SHRM - Onboarding and Assimilation

Employee engagement starts before the employee is hired. What are some actions HR can take to increase employee engagement at this stage?

- Make the job hunt simple, seamless, and informative
- Make sure the company website is current and meaningful
- Create accurate first impressions, i.e., make sure the interview provides an accurate account of what the job will be like

What can an org do to increase employee engagement at the start of employment?

- Make the first day count. Disorganized first days often lead to low levels of long-term engagement.
- Give employees a structured onboarding experience, i.e., the first 90 days
- Provide a buddy who can help the new hire navigate the org and their role

What can HR do to increase and foster ongoing engagement?

- Promote and monitor programs that show employees a path to success and a future career

What's the difference between orientation and onboarding?

Orientation = first days or week where new hire understands basics of the org (intros to colleagues / coworkers, how to clock in, etc.)
Onboarding = longer term focus. setting people up for success. includes orientation + first several months. developing

Orientation

Generally lasts one to two days and helps the employee develop a realistic image of the organization and/or the job

Onboarding

Encompasses orientation as well as the first months of an employee's tenure in a position.

Informal onboarding

Employee learns about his or her job without a structured plan. Much of the acclimation process in informal onboarding is left up to the employee to figure out.

Formal onboarding

Orientation rolls into additional structured activities. Some formal onboarding programs last through the employee's first year�or longer�in a new position.

What are the overarching goals of onboarding?

- Teach the new employee about his or her role in terms of tasks and socialization
- Integrate the new employee into the org culture and norms
- Build relationships and create a sense of acceptance for the new hire

What is the value of the onboarding process?

Provides a strategy for an employee to succeed.

How can we increase engagement during the recruitment stage?

- Target qualified candidates who are likely to like the job
- Ensure that attractive job features are communicated
- Encourage those who are not qualified to self-select out

How can we increase commitment during the recruitment stage?

Highlight the employee side of the exchange relationship�pay and benefits, advancement opportunities, flexible work hours.

How can we increase engagement during the employee selection stage?

- Select the right individual
- Choose candidates likely to perform well, contribute voluntary behaviors, and fit the org's culture

How can we increase commitment during the employee selection stage?

Create a positive first impression of your company's competence.

How can we increase engagement during the employee onboarding stage?

- Describe expectations clearly.
- Encourage social connections at work

How can we increase commitment during the employee onboarding stage?

- Have a highly engaged corps of leaders and managers.
- Provide tools needed to do the job.
- Give a workplace tour.

Within a month at a new job, an employee feels disconnected from peers and unsure of job expectations. In what part of the employee experience does there seem to be a breakdown?

Onboarding. Includes the first months at a job and ensures that new employees understand the job, what is expected, and who they will be working with.

What can an HR professional say to reinforce the utility of the buddy program when discussing the topic with disapproving managers?

Buddies can help make new employees feel welcome and enhance their job satisfaction and productivity by answering questions and helping them navigate the organizational culture.

Which process initially helps an employee become familiar with a new job, department, and coworkers?

Orientation generally lasts one to two days and helps the employee develop a realistic image of the organization and/or the job.

How do robust orientation and onboarding activities contribute to a new hire's engagement?

By providing employees with tools and strategies to be successful. Orientation and onboarding include processes that allow new employees to learn about the organization, its structure, and its vision, mission, and values.