Onboarding made easy with Clare Willenberg of The Happy Hive Co
Organisations with a good onboarding employee experience improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by 70%*
Most companies have an onboarding program, but few employees agree that employers do a good job of onboarding. In fact, only 29% say they feel fully prepared and supported to excel in their role according to Gallop research. Hiring is a significant investment, so you want to ensure your people stay once they join.
The unfortunate reality is that leaders are often unaware of how dysfunctional their onboarding process is until it’s too late and new hires have handed in their resignation. To set your new hires up for long-term success, it’s critical to create a positive welcome experience that enables a smooth integration into the company and makes them feel excited, confident, welcomed and valued.
Go slow to go fast
Research shows that the optimal timeframe for effective onboarding is 90 days.
In the fast-paced PR world where teams are often under-resourced, it can be tempting to rush the onboarding process, but this does not speed up productivity.
The quicker the new hire feels welcome and prepared for their role, the quicker they will be able to contribute.
Key moments
With so many touchpoints to consider, designing an onboarding program can feel overwhelming. The structure and delivery of your program should be simple and easy for both the new hire and the manager.
Focusing on the key moments that matter is a useful framework for developing your plan:
- Pre-boarding
- Day One
- First week
- First 30 / 60 / 90 days
Setting plans for the first 30, 60 and 90 days with objectives, key tasks and deliverables will clarify the focus and expectations for the new hire.
Best Practice Essentials
- Ergonomic workstation set up with tools and tech ready to go before day one
- Up-to-date onboarding documents (employee handbook, HR policies, organisational chart and seating plan, benefits and perks, company purpose, values and culture)
- Train the people involved in onboarding (hiring manager, onboarding manager, line managers and buddies) on the end-to-end process, their roles, where to find the supporting documents and the importance of creating a welcoming experience for new starters.
- Creating connections with peers, colleagues and mentors is valued by new starters and helps them feel part of the team. In hybrid and remote settings, this must be an intentional part of the onboarding process.
- Provide training on your company’s processes and tools to support client service, project management, media and influencer relations and any other aspects of your offering relevant to their role
- Allow sufficient time for client inductions so that new starters understand the client’s business, target audience, PR priorities and products or services before meeting them
- Share details of your new starter’s personal interests, professional background, sector and brand experience with the team – it opens up conversations and opportunities for them to add value across other clients, projects or new business
- Regular catch ups between the new hire and their line manager to provide ongoing support, answer questions and review progress against the 30 / 60 / 90 day plans
- Seek and provide feedback as part of these conversations to address any expectations gaps
- Be prepared to make continuous improvements to your onboarding process based on employee feedback and what you learn about current best practices
Don’t let onboarding become – or continue to be – a recurring irritant in your business. Taking the time to put an effective process in place will save time in the long run, by turning your new hires into happy, engaged and productive team members.
About Clare & The Happy Hive Co
After 15 years’ working in agency and in-house PR roles, Clare Willenberg founded employee experience (EX) consultancy The Happy Hive Co to help other business leaders create amazing places to work. Her productised service offering includes EX strategy, employee listening and onboarding programs.