Evaluating Employee Onboarding
Leslie Carver 
Boring? Information overload? Death by PowerPoint? Have any of those words been used to describe your orientation or onboarding process?
Don’t worry, I won’t share your answer with anyone! The truth is everyone is doing the best they can. You’re juggling so many urgent things that the thought of revamping your onboarding program may not be a top priority.
The great news is your program can be a work in progress. Focus on one part at a time until you finally get it where you want it to be!
One of the first areas you may want to look at is the orientation phase. We already know that many employees dread it. Time is spent completing paperwork and listening to others. New employees are often excited to be starting a new job and they just want to get to work. So what can you do?
Look for options to speed up the paperwork phase. Does your HRIS or payroll software have an onboarding feature? If you still use paper, can you send the forms to your employee after they accept the position? They will appreciate the option to complete something independently when possible.
Look for opportunities to show employees how the training they are going through will help them achieve their goals. Whether it’s software training or reviewing benefits, it is easier to retain the information when you have a personal connection to it. We begin to understand what it is when we realize why we are learning it.
Look for outdated resources and replace them with something more current. It’s so easy to fall into the “we’ve always done it this way” trap and not even realize how long it has been. If videos are old, start replacing them one by one unless there is a very special reason you’re showing it. A good rule of thumb is that your material should not be older than your youngest employee.
If you still aren’t sure where to start, spend some time with your new employees. Ask them what they enjoyed the most and when they wanted to fall asleep. Their feedback should point you in the right direction.
Categories: : Benefits, Culture, Onboarding, Retention