Effective Onboarding: Transforming New Employee Experiences for Success (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Francisco is a new employee at the university. On his first day, his laptop wasn't ready, his chair was broken, and his supervisor, Stacy, was out of the office. He was sent to a conference room where someone from HR helped him complete a bunch of forms. He was not introduced to anyone, and when he asked a colleague a question, they were too busy to help. He had no one to go to lunch with, and since his laptop wasn't ready, he sat and flipped through a stack of old manuals and reports all afternoon. By the end of the day, he felt like he had made a terrible mistake by leaving his old job. As a result, he feels isolated, demotivated, and unhappy. When Stacy returns to the office the next day, she was surprised to hear Francisco's first day was so disastrous. In her sink-or-swim mentality, she thought he would have been more successful because he was so promising in his interview. Instead, Francisco seems withdrawn. Stacy is frustrated because every time someone new needs onboarding, it's a mad scramble to remember what to do and who does what. Francisco decides to stick it out, but struggles to become a productive member of the team. Fast forward three months, and he's still trying to figure out some of the processes and key people for getting his job done. Let's rewind to see how effective onboarding practices would have made a difference. The first day of a new job is the most crucial for a new employee because they may still be deciding if they made the right decision to accept the job offer. Plus, the recruiting and hiring process is often costly and time-consuming. It would be a shame for all of that effort to go to waste. This time, Stacy keeps in contact with Francisco even before his first day, and outlines what he can expect when he gets there, like where to park, directions, and sending a welcome email. Upon his arrival, Stacy greets him and introduces him to a few key members of the team, and then she takes him out to lunch. The next day, they have a meeting where she outlines some of the cultural aspects and performance expectations of the department, and they plan to have regular check-in meetings once a week. As a result, Francisco is excited to be at the university and part of a well-run department that values their employees and is engaged and productive in no time. Effective onboarding goes much deeper and further than a checklist, and it doesn't matter if you're onboarding a faculty member, a staff member, or an executive. It's an opportunity to engage the employee from the beginning to create a long-lasting relationship and productive performance. Effective onboarding involves partnership between the new employee, your team, and the supervisor. It takes planning and consideration, but the outcomes are worth it. Next time you have a new employee, make sure to thoughtfully plan, onboard, and engage them.