Designing and Implementing On-Boarding Programs
Impact the Bottom Line through Effective New Hire Programs
Apr 9, 2009
Research has shown that effective on-boarding programs can improve an organization’s bottom-line. A study conducted in 2005 by the Corporate Executive Board showed that new hire performance improved by up to 11.3% thanks to effective on-boarding. A similar study conducted by the Corporate Leadership Council in 2004 also showed that such programs can increase employee engagement by over 20%.
The Business Case for Investing in an On-Boarding Program
A well-designed and well-managed on-boarding program can produce numerous organizational benefits, and yield positive returns on investment. Benefits to organizations include:
- Quick integration of new hires into the corporate culture
- Improved employee engagement and morale
- Lower future recruitment and training expenses
- Increased productivity
- Reduced new hire turnover
Designing an On-boarding Program
When designing a new on-boarding program most organizations go through the following steps:
- Identifying the Stakeholders - It is important to identify a team of key stakeholders who are representative of the entire organization, even if HR is the program “owner”. This team is responsible not only for providing input into the program design and management, but also for obtaining buy-in from all the departments involved in administering the program.
- Defining Program Objectives – In order to understand the needs of the organization and ultimately the program objectives, organizations can conduct employee surveys, focus groups, and polls.
- Creating an Implementation Plan – After the stakeholders have been identified, and the program objectives have been agreed on, the design team will create a detailed roll-out plan, which will include step-by-step instructions, timelines, and areas of concern that should be monitored closely.
Implementing an On-boarding Program
Once the design phase is completed, the team can start rolling out the program. Most implementation plans will typically include the following steps:
- Conducting Pilot Sessions – Before rolling out the program to the entire organization, it is recommended to pilot it with a group of new hires or employees who recently joined the organization. The participants will provide feedback which can then be incorporated into the program plan.
- Communicating the Program – The communication piece should include not only sharing the program details and providing manuals, toolkits, and FAQs, but also providing training to the individuals who will be on-boarding new hires. Too often, organizations will spend a significant amount of time and money to roll out a program, but will provide almost no training to those involved in the program, thus putting the entire program at risk.
- Launching the Program – Once the communication and training have been completed, the program can be launched. Larger organizations may decide to gradually integrate such a program into their existing new hire initiatives. Depending on the size of the organization, implementation timeframes can therefore vary from one to six months or longer.
Although designing, implementing and managing a strong on-boarding program require a significant financial and time commitment, an effective program will create a positive return on investment (ROI) by allowing organizations to proactively manage employee issues, such as new hire turnover, morale and engagement, and long-term loyalty.
 |
