With the shift to a more flexible and remote work environment, it’s paramount to deliver a seamless employee onboarding experience in order to ensure employees will succeed in their new position.
Here’s our ultimate employee onboarding manual to boost engagement:
1. Introduce new employees to the company and team culture
The first thing you should do when onboarding a new employee is to introduce them to your company and team culture. Cultural fit and how well an employee understands the values of a new workplace will have a tremendous influence on how well they integrate into a new position.
A CultureIQ poll of 28,371 employees identified that work environment, support systems, and mission and value alignment are the cultural factors that have the greatest impact on employee satisfaction.
By paving the way for new hires to understand their role in the organization and how they contribute to the vision, they will be able to adapt much faster.
2. Provide comprehensive software training and support
The vast majority of knowledge workers’ jobs today are performed on enterprise software, platforms, and apps. That means the need to efficiently navigate numerous systems and complete business processes is a core competency.
Failing to provide adequate training and support for enterprise technology learning is the kiss of death in onboarding. Not only will your employees become frustrated and stressed about their work performance, they will also produce worse outcomes.
Not understanding how to complete business processes correctly leads to errors, compromised data integrity, and the greater likelihood your employees will “drop off,” or quit a process altogether. But with a comprehensive solution that provides 24/7, tailored support, employees will never need to worry. They can learn as they complete tasks, even if they are completely unfamiliar, and access real-time, proactive support in the moment of need.
3. Set and understand expectations for the role
Clearly explaining the responsibilities and expectations that come with a new position is a vital component of your employee onboarding manual.
Without clear mutual understanding of what’s expected of the new hire, misunderstandings and differences are inevitable.
Setting expectations out early can also help to reduce the risk of poor performance as employees will know what they need to be doing to meet targets.
4. Introduce them to mentors and resources throughout the company
Employees will automatically be more engaged and committed to their role if they view it as an opportunity to advance their careers. Most employees have aspirations of developing their skills and experience. You’ll put yourself at a disadvantage if you don’t go out of your way to facilitate that.
In addition to clarifying expectations of the role, ask them about their personal ambitions. Then, determine who in the company is the best resource for them.
Whether you introduce your new hire to someone for a single lunch, or they establish a formal mentorship, you will demonstrate a strong commitment to their indivudal development by facilitating the connection. This will go a long way.
5. Assign a buddy to new hires
It may sound trivial, but assigning new employees a buddy to help them cover the ins and outs of working at the company has proved to be one of the most popular methods of employee onboarding.
An HCI survey finds that 87% of organizations that assign an ambassador or buddy during onboarding discover that it’s an effective way to speed up new hire proficiency and get them acclimated to the culture.
A buddy can guide new hires through their first steps and provide their extra tips for success in the new company. It is also a good way for a new hire to get to know someone they’ll be working alongside every day.
Exceptional onboarding attracts and retains employees
There are various techniques and strategies your HR leaders can use to handle the online onboarding process, but there are some basic tips that work for almost all situations.
The benefits of a well-designed employee onboarding manual can be monumental. According to Glassdoor, organizations with a strong onboarding process improve the productivity of new hires by 70% and retention by 82%.
With a solid employee onboarding manual and the right preparation, it can be easy. Below we’ll break down how to onboard new employees to build engagement and promote long-term retention.
A smooth onboarding process is critical, as remote work continues to be a staple work arrangement offered by companies. According to Upwork, 56.8% of teams are still working remotely at least part time, and 26.7% of workers overall will continue working remotely.
Because of the increase in remote work, your HR leaders had to take the onboarding process online, which has now become the expected process for new employees.
To help you, we’ve put together an employee onboarding manual, our training manager’s best-kept secret for successful onboarding and employee training.
Keep employees engaged from day one with your employee onboarding manual
Understanding expectations, building professional relationships, and learning technical procedures are all essential parts of an employee onboarding manual. Letting new employees know what they need to do to perform well in their new role gives them the chance to be a productive member of your team.
Going the extra mile to onboard new employees and make them feel like a valued contributor will help to keep them in their position for the long haul. Creating an employee onboarding manual allows you to start customizing your onboarding process to keep new hires engaged and build a productive workplace.
With WalkMe, you can streamline employee onboarding with personalized training in the flow of work. Learn how.
