Strategies for Effective Orientations that Lead to Success
COVID-19 revealed that strong culture guides and strengthens businesses, through their more perilous challenges. One of the key elements of a strong culture is an effective orientation process, which provides the foundation for the long-term success of staff and boards.
Why Orientation Matters
Almost one-third (31%) of workers leave their jobs in the first six months, reports a 2019 North America Mercer Survey, highlighting the need to generate trust, buy-in and connection between employees and employers. In fact, a Glassdoor study found that organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by more than 70%. Despite this data and pressing staffing issues for businesses nationwide, Gallup reports that only 12% of employees strongly agree that their employer offers an effective orientation process.
Common Mistakes
Businesses often unknowingly implement poor practices when orienting new hires. The following is a collection of 10 mistakes and solutions compiled by Gallup research.
1. “It’s an HR thing.” Businesses often incorrectly assign employee orientation predominantly to human resources. However, employees are 3.4 times more likely to strongly agree their onboarding was exceptional when managers take an active role in orienting them.
2. Onboarding is too short. New employees typically take about 12 months to reach their full performance potential within a role. Orientation should be considered a journey with regular check-ins and development opportunities that are offered beyond the first month.
3. Onboarding does not reflect culture. Employees should internalize company values, not just name them. Organizations should provide immersive experiences (storytelling, role playing, etc.) for staff to inherently understand values.
4. New employees see no future with you. Employees who strongly agree they have a clear plan for development are 3.5 times more likely to strongly agree their onboarding was exceptional. Managers should have conversations with staff about employees’ dreams and goals and offer development opportunities that extend beyond formal onboarding.
5. Onboarding program is unremarkable. Data shows that outstanding onboarding programs, those that are rated 5 out of 5 by staff, are twice as likely to have employees strongly agree that they feel fully prepared for their roles than programs that rate even 4 out of 5, indicating that only exceptional orientations are driving significant value in this area.
6. Have no idea if it’s working or not. Employers should systematically check in on employees throughout the onboarding process to identify disconnects between staff and the organization.
7. It’s costing money. Ineffective onboarding processes are damaging financially. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), employee turnover can be as high as 50% in the first four months for hourly workers and 50% in the first 18 months for senior-level hires. Some estimates indicate that it costs half or up to two times an employee’s salary to identify and onboard a replacement.
8. Doesn’t create a sense of belonging. Many onboarding programs introduce employees to the organization’s vision, mission and culture but do not connect them to these values. Help employees connect with the organization’s mission and purpose and feel accepted by their colleagues.
9. Overloads them with information. Onboarding programs should avoid providing too much information in too short of a timeframe. Give new hires ample time to understand what is presented in the orientation process.
10. Overwhelms them with technology. While advanced onboarding platforms have attractive features for new hires to use, some can be difficult to learn and have a short lifespan, making effective orientation more difficult.
Preboarding
Before an employee starts at their new place of work, employers have an opportunity to engage new hires and begin the orientation process. Four percent of new hires leave after their first day and 80% say they have anxiety heading into a new job, reports LinkedIn. Connecting early with new hires can provide key benefits, like calming nerves, building loyalty (particularly in a remote environment) and reducing turnover, reports Organami, an HR consulting firm.
The firm recommends several best practices for companies as they introduce themselves to new staff before day one. Let organizational culture shine and capitalize on the fact that the employee has a favorable, optimistic view of the company. Ask new hires for their feedback on the recruitment process to improve the process and signal that their input is appreciated. Reduce their time completing paperwork and creating accounts by helping set up and organize these processes in advance. Assign the new hire an experienced colleague, preferably not someone they will regularly and directly work with, who can assist them in getting acquainted with the organization, especially on a social level. According to Human Capital Institute (HCI), a human resources consultancy, 87% of organizations that utilize these buddy programs say it’s an effective way to speed up new hire proficiency. Share an organization chart to help the new employee understand who they work with and the reporting structure and to ensure that the organization is aware of the new hire and avoids awkward introductions by sharing information about the employee and their role.
Training
Effective orientation extends beyond simply introducing new employees to their roles as it applies to every staff member’s career development. According to the HCI, 81% of organizations agree that internal hire onboarding is just as critical as onboarding external hires; however, just 27% of organizations say they effectively onboard employees who are promoted or moved to a new position.
For this reason, understanding the career and skills trajectory for each employee is imperative for employers. A recent World Economic Forum job report indicates that companies estimate that nearly 40% of workers will require reskilling training of up to six months and 94% percent of business leaders expect employees to learn new skills on the job. In response, employers should map out the current skills of an employee as well as new ones they will gain from training. This strategy signals to workers their employer supports their development and empowers them to see clear paths to career advancement.
Walmart’s employee education platform, Live Better U, provides affordable learning opportunities to help Walmart staff earn the credentials they need to develop their careers. The program includes free high school education as well as college courses for as little as $1 a day. Live Better U has helped promote twice as many employees who use the program than those who are not enrolled. As a result, these employees are paid more and have better access to higher roles to springboard their careers.
Other companies with innovative training programs include Marriot International, which offers leadership, management and skills training along with courses on work-life balance; Bonobos, which offers courses for managerial roles, soft skills and customer service courses; Amazon, which spends a month with employees on an intensive training and leadership program that educates them on how the company works, team-building and leadership with both in-person and remote learning options; and AT&T, which has developed its own Master of Science degree.
Making Training More Equitable
Employers spend $177 billion on formal training annually, reports Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. More than half (58%) is spent on employees with at least a bachelor’s compared to just 25% of workers with some college experience and 17% with a high school diploma or less. Training programs can also provide opportunities for a more inclusive workplace depending on their structure. Debt-free payment models for training, compared to reimbursement models, allow less fortunate workers to participate more in them, reports Chief Learning Officer, a platform for C-suite learning and development professionals, because it does not require these workers to take on new debt. These workers also tend to make up the majority of entry-level roles.
Notable Employee Onboarding Examples
The popular streaming service company Netflix utilizes an effective technology training program and the expertise of staff to help new hires understand processes, arranges meetings with C-suite executives to better understand the company’s ethos, is highly responsive to new hires’ technology needs, and gives employees significant responsibility to allow them to have a big impact from day one.
In addition to detailed workflow training, cloud computing company Digital Ocean creates excitement for workers on day one by providing them with a balloon at their desk to help locate their workstation, a handwritten welcome note, bottle of champagne and company swag.
Twitter has 75 steps in their orientation process that include the “Yes to Desk” period from accepting the job offer to sitting at their desk.
Social media public relations firm Buffer employs a “three-buddy” system throughout the six-week onboarding process who play the role of “leader buddy,” “role buddy” and “culture buddy.” New hires are introduced to their mentors prior to day one.
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Remote Orientation
While most club staff will work onsite, many employees continue to look for remote work opportunities, creating new demands for orientation. Here are suggestions from Sapling, a workforce consultancy, to help effectively orient new hires remotely.
1. Repurpose existing practices for the virtual world. Update typical onboarding practices so that they are applicable in the virtual space, including best means of communications to various departments, expectations for breaks and icebreakers for Zoom introductions.
2. Showcase cultural norms. Identify the best means of communications (text, email, calls) for the organization’s culture. Do meetings start with socializing? When should text conversations move to a phone call?
3. Make expectations clear. Articulate expectations and goals to remove guesswork from new hires.
4. Give new hires plenty to do. Without spontaneous conversations, virtual hires should be given a list of people they can talk to and tasks they can do during unstructured time.
5. Avoid repetition. Provide variety in tasks that require meetings, such as time to concentrate or writing work to avoid repetitive and fatiguing meetings.
6. Orient new hires to other departments. Introducing new hires to staff at all levels can provide insight to all staff and helps new employees feel more connected to the entire organization.
7. Introduce your new hire to new friends. Make it easy for new staff to get acquainted with the workplace through a buddy system or regular virtual coffee breaks.
8. Moving from onboarding to ongoing. Ensure that onboarding is more than “one-and-done.” Reinforce onboarding for the weeks and months following their start date.
Board Orientations
Similar to employee orientation, effective board orientations provide the critical foundation, tools and processes directors need to develop their skills and insights to benefit the organization. Strong orientation programs energize the board, make board members feel valued and prepared for their duties, in addition to covering institutional knowledge, roles and responsibilities, financials, policies, conduct and other pertinent information to effectively lead organizations, notes BoardEffect, a board portal software company.
According to Bloomerang, a donor management software provider, successful board orientations diffuse the “single most important thing” (S.M.I.T), which is the reason the organization exists, throughout all aspects of onboarding. Effective orientations should channel conversations and energy toward this point. An overview of successful director onboarding included highlighting strengths and weaknesses, utilizing the Socratic method for discussion to shed light on principles, reviewing board expectations, making conversation interactive and instilling pride in the board. Other facets of a successful orientation were adding special touches to make board members feel valued, involving senior members to share their experiences and avoiding directly reading from the board packet.
In addition, board orientations are most effective when used to bond both new and veteran board members in order to work as a cohesive group toward the same goals, says HOA Management, a marketplace for HOA management companies. One way to do this is to provide mentors to new board members. These seasoned directors can provide helpful advice, ease nerves and assess the talents and skills of new board members, in turn helping delegate tasks and responsibilities.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Orientations should also accommodate different learning styles, says Dr. Renee Rubin Ross, founder of The Ross Collective, a board and organizational strategy consultancy. Some board members may want the big picture while others prefer smaller details. Others may prefer written materials versus discourse. To take these perspectives into account, Ross recommends a balanced approach. Provide written materials before orientation that are referenced during onboarding. Allow opportunities for others to write down their thoughts before sharing.
For trustee orientation at Widener College in Chester, Pa., a hybrid “flipped” model provides both classroom-style and experiential learning in which education resources like videos and lectures are provided virtually and in-person time is used for problem solving and working with other trustees. The college created a 10-part video series covering topics such as governance, budgets and committees and then trustees were given a personal tour of the campus to meet with faculty, administrators and students. This orientation process, which can be customized for each organization, provides a critical opportunity to learn in advance of meetings and experiencing the campus, people and culture. It has been favorably reviewed and adopted by the Association of Governing Boards of University and Colleges.
Investing in People
While there are many different tactics to effectively onboard individuals to their respective roles, investing in people and developing their skills for long-term success remains a best practice throughout all effective orientations. Well-designed programs allow the new person in the role to adequately prepare, understand expectations and have the institutional support to succeed. In turn, employers achieve a more excited and committed workforce and board with members who see their success tied to the organization.