A little over a year ago, we posted some ideas for making your onboarding process more fun. As we noted then, a solid onboarding experience has a huge impact on employee retention. A study by the Brandon Hall Group found that organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new-hire retention by 82% and productivity by more than 70%.
But there’s more to effective onboarding than simply providing a fun experience. Details will vary, of course, but here are three things you’re sure to see in a good program.
Organized Paperwork
It’s no secret that there is a daunting amount of paperwork involved in onboarding employees. Factorial HR identifies eight essential pieces of documentation you need to share with new hires.
- Legal
- W-4 Form (for taxes)
- I-9 Form (to establish eligibility to work)
- Job-specific
- Employee offer letter (defines job description, manager, salary and other job elements)
- Employee contract (formalizes the agreement between the company and the new hire)
- Company-specific
- Emergency contact information
- Employee handbook
- Organizational charts
- Payroll and benefits
- Direct deposit paperwork
- Compensation package details
- Benefits brochure
A Specific, Cohesive Plan
The next thing you’ll find in a successful onboarding program is a detailed roadmap and schedule. Build in repeatable processes that make certain you cover all necessary elements (including a spot on the calendar to get all the paperwork listed above distributed and signed). And take the first steps toward instilling company culture in your new hires by letting them interact with current employees both inside and outside their departments.
Meaningful Follow-Up
Onboarding doesn’t stop when the designated orientation period ends. To help make sure your new employees and those who come after them have the best chance of success, measure the success of your onboarding program by taking these steps.
- Check your short-term turnover. If your retention numbers show you’re bleeding out new hires in the first few months, you may need to track down onboarding deficiencies.
- Keep in touch with new hires. Survey them to find out what they liked and didn’t like about onboarding. Then, conduct “stay interviews” to see how employees are faring and what additional support they may need.
- Talk with your new employees’ supervisors. This is another great way to identify what is and isn’t working about your onboarding process. As a side benefit, these talks help you evaluate whether your supervisors are merely managing or leading.
Before you can hire and retain great employees, you have to find them. Mega Force wants to be your go-to warehouse staffing resource in Asheboro and throughout North Carolina. Start here to see what we offer.
