Even before you start recruiting for a position, you should be prepared to make a new employee’s introduction to the business as smooth and comprehensive as possible.

Onboarding (also known as induction) is a broad, structured process to provide a new team member with all the tools, information, and insight they need to quickly become an effective contributor, while at the same time integrating them with the company and its culture.

Sure, you could set the person up with tools they need, give them the company handbook, and tell them to get cracking on some initial tasks, but don’t expect great results.

Onboarding is an investment in the long-term development of your people and your business. So let’s look at the main reasons you should have a thorough onboarding process for all new employees:

• Gets them up to speed faster – a structured approach fully prepares an employee for their position and provides support as they grow into it, which minimises disruption to the business.
• Higher employee engagement – successful onboarding gets the employment relationship off to a solid start, boosting confidence, job satisfaction, and ongoing engagement.
• Better staff retention – Research has proven that employees who complete a structured onboarding process are far more likely to stay with the company, which saves time and money in the long run.
• Teaches about company goals and culture – successfully establishing a new employee while showing them how they contribute to the business’ wider goals helps connect them to the company and the existing team.
• Supports good hiring decisions and recovery from poor ones – induction is a crucial time for new workers to decide if the job matches their expectations and it also quickly shows employers if the person is right for the position.
• Sets a base for further learning and development – initial job training lays a good foundation for ongoing growth and helps the business find out about a new person’s aspirations, so you can design a development plan to build their skills.
• Better customer satisfaction – research shows that positive employee experience leads to better customer experience, which improves overall business profitability.