ONBOARDING: MAKE OR BREAK MOMENT

Entering a new challenge is one of those (rare) moments where excitement meets anxiety and when you set foot into what is about to become the place you'll be spending most of your time, that is the right place (some say the only) for the company to make a difference.

It's a unique moment because it represents the threshold between the candidate experience and the employee experience, meaning that psychologically it will set the bar hence forth.

Was your candidate experience average or below par? You can make it up with a good onboarding experience.

So what makes a good onboarding experience?

First of all design it so it starts before new employee(s) arrive to the location where the onboarding will occur. Send an email, text or call giving simple instructions like the dress code, information about the location, preparation readings and the agenda for the process.

Once your new employee(s) arrive you should have a welcome moment, preferably with the CEO or the Head of People Management. It's all about placing them as a Top Priority in the company. Never leave a new employee alone on the first day, that is a break moment.

Acculturation, the most important part of the onboarding process. More than words, new employees perceive very quickly if the mission statements and value propositions are accurate or not. Onboarding managers must turn words into something palpable and that can be achieved by having older employees from different areas talk about their own experience at the company. Example: What does quality mean to a housekeeper? What is excellence of service to a barman/barmaid? The ability to translate generic words into action behaviors is critical for a successful acculturation process.

Understanding Policies and Procedures is also something that has to be mandatory in a good onboarding process. Simple questions like: "when do we get paid?", "what benefits are we entitled to?", "to whom do i talk if i have an issue?", "how is my performance going to be measured?" are some of the most usual questions in these processes.

Perks, although they are not mandatory, they can sure make a difference, because let's face it, who doesn't love to receive them? It can be a simple shirt or something more complex. The main thing is to give them context - why are you receiving this perk? What does it represent? Don't feel forced to do it because others do.

First Day Closure: Where should the first day end? Experience tells me that new employees value their own space and allowing them to access what will be their working space in the first day is something that can make that lasting good first impression.

I could not end this reflection on the onboarding process without talking about employee advocacy and engagement. It's very important that companies set the right balance between privacy and openness to participation. This being said, and seeing that we live in a digital world, instead of creating fear of the use of social media and digital in general, the focus should be on sharing good examples of employee participation and the impact it generated towards brand notoriety and the increase of the power of attraction (more candidates, better candidates).

Share your onboarding experiences!

Miguel Luís | Turning Good Companies Great

Disclosure: This article expresses my personal views and do not, in any way, represent the official understanding of the Four Seasons Hotel Ritz Lisbon.