The onboarding process is also referred to as assimilation, alignment, transition and integration process (Mesmer, 2012). Defining Onboarding Onboarding entails the direct bridge amid the promise of a novel employee talent and the achievement of definite productivity (Bradt & Vonnegut, 2009)
Introduction Historically, the procedure of helping newly hired employees to acclimate to their working setting has been referred to as orientation. Orientation usually begins with an introduction to the work area, organization's facilities and building on the first day of work (Bruce & Montanez, 2012)
Onboarding Practice: Formal and Informal Onboarding Studies suggest employees get approximately ninety days to prove themselves in their new jobs. Every company holds its own intricate process by which new employees learn knowledge, behaviors, attitudes and skills needed for them to operate effectively (Dam, 2007)
Wanberg (2012) states that it is crucial to keep onboarding activities distinct from when they take place and the agents engaged. This is because most activities could potentially be experienced at any time and delivered in different ways (Hernandez, 2009)
The human resources management leave the new employees alone to learn by themselves the ropes through observation and asking questions on an instant, as-needed. Organizations or human resource department that advocate for the osmosis process maintains that if an employee is smart enough to be hired, they have the potential to figure out for themselves what they require to know regarding their job, the organization and the facilities (Messmer, 2012)
Holding a large group sessions in an appropriate room is another best practice in onboarding. If an organization is holding large group orientation sessions perhaps with oral presentation or video presentation, a large room is necessary, as it will accommodate the new hires and their mentors (Reed & Bogardus, 2012)
In this process, the supervisor and the newly hired employee verifies the jobs goals and more importantly, their tasks in order to set distinct and reasonable goals for newly hired employees. Providing clear sense of responsibilities and setting concrete goals during the onboarding process allow the newly hired employees to understand the temperament of their jobs and how their roles fits into the expansive corporate objectives (Sims, 2010)
Benefits of Onboarding Practice According to Snell (2006), organizations that do not prop up a detailed introduction stage for novel employees risk losing productivity created by the employees and their interest in the organization. Snell asserts that sixty-four percent of newly hired executives fail in their new jobs and the average years that such CEOs remains in these jobs is less than 4 years (Snell, 2006)
Informal onboarding is the procedure through which a new hire learns about her or his new job without an unequivocal organizational plan. Formal onboarding, on the other hand, is the written set of organized procedures and policies that help new hires to get accustomed to their novel jobs with respect to socialization and tasks (Stein & Christiansen, 2010)
The divergent onboarding practices experienced by a new employee may mirror a combination of dissimilar socialization strategies. Wanberg further ascertains that employing measures of socialization strategies instead of the original aspects may weaken observed links and lead in the loss of crucial information (Wanberg, 2012)
A feedback process allows the human resource professionals to make improvements for future new employees. Employee handbook and procedures manuals are also paramount during the onboarding process (Westwood & Johnson, 2011)
An effective onboarding practice also helps new employees understand how the culture of an organization and their job roles intermingle into the organization and departmental priorities. The holistic perspective to orientation is consistent with the strategic role of the human resource (York, 2009)
Commonly used selection tools include ability tests, knowledge tests, personality tests, and background checks, along with the systematic compilation of biographical data. It should be emphasized that these as well as all personnel selection measures should be authenticated for content, construct, and criterion (Wright & Domagalski, 2010)
Even though it is normally recognized that first impressions are significant, planning for and managing such impressions are not a common practice. First impressions can affect not only the choice to accept a job but ongoing job satisfaction and the choice to stay with or leave an employer (Yamamura, Birk & Cossitt, 2010)
If the position looks like a good fit, the interviewee wants to sell themselves and acquire a job offer. For interviewers to attain their own goals, they need to keep both parties' goals in mind when carrying out the interview (Howard & Johnson, 2010)
Employment laws forbid discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic group, nationality, religion, sex, disability and age. Most interviews are smart enough to stay away from direct questions regarding these factors while in a formal interview situation, but regularly, interviews may include meetings outside of the office, where in the course of informal conversation, they might unintentionally ask prohibited questions (Schueler, 2006)
Other research shows that effective onboarding programs can advance worker retention by twenty-five percent. This can diminish the cost of turnover, which ranges from fifty percent of the yearly salary of entry-level employees to four hundred percent for specialized, high-level workers (Lavigna, 2009)
). Predominantly, interviews are used to figure out if a candidate will be a high quality worker and a good fit with the company (Howard & Johnson, 2010)
An employee engagement activity will also help to build commitment to the organization. The people who are being onboarded may work in entirely different areas of the company, but an exercise that highlights the key elements of the organizational culture and emphasizes the mutual commitment that the organization and employee are going to make will be valuable in bringing people into the company (Gallant, 2013)