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May 15, 2017 101

101: Beyond onboarding

Onboarding new employees involves introductions, orientation, forms and office tours. But there some core tasks for a transition you or your managers may be overlooking: levels of support that can truly empower new team members to become more productive. Investing in new employees' transitionary periods pays off in terms of productivity. Here are three things to keep in mind when you go beyond onboarding and into the ramped-up version: integration.

Set up an integration checklist. According to HR4Free.com, this list shouldn't only lay out tasks associated with a new employee joining the company – issuing an ID badge, dress code guidelines, etc. – it should solicit feedback, with questions such as “How much autonomy did you gain by the end of the first week?” and “Does the position meet your expectations?”

Know that integration is a layered approach. The first level of new-employee support is basic orientation. Active assimilation is next, according to an article at Harvard Business Review by Mark Byford, Michael D. Watkins and Lena Triantogiannis. Integration, the third level, is a custom-designed experience to help an employee assimilate. “These might include team-building workshops and deep-dive discussions about strategy,” the article says, to help identify cultural differences.

Tailor their training. “Once the new hire has self-assessed their skills and competencies, you can create a learning plan so they are ready to meet the challenges of their new position,” says a whitepaper by talent-management software company Saba, of California. These assessments give you the information to fine-tune new team members, building up their strengths so they can benefit your company to the highest extent possible. By engaging the employee in their own transition, goals evolve, and you can get to work “choosing and prioritizing development activities based on the immediate challenges.”

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