Unlock and Uncover, Pt2
Part 2 - HR Onboarding Pain Points & Opportunities
When it comes to onboarding, this is what’s being written online (the equivalent of the high school bathroom stall) and snickered about around the water cooler:
“Very rote information delivered in very rote ways. Snooze!”
“Only focused on guiding me to set up the new computer, signing the employee handbooks, explaining the PTO policies.”
“Doesn't actually connect me to others in my company. Not finding other new hires to bond with. Haven’t been paired with tenured mentors who can support them).”
“Feels like drinking from the firehose of information without any strategy, structure, or actual purpose.”
“There are no checkpoints or checkins to evaluate how my onboarding is going.”
“The onboarding process can make or break the employee experience.”* We’ve already hashed out the numbers, so this is a call to action when bringing new leaders on (whether hired internally or externally):
Spice up the content and the presentation. Include videos, articles, and reflection opportunities.
Support should come from both HR and the new manager’s direct supervisor. This is not only about explaining the lay of the land but also about getting to know them to understand what support they will need, sharing tribal knowledge, and helping them both meet and manage expectations from their various stakeholders.
Supervisors should ensure their new leaders remain clear about role expectations - e.g. what their job role involves and what's expected of them - without this, new leaders become overwhelmed, disengaged, and dissatisfied.
Engagement in the first few months of a new leader’s role is critical - this is what keeps them satisfied in their new roles and helps them create a positive impact for themselves across the org, which will directly impact their long-term success.
Providing continuous support throughout the new leader's first 3-6 months sets the tone not only for your working relationship, but also for their tenure at your org.
Supervisors need to be actively engaged in their new hires assimilation process (not just familiar with it). Without their support, new leaders cannot assimilate successfully into their new culture.
This might feel like a tall order, but with the right tool in place you can break through these onboarding pain points and unlock the opportunity of successful assimilation (as well as return to water cooler chatter about the latest binge-worthy shows).
