HR Talks: The Power of Onboarding

October 26, 2023

Greetings to our readers! 

In this engaging conversation, we have two HR professionals sharing their insights on the critical role of onboarding in modern organizations. Our guest is Valentina Fedriga, a seasoned HR expert with over six years of experience. Valentina's unique background, having graduated with a bachelor's degree in Sociology and Criminology, brings a fresh perspective to HR. She believes that combining knowledge from behavioral and social sciences has significantly contributed to her professional development, helping her apply it effectively in the workplace.

Julie: Welcome, everyone, to this insightful discussion on the power of onboarding. I'm Julie, HR, People and Culture strategist at Synchro and I'm thrilled to be joined by a dear friend, colleague and an outstanding HR expert, Valentina. Val, thank you for joining me in this conversation. Let’s dig into it, shall we? 

Valentina: Hi Julie, it is a pleasure. I am excited to dive into the subject of onboarding and share my thoughts and experience.

Julie: The transition from hiring to onboarding in most companies is typically not a swift one. I truly believe that this is the most important moment for a new hire, and often it makes the decision to stay in a company. That's precisely why this transition serves as a crucial bridge in a new employee's journey. Can you share your perspective on the significance of this phase and how it influences an employee's overall experience with the organization?

Valentina: Today’s labour market is quite dynamic. There is an abundance of opportunities for candidates and organizations strive to put their best foot forward when interviewing. However, what often slips through the cracks is the importance of presenting a genuine reflection of the company's values and challenges during this phase. Unrealistic expectations are inadvertently set, which later clash with reality. Companies can think of the recruitment process as a prelude to onboarding and it is quite important to have accord between these two phases. Overpromising leads to disappointment which can be hard to manage especially in the early stages where the focus should be on building trust and making people excited for their future.  

As you mentioned the transition from hiring to onboarding can be a tricky matter. At times, the pressing business needs take precedence over nurturing the new hires. In such cases, the employees get overwhelmed with information during the first few days and struggle to retain it. It is important for organizations to remember that investing time, providing structure and paying attention to the new hire during the first 3 to 6 months of their journey can save them a lot of time and reduce stress. 

Julie: Speaking of structure and paying attention to the new hire, my experience has shown me that a successful onboarding process can profoundly affect employee engagement and retention. Often, a well-structured onboarding program, which includes the appropriate responsible parties and mentorship programs in the hiree's journey tends to lead to higher employee engagement levels. It helps new hires feel more connected to the company, and that connection often translates into improved retention rates.

Val, how do you see the link between successful onboarding, employee engagement, and the long-term retention of new hires?

In addition, as important as the substance of the onboarding is, the duration is equally as vital. As I said before, the onboarding can be neglected and last only the first week or two. Having a lengthier adaptation period can help with cementing the bond between organizational values/culture and employee engagement. 

Another issue is not involving existing team members in the onboarding process, which can result in a lack of camaraderie and a sense of isolation for new hires from the team. 

Drawing from your experiences, Val, could you share any specific leadership mistakes you've observed during the onboarding process, and how they could be avoided in this journey for new hires?

Valentina: Yes, of course. What you have described is a pretty common mistake. I’ve already touched upon the big discrepancy between what we promised during the interview and what the employee is experiencing during their first weeks.

Another one that Managers tend to do is throw the employee into the unknown. Many times organisations rush to fill vacancies and forget that the new hire is not equipped yet to pick up the new material right away. Another mistake is assigning tasks and using language that the new employee is not familiar with. One way to avoid this is to have a simple checklist and to provide a document that contains all the terms related to the company's operations. We should never presume that somebody just knows what we are walking about. We (HR) should always provide support to both the managers and the new hire, especially during the first few months. 

Julie: Absolutely agree. Steer clear of using "corporate slang" in front of new hires, or alternatively, consider providing guidance on its usage! 

Another topic that is rapidly gaining more popularity is technology and how it can advance the implementation of good HR practices. From my research, I've noticed some exciting trends in the use of technology for onboarding. For instance, the integration of AI and chatbots has become increasingly popular. These tools can provide quick and accurate responses to new hire questions in their initial journey in the company, freeing up HR staff for more strategic tasks. Online platforms are being used to streamline the paperwork process and make information easily accessible to new hires. I'm a huge fan of a one-stop-shop approach for streamlining HR processes. There are various systems that provide hiring experiences, onboarding, and performance management, for instance, all in one place. Having several different tools can be a hassle, especially when onboarding a new hire.

Val, considering your experience, how do you see the role of technology in the onboarding process? Are there any specific tech trends that have caught your eye, and how do you think they benefit both new hires and employers?

Valentina: As I mentioned I believe in staying close to the employees from the beginning of their journey and technology helps us do that. COVID was a big challenge that definitely pushed us to involve technology more in all processes. One of the great things I've seen is incorporating tools that can provide automatic pre-board and onboarding checklists. They help organizations structure the employee experience, provide consistency and also limit the chance of missing crucial steps. 

Another interesting approach is to gamify the onboarding process through those online checklists - add quizzes, riddles and rewards for some of the onboarding tasks. It can be amazing for employees who work fully remotely and never get to see their colleagues -  it keeps employees engaged and makes dry topics interesting and fun. 

Julie: Val, it's been an inspiring conversation. I'm sure our readers have gained some extra knowledge from our discussion. I believe that your unique blend of skills, knowledge, and passion for the people profession truly exemplifies the future of HR, and it's been a pleasure to have you here. Thank you and I look forward to future discussions where we continue to explore the ever-evolving world of HR.

Valentina: Thank you as well for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts. I hope that I have managed to shed some light on the topic. I look forward to continuing to explore other HR topics with you in the future.