be defined by their job; rather they want to be identified with a company that has true purpose. Companies that focus on creating a workplace that engages employees will, in turn, create a business that engages its customers.
By Rebecca Doepke, Keeping it Awesome!
