On Boarding NHO Ebook
On Boarding NHO Ebook
Copyright
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercialNoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. That basically means you can (and should!) share it with anyone in the world for free, but you cant sell it, alter it, or claim it as your own. But you wouldnt do that kind of thing anyway, so its just a formality, right?
Sponsored by
Page 2
Introduction
When I decided to pull together this content about onboarding and new hire orientation, I had never participated in a good, solid onboarding experience. Maybe I was a little selfish and wanted this stuff for myself. :-) Since then, however, I have had a great experience with my current employer. In fact, their orientation process is even more amazing since this company has historically hired only five to ten people per year. My orientation experience was ideal for me. I spent a lot of time with my manager (and still do). She got me connected to the people with the real scoop on what goes on dayto-day. I had a special meeting with the CEO so he could explain the culture and values that govern the organization. And that was just in my first few days. Some of you laugh at the five to ten people per year statistic I mentioned. Youre closer to 200 or 2,000 per year. Thats fine. Just because you hire more people doesnt mean you cant try to do it just a little bit better. Think about it, if youre able to make a better impact in your onboarding process for just 10% of 2000 new employees, you have 200 people who are more likely to be engaged, productive, long-term contributors. Not too shabby, eh? This guide is organized into a few loose sections. First we have the personal stories and experiences. Next we have some how to content to make you think differently. Finally we have a few pieces that are manager-specific, because with their higher levels of responsibility and authority, its crucial that its done correctly. I hope you enjoy this guide and learn some new tips and tricks. Note the wide margins. I leave those so you can take notes, scribble ideas, and make connections between what you read and how things are at your own organization. By the end of this guide you should have a handful of ideas to follow up on. Have fun!
Page 3
Page 4
different from the times we met during the interviews. All he said was, Well lets get you started. No hi. No how are you? No glad to see you. As we walked down the hall, my new boss mentions that there is no new workstation for me as of today. For the time being, he said I can sit in one of the project rooms. I asked when I will have my own space. The response was, Soon. On my second day, I walked in feeling a little down. The day before was weird. But it did not prepare me for what was going to happen next. My boss walks into the project room and asks me if I have the memo ready for our meeting. I replied, I didnt know we had a meeting. My boss looks at me with disgust and says, You gotta be more prepared than this, and walks out. I stood there in shock with my jaw on the ground. I had no idea what he was talking about. It's my second day and I'm already being scolded. By the end of my first week, I still did not have an official workstation. I never met with the HR rep to discuss benefits or payroll schedule. Only a few co-workers introduced themselves. But worst of all, my boss had already expressed disappointment in my work. I didnt know what was expected of me initially and so I was unsure of how to make sure it didn't occur again. Im at the end of my second week. I have a workstation now. But very little else has changed. My boss and the other co-workers barely speak to me. Im not sure when Im getting my first paycheck. Im not really sure when my health insurance goes into effect. Actually though there is something thats changed. When I arrived here two weeks ago, I was so happy. Today, I feel like a fool that made the biggest mistake of his life.
Page 5
Note: I am not Buddy. But I know Buddies. Perhaps you know buddies as well. Maybe you were once a buddy yourself. The point is, when a person walks into your organization, they should walk out everyday as a person. If they walk out as an employee they may not come back. Paul Smith is the author of Welcome to the Occupation.
Page 6
Page 7
And he went back to smoking his cigarette. So I found my office and started looking at books. I was a little less hopeful, but thrilled to finally be working in HR. Even if no one else cared. Job #4 A few years and a relocation later, I took an HR role with a new start up that was part of a bigger company. On my first day, I showed up at the main office as instructed, but since Id been hired for the new company (still being built) and I wouldnt be located there, there was no place for me. My boss suggested I find an empty desk and make plans for recruiting and training the new employees that would be needed. I worked on that project (making plans) for the next 5 months at random locations before the new building was finished. During that time, I worked in a crowded office, but wasnt really part of a team because there wasnt one for me yet. As a result, I attended lots of meetings with myself. They were very efficient. Job #5 Eventually, I was recruited to a position at a company with a new CEO whod been brought in for a turnaround and wasnt seeing eye to eye with the VP of HR. It was a confidential search, so once the current VP was notified of his unplanned departure, the CEO and I were supposed to meet with him the following weekend while the offices were closed so he could pass the torch and provide me with the keys to the kingdom. Except the CEO forgot to show up that Sunday so it was just the two of us. Awkward. The next day I met with the HR team that had just been informed of my arrival the Friday before. They told me that because of the changes that had taken place and the way things were handled, they felt like outcasts. And I knew how they felt because Id been there before. Thankfully, we were able to fix that. So why the big FAIL when it comes to onboarding?
Page 8
All of the companies that I worked for were great places to work (except maybe Margarets) and they were filled with smart and capable people. A couple of my bosses were even amazing and inspiring Leaders to work for who really challenged me and helped me to grow. But all of the companies Ive worked for both the small ones and those in the Fortune 500 failed me as a new hire on my first day because they didnt plan effectively for my arrival or take the time to make me feel welcomed. Research shows that 90% of companies believe that employees make their decision to stay at a company within the first six months, but many of us have experienced an onboarding process that started our career with the company off on the wrong foot. Things that make you go hmmm Do you have an awful new hire experience similar to or worse than mine? What was your worst (or best) first day/week on the job like? Jennifer McClure is the author of Unbridled Talent.
Page 9
Page 10
I joke at work that I would like to change our employee orientation to be like a Broadway musical since its held in the auditorium and that would be a way to bring fun, creativity, and passion to the event. Well, today you have the power to make changes to your organizations employee orientation program. What is one thing you would take away? Anything you would add, create or include? Trish McFarlane is the author of HR Ringleader.
Page 11
Page 12
Here are some ideas for creating a more meaningful NHO and onboarding experience: New Hire Orientation Welcome Express how truly happy you are that these fabulous people have decided to join your company. Perhaps the CEO can say a few words, although depending on how often you hire that may not be realistic. Who we are Theres no feeling like pride in belonging to something bigger than yourself, so tap into that and shake your great company booty! Connect the dots between your amazing company culture and how people can be part of it. Start group People who start together have a higher chance of building lasting bonds as they spread out over the company. Help your new hires define their first network at your company by assigning them to a start group. Fun activity This is a chance for the start group to get to know one another and begin identifying itself as us. Mind you, it can go too far, as when my start group at a large consulting company had to run through the office singing, We Are Eager Beavers. But it did break the ice. Onboarding Company email Let everyone know about your fine crop of new hires. Send an email around, or post the information, introducing new hires with bio and pictures. Encourage employees to make them feel welcome. Team lunch Please dont just turn new employees loose with a vague introduction to
Page 13
their new co-workers. Nothing promotes team spirit like free food. Buddy system Every new hire should have a buddy on their new team to show them the ropes. Mentor This is advanced onboarding but its a great advantage to new hires if they have someone higher up than their own manager in the organization that they can turn to for career support. Have stuff ready Every day a new hire sits around without a desk or wondering what to do or unable to get started because the new laptop hasnt been configured yet is money wasted. Not to mention frustrating for the new hires, who are eager to dig in and start proving themselves. Make admin easy I once spent two weeks enrolling in benefits. I kid you not, it was so hard! Either offer a great online enrollment experience or have someone available to help people navigate the complexity. Dont waste that sweet new hire momentum on kludgy administration. Start group debriefing After a few weeks have passed, bring the start group back together again to discuss first impressions before they are completely desensitized to your crazy inefficient processes. Its also a good chance for the start group to meet up again, if they havent already. One final show of hands: Who still reaches out to people they worked with years ago, with questions or just to hook up for lunch? A feeling of connection makes people want to come to work. Dont miss out on the
Page 14
golden opportunities provided by NHO and onboarding to help people feel connected from day one. Laura Schroeder is the author of Working Girl.
Page 15
New Hire survey: Short, online surveys at 1, 3 and 6 weeks. How is the job, does it meet your expectations, do you have what you need to succeed. Extremely low response rate, taken offline after three months. Company branded backpack designed for carrying laptops. Given to all employees, even those who work in a factory setting with no laptop. Discontinued after first batch. Company branded Carhartt jacket. Given to all employees, even those in office positions. In the south. Discontinued after second batch. Absorbent stone coaster and company branded pint glass. Used to gather dust on desks, as well as pencils. Discontinued after first batch. Online training for code of conduct, ethics, foreign corrupt practices avoidance, performance management system, expense reports, time and attendance, building layout, benefits, payroll, holidays, company profile, executive profiles, intranet, internet, email, network, help desk, phone system, cafeteria hours. All to be completed in first two days. Number of questions to HR in first week increased by 2048% (approximate).
Week one agenda planned to have employee meet team, key partners, and peers.
Page 16
Program designed to ensure desk, computer and phone in place prior to day one. Online forms to allow taxes, benefits and emergency contact information could be recorded online at the employees leisure, even before day one. Designated peer mentor for employee to shadow for first week to learn location, culture, norms, and bathroom location.
Whats the difference? The first batch was waste. It is a group of unwanted, inappropriate or overwhelming items that interfered with the simple task of getting your bearings in a new home. The second batch was value, providing the things the new hire needed and wanted. So how did we figure out the difference? We asked them. So when you are designing programs and thinking of all the great things that can be done, dont forget to stop and ask the end user what their requirements look like. Find out what they need, and then be relentless in refusing to spend time and money on the things that dont. Dwane Lay is the author of LeanHRBlog.
Page 17
Page 18
Now you have a new employee at your Company. Do they now know everything they need to know? Oh yeah you gave them all of the stuff you can no longer be sued for, but did you give them any of the really useful information as to how to assimilate into the culture. Sometime some of the cultural fits are a little more subtle. Things like if you want to advance in this Company you will go with the Friday Night Gang down to the Pub and Grub for more the first than the later. Or maybe the successful people in this Company are the ones who rarely have a taste just thought you would want to know. The people who succeed here almost always started out heading up a committee. Hopefully these lessons will come through in the buddy system, provided your buddies really want new folks to succeed. In summary, help them fit into your Company culture. This is an ongoing process. Not everything a new employee needs to know is contained in the Company propaganda, because there is some stuff none of us would want published. So we need to help the new people find their way through the organization. HR must guide them showing them where to go and not to go. We must also make sure they know how to succeed because if they dont you will be doing this all over again! Dave Ryan is the author of HR Official.
Page 19
Page 20
Feel out your newbie for pace Recruiter Guy Chris Hoyt blogged about his experience of onboarding at his new position with PepsiCo. While your new employees blogging about their onboarding experience may not be for you, what Hoyt has done is show how the pace of his onboarding matched his experience and comfort levels. While many folks wouldnt be comfortable traveling on business right away, it was obvious that it helped energize him and maximize the overall experience. I dont know how intentional it was, but it shows that a rapid onboard isnt necessarily a bad one. Intentionally expose them to culture Amy Gallo at the Harvard Business Review writes of the downfall of focusing on simply supplying information to new employees. You have to be intentional about exposing them to your culture, too. Her advice is to focus on bringing on the right people, getting them connected with the right people, and then getting them into their day-to-day routine as quickly as possible. Theres no arguing that cultural changes are a big step in the right direction. Use technology responsibly We all love technology, right? Well, I did until my onboarding experience where I sat in front of a computer for my first day to fill out forms, do mandatory training, and probably supply some clueless vendor with more validation data. I hated it. Many companies sell technology onboarding platforms as productivity drivers (like Taleo does here) but onboarding is more than just getting me up to speed and producing widgets for you in record time. It is also about your first efforts in retention and culture. Youre not getting that from a computer. Harness that new hire energy Capitalizing on new hire energy is one of the most vexing things about the onboarding process. The problem is that all of these new people dont have the institutional
Page 21
knowledge necessary to use that energy constructively. If I can combine the point from Gallos piece in HBR, partnering that boundless energy with some of your most experienced people can be a huge win. Of course, finding the right experienced person is as important as the decision itself. Lance Haun is the author of Rehaul.
Page 22
Page 23
proud about whats good, but also share the bad and ugly. Tell them what youre doing to fix it and solicit their patience and support while you do so. Otherwise, theyll just be part of perpetuating the same old issues. This aint no fast food commercial its someones job. Give people the data they need to make good decisions, to contribute, and to make a difference in your organization. Charlie Judy is the author of HR Fishbowl.
Page 24
Ive verified IDs and completed I-9s, by myself, for a room of 50 people (*not fun) Ive played games quite often as an unwilling participant Ive had to complete paperwork for new employees who couldnt read or write Ive had to terminate employees 2 hours into their 1st day of employment Ive had people not return to the training room after the first break of the day Ive made paper chains with 50 strangers each of us writing and verbally sharing our dreams/aspirations and how they tied to the orgs mission (and no, I didnt really like this one) Ive sat through countless power point presentations with artfully crafted bullet points *BENEFITS! *SAFETY! *YOU are #1! Ive created those same power point presentations and subjected unwilling new employees to them
NEO is that part of the onboarding process where, for the 1st time, the organization likes to think its giving the new employee a true sense of how stuff really works around here. Personally, Ive always found it easier from a task standpoint to develop and run a large-group orientation as opposed to planning for the one-on-one (large-scale economy and all that). However, I think that the one-on-one orientations are much more effective as they provide the opportunity for conversation not lecture.
Page 25
But I think whether you are crafting a program for 1 new employee or a gaggle of them, there are a few key points to think about: Your goal should be that at the end of DAY ONE each new employee has a sense of direction and a sense of purpose. You should aim to capture and nurture that feeling of excitement that your new employee had at the moment when you called and offered them the job. You should make certain that your newly hired employee is THRILLED that theyve chosen your company. While HR may be the architect of the plan, partnering with line managers is critical to success. Following are some things I believe must be at the forefront of any NEO program. Now these are not all the responsibility of HR as many should be the role of the manager, but HR should work to ensure these things are done:
Make new employees feel as welcome as they did when you were courting them during the recruitment phase Orient them to the company and culture pictures? stories? Be REAL! Find some way to minimize the stupefying (and yet necessary) boredom of new hire paperwork. Can you work towards harnessing technology to move your process online w/ electronic signatures? Can you mail paperwork ahead of time to the employees home to complete and bring with them? Find ways to keep your program fresh. Theres nothing worse than a burnedout HR Lady droning through a slide show week-after-week-after-week. What can you do to change up your presentation style? Can you (gasp!) do away with power point? Please, for the sake of all that is holy, do NOT make a roomful of adults read policies out loud. Please. Have a plan to make introductions to co-workers, team members and others.
Page 26
Set up and prepare the employees workstation prior to their arrival. At one company, I found an employee sitting in her cubicle with a former employees name on the nameplate 3 months after she had been working there. No one thought to replace it and she was too afraid to ask! Take the new employee to lunch on day 1 (if a group meal is not part of the HRrun NEO) or arrange for a group of co-workers to do the same. Very often, a new employee who may be a brown-bagger hasnt brought a lunch because theyre not sure if theyll even have access to a refrigerator. Take the employee on a tour of the department, building or entire campus. Ive conducted NEO where we took an hour long walk after lunch (EEs could opt out if they had mobility concerns). Its fun to pay particular attention to those secret areas that the public never gets to see the vault (in a bank), the morgue (in a hospital), and the special room where the secret recipe is concocted. Consider holding a re-orientation. At one organization I implemented a 90-day re-orientation program all employees hired in the past quarter came back to ask the questions they hadnt thought of when they started. It was safe environment to ask the silly questions and they also got to connect with the colleagues from other departments with whom they had spent vast amounts of time on day 1, but didnt really interact with anymore.
Sometimes NEOs are a utopian HR-view of the day-to-day reality. We have some training technique that we think works and we want to try it out. But then we memorialize it without stopping to consider if it ties back to our culture, our goals and what our organization is about. Making paper-chains to hang around the room MAY fit your culture if youre a school or a day care, But think twice if youre doing this activity with a bunch of auditors and accountants. Ive got to tell you, it was truly an awkward moment to watch a newly
Page 27
hired big wig muckity muck VP from Accounting have an internal debate as to whether he should write his dream on a robins-egg blue or bunny-nose pink strip of paper Robin Schooling is the author of HR Schoolhouse.
Page 28
Give the new hire something to brag about. New hires, especially those who have been out of work, are super excited about their new jobs and want to tell everyone they know. Why not feed those discussions with a few cool facts or success stories. Then they can shout to everyone they know, I got this job at Company X and did you know that they Give the new hire face time with top leadership. Even if their day job will never interact with the CEO, it is important that they see his/her face during their first
Page 29
few days. People want to feel connected with those at the top of their organization. Leaders should spend time with new hires and talk about stuff other than work a little too. It establishes a sense of caring and trust that every employee longs for. Give the new hire something to be excited about. If your company is launching a new product or strategy in the next year, tell them. If there is big news that most of your other employees know, make sure it is shared with the new hires as well. Again, it makes them feel connected. Connected employees stay with their employers. Give them Q&A time. There is nothing worse than a new hire orientation where someone vomits information for hours or days with no interaction. New employees have questions and allowing them time to ask and receive answers will go a long way in making them feel appreciated early on.
There are countless ways to make a new hire orientation effective, but these few simple ingredients make a great base for any program. Is it time to revamp your new hire program? Sabrina Baker is the author of Humanity, Inc.
Page 30
Page 31
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Data Collection Feedback to the New Manager Response Preparation Assimilation Meeting Follow-up
The process begins with the help of a consultant, either internal or external, who is viewed by the Manager and the direct reports as an objective third party. The credibility of this consultant is extremely important to the process since they will used to gather highly confidential data from both the manager and the direct reports. The willingness of the people participating to share such data can be enhanced significantly if the consultant is viewed as objective, able to handle confidences, and competent in organizational development processes. Follow this link to find the document describing the full process and steps for the New Manager Assimilation Process. Michael Vandervort is the author of Human Race Horses.
Page 32
Page 33
16. Basic fact finding and interviewing skills 17. Expectations Management at all levels 18. (You can add more depending on your organizations context) Two critical points:
Include a lot of real-life examples/stories for each of the above to make it interesting. To complement this effort, give them the URLs of some of the best leadership blogs out there. Share other useful resources like free presentations, eBooks, podcasts and videos that would help them get into a leadership mindset. To ensure that this training translates into meaningful actions, it is crucial to have a leadership development program that continuously organizes trainings, inducts new people/aspiring leaders, conduct brainstorming and discussion sessions, seek feedbacks from people periodically to maintain the momentum and mature over a period of time.
Middle managers are the glue that joins the strategies at the top with actions at the bottom. Induction trainings like these are a small investment that goes a long way in setting the precedence and ensuring that you find the right channels to effectively transfer your strategy/values to all layers within the organization. It has a direct impact on overall employee morale and your effectiveness as an organization. Tanmay Vora is the author of QAspire.
Page 34
Page 35