Our guide to successful employee onboarding

Onboarding is about integrating your employees into your organization and enabling them to do the job you hired them to do in a timely and costly efficient manner. A good onboarding process will set the right tone for the rest of the employee's time at your organization.

The article below covers these key questions and will help you create an onboarding process that works for your company.

• What is the purpose of employee onboarding?
• What is the process for onboarding new employees?
• What are the 5C's in employee onboarding?
• What role does HR play in employee onboarding?
• What are the benefits of having a good onboarding process?
• Where can I find an onboarding checklist or guide?

What is the purpose of employee onboarding?

Employee onboarding is a process to provide new employees with the tools and information they need to integrate into your business. The process should cover practical steps like meeting the team, completing employee paperwork, and gaining access to the systems your company utilizes. It should also assist in providing training, setting expectations, and providing your new hire with a cultural introduction to your company. An organized approach to employee onboarding shows that you value your employees and want to settle new hires into the business with minimal disruption.

What is the process of employee onboarding?

You can divide employee onboarding into four phases. The pre-onboarding phase covers the period from making the job offer to the start date. At this time, your new employee should complete any paperwork required. Your HR team should provide information about the organization to the new hire and plan for the remaining onboarding stages.

The second stage is welcoming the new employee to the company. This will include orientation, meeting the team, and providing information on processes and team culture that will impact their time at your company. It is essential to make employees feel welcome and settled and to start building a working relationship with them.

The third stage covers the job-specific training required to carry out the work. Set clear targets and expectations and agree on them with the new employee. Encourage questions and discussions between team members and ensure that lines of communication are open. Training is a vital part of onboarding a new staff member; without this, the new staff member may become disengaged. Regular review and reporting of progress and feedback from managers is key to making this stage successful and leads to the final phase of onboarding which is when the employee transitions into part of the team.

By this final stage, the employee should be fully aware of their role and responsibilities within the company and carry out these duties to the best of their ability.

What are the 5C's in employee onboarding?

The 5C's was a concept developed by Talya Bauer, Ph.D., and breaks down successful onboarding into the following areas.

Compliance - This relates to pre-onboarding paperwork and learning about the company policies and processes.
Clarification - Employers must ensure that the roles and responsibilities of the new employee are understood, expectations set, and agree upon SMART goals with the new staff member.
Culture - Management must set the tone for the organization and how it operates.
Connections - Connections between the team and new employees should be encouraged by management and HR. Employees should feel supported by management and provide an outlet for any concerns and questions.
Check back - The final C relates to ensuring progress reviews, feedback, and goals are in place to help move your employee from a new hire into a full employee.

What role does HR play in employee onboarding?

HR plays a vital role in employee onboarding. Onboarding should be a collaborative process between management and HR designed to get the best from your employees. HR should instigate a strategy that delivers the various stages of onboarding mentioned above and ensures that all new hires and existing staff are an active and productive part of the business.

What are the benefits of having a good onboarding process?

A successful onboarding process can lead to increased employee engagement, increased productivity, and increased staff retention. It's about getting new hires settled and engaged in their new role and getting them working smarter from day one. Providing employees with the tools needed to do their job promptly will ensure that their productivity and inclusivity can explode.

A study by Glassdoor found that organizations with a robust onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82 percent and productivity by over 70 percent. (Research Brief — The True Cost of a Bad Hire — 2015 Brandon Hall Group. Licensed for Distribution by Glassdoor.)

Where can I find an onboarding checklist or guide?

Juice HR has prepared a free download containing a comprehensive list of activities you may want to include in your onboarding process. Download your free HR Onboarding Checklist here.

Why use Juice HR for your onboarding process?

The benefits of using an HRIS system like Juice HR is that your process becomes standardized for all employees and ensures that nothing gets missed. An effective onboarding process should meet all of the 5C's, and an HRIS system can automate many tasks to assist with this. The system acts as a check to ensure all paperwork is complete, can issue reminders about manager review meetings, include onboarding tasks for employees to complete, and provide details of the organization's culture and structure.

Please note the information presented on this website is provided as a general guide and is not a substitute for legal or tax advice. For specific advice, be sure to consult with a qualified professional.