How to Create a Successful Onboarding Strategy for New Hires

Develop an onboarding strategy that wins talent

Onboarding is arguably more important than ever before. With the talent shortage heightened and more than half the workforce expected to look for a new job in 2021, onboarding is critical. Engaging with workers as soon as possible helps integrate employees to your culture and retain them long-term. Our new hire onboarding infographic explains how to successfully onboard in three stages: the first 24 hours from offer acceptance, the first month after starting, and within the first 90 days.

Why have an onboarding process?

Today’s candidates are in the driver’s seat. With the deficit of available talent, candidates are receiving multiple offers, often on the same day. Even after they accept a position, they are still exploring other options. Engagement helps candidates commit to you and decrease the chances they will keep looking.

What is an onboarding plan?

Employers need to move fast when extending job offers and bringing them onboard. Companies will lose their qualified talent without a strong onboarding strategy, and may have to settle for a less qualified candidate. This hurts the bottom line due to longer position vacancy and increased training time.

What makes onboarding successful?

Follow these steps to a successful onboarding process:

Step 1: Within 24 hours after the offer is accepted, reach out to discuss next steps.

Capture the following in an email:

 - Formal written offer with complete salary information

 - The agreed-upon start date

 - Benefits package

 - Location terms (remote, in-office, or a hybrid)

 - Where to go on their first day of work

 - Helpful information about company work culture

 - Drug screening consent form and instructions

 - What to expect during the first week on the job

 - Who to contact for additional support, e.g. mentorship, schedule flexibility, Veteran resources, their immediate supervisor

Step 2: Within the first month, give them the tools to further integrate into your organization and be successful.

 - Introduce new hires to colleagues beyond their immediate team

 - Provide training for skills development, company policies, and culture

 - Establish a cadence of check-ins with the appropriate team members to keep a pulse on progress and address any concerns

 - Set expectations for performance reviews

 - Identify and introduce a mentor to help support each new hire

Step 3: By the end of 90 days, employees should be set up for long-term engagement.

 - Establish and hold frequent opportunities for new hires to provide feedback, and managers should be doing the same

 - Show their feedback is valued not only by capturing it (e.g. in a summary in email) but by creating next steps based on that feedback

 - Continue to set goals and define expectations that move the new hire forward and avoid stagnation

 - Provide ongoing opportunities for additional training and skills development

 - Establish team-building activities to further integrate them into company culture

Visualize it

The onboarding process never truly ends. It requires ongoing communication and actionable steps that ensure each employee is succeeding in their role, as a member of the team, and part of the larger organization.

We know this can be a lot to digest. So we have compiled all this information in an infographic you can download, and keep handy as you work on the stages of onboarding at your company.

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