Seven New Onboarding Strategies You’ll See This Year

According to a study from Equifax, more than half of all employees who left their job in the past year did so within the first 12 months.

To counter this problem, more and more companies are turning their efforts toward retention, and that starts with onboarding. Recently, we asked members of Forbes Coaches Council to describe new onboarding strategies companies will be using this year. Here’s what they said.

1. Purposefully Introducing Candidates To Workplace Culture
New employees are often unfamiliar with the cultural nuances of a novel workplace environment. Companies now realize providing clear guidance on culture and how to maximize an employee’s success within it as a strategic priority. Also, because many “rules of the road” are often policy-based and not found in a handbook, discussions on culture will likely escalate to enhance the onboarding process. – Karima Mariama-Arthur, Esq., WordSmithRapport

2. Mentorship Programs
Companies have just invested a lot of time and talent on culture and training this past year. Their teams are moving in one direction and now someone new will be added to the mix, how do you integrate this new person? Establish a mentorship program where new employees have someone that will walk them through the soft skills of how things work. Mentors step up, lead and integrate. – Dina Simon, Simon Says Lead

3. Follow-Up
The key factor in successful onboarding will be following up throughout the process to be sure that the new employee is assimilating into the culture and is obtaining the support and education they need to be successful in their new position. – Lynda Foster, Cortex Leadership Consulting

4. Clear Goals And Objectives
Nestled between talent acquisition and talent development, onboarding is the backbone of bench strength. New employees are successful right out of the gate when they are given the best-engineered equipment: clear goals and objectives; the right tools and equipment to achieve the goals; honest and regular feedback for career development; and sincere, consistent acknowledgment of a job well done. – Stacy Feiner, PsyD, BDO USA

5. Onboarding As A Team Sport
In 2017, more companies will onboard using a “First 90 Days” mindset. From Day 1 to Day 90, a new employee will be walked through every detail that affects their job, their fit within company culture and the organization’s mission. The “First 90 Days” is not an HR function. From colleagues to the CEO, many people will be responsible for making sure those first 90 days set a positive tone and precedence. – Mark S. Babbitt, YouTern

6. Welcome Buddies
Assign a veteran employee to plan a welcome event and to introduce the new employee to the office. Ask the “buddy” to connect with the new employee weekly for the first month to see what their needs are, and at least monthly during the first six months. Reward the veteran with protected time from her duties in order to complete this task. It’s legitimate work on behalf of the organization. – Sharon Hull, Metta Solutions, LLC

7. More External Support
While organizations are more aware that onboarding is a critical success factor when bringing a new person in, the overworked management group has currently less time than ever to meaningfully integrate the new employee. I anticipate 2017 will bring more external onboarding coaching/support to help the individuals hit the ground running as soon as possible. – Edyta Pacuk, MarchFifteen Consulting Inc.

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