The Four C’s to Improve Your Onboarding Strategy

The Four C’s to Improve Your Onboarding Strategy

When Tom went to his new company with loads of excitement and a bit of nervousness, he looked around, and felt himself lost in the middle of a huge building. He discovered that the address mentioned was not complete. Waiting outside for some time, he contacted the HR after which he was guided through and reached the correct office building. On entering, he saw his colleagues and smiled at them. In return, a few of the employees did not bother to smile, while some gave a cold ‘Hi!’ He was then formally introduced to everyone and Tom was warm enough to greet each one of them.

During the day, Tom was finding himself uncomfortable. He saw his colleagues busy with their work. No one asked for him. There was no one to show him the internal office. There was no proper desk arranged in advance where he could work at and he found himself, left alone at the corner of the bay. The HR who appointed Tom, gave him official papers to sign and did not give him an induction that Tom had expected to receive on the first day of work. When Tom tried approaching, his colleagues were not comfortable to talk much. He asked the HR about his work, to which he said that the Manager would let him (Tom) know. To his surprise, he did not know who his Reporting Manager was.

With all the patience, he let his first day end. Hoping for something new, he was left to feel disappointed for the next two days, and regretted his decision. Trusting his vibe – he went to speak to the HR and decided to discontinue. In less than a week’s time, Tom withdrew his employment.

Typically, companies like the one above suffer from consequences that affect their brand, like:

• 1. A fewer number of productive employees
• 2. Building an undesirable environment
• 3. Poor reviews on sites like Glassdoor.com
• 4. Negative branding and marketing

To save your company from such negligence, here are the 4 C’s which you can use as an onboarding strategy:

Connection

When a date has been fixed for the new hires to get onboard, the Human Resource team should plan the agenda ahead for the first week and appoint an official to assist the candidates. This will make the candidates build an interpersonal bond with the company and will make them feel welcomed to the organization. It is necessary that the new hires build a network and connect with others, as it will make them positive about their everyday work. The HR head should have an induction program with the managerial heads, along with a team lunch and organize a session with the directors to help them give the new hires an insight into the company.

Culture

The onboarding process starts from the day the candidate comes in for the first round of interview. It is the responsibility of the HR to give an overview of the company, the work culture, the norms followed and the dress code at work. Being an HR, you should also let the new hire know about the unspoken norms and the culture both formal and informal; and everything that an employee of the organization should be aware of.

Company

It is important for the new employees to know about the company goals, what it works for, their clients, and how their (new employes’) skills would benefit the company. The goal here is to make the new hires feel involved with the company and to motivate them to work well in the days ahead. This session can be done in the first week, sharing all the information related to the business and what the company plans to do for the next 10 years. Here, the expectation of the company from its employees should also be shared in order to let the employees know their responsibilities and make them feel accountable for their work.

Career

Be it a CFO or an executive, every employee has a question in mind: what is my career growth, while working in this organization. The HR should lay down the career growth, bring out objectives and perks working in the organization and give a bigger picture of their employment at your firm. The KPI’s and the incentives could also be stated in details so that the employee will know what to expect and what not to expect. You should also give them contact details of the HR or the person in-charge of the new hires for any clarification or information regarding the company and his employment.

Well, after all this – do not forget to have small informal rounds of ice-breaking sessions where the candidates can share their thoughts and feel free to be a part of the company. For the HR, after spending weeks in recruiting the right candidate, it would be a big failure for the company if an employee withdraws the employment because of the onboarding procedure.

Always remember, the first impression will last long and with a perfect onboarding session, the effect of it will be always remain with the employee’s tenure.