It's a scenario that many people will be familiar with: Shortly before the first day of work in a new job, in a previously unfamiliar company, excitement and tension spread.
Changing jobs can be a welcome new challenge for some people. For others, however, thoughts surrounding leaving familiar structures and uncertainty about what lies ahead dominate. During this time, employers can provide targeted support to help new employees "get on board" and have a unique opportunity to build the foundation for a long-term relationship of trust. The way to do this is found in onboarding. But what is hidden behind this term?
Onboarding
Onboarding is a dynamic process that not only aims to ensure the professional familiarization of new employees, but also forms the basis for the relationship between employees and the company. Between the beginning of this integration period, which starts at the moment the contract is signed, and its end, three phases can be identified: pre-boarding, initial orientation, and integration and familiarization.
The importance of pre-boarding is often underestimated, because in the period after signing the contract and before the first working day, it is important to dispel potential uncertainties and concerns of new employees. For example, 81% of HR managers consider pre-boarding to be essential for reducing initial turnover.[1] It is also essential to prepare the existing team for the imminent addition, as new employees can also bring about change within the team.
The orientation phase, which begins with the first day of work, is the time when new employees slowly get to know the team and the premises as well as the culture and language of the previously foreign environment. Impressions of the first days and weeks form the basic perceptual framework.
To ensure that onboarding continues to have a positive impact in the long term, the third stage, the integration and familiarization phase, involves specifying the newcomer's expectations of the job and the manager, intensifying the technical training, and providing constructive feedback. In practice, however, there are striking differences. For example, more than one-third of the companies have no structured feedback sessions at all.[2]
Win-win
But what is the real potential of onboarding? It is human nature to build a social environment and relationships for oneself in order to be happy in the long term. This is a fact that must not be forgotten, especially in onboarding. More than half of all companies do not attach the same importance to professional and social onboarding.[3] However, if appropriate attention is paid to the social structure, fluctuation, which is usually underestimated, can be significantly reduced in the first few months of employment.[4] In view of the often-emphasized shortage of skilled workers, this realization weighs all the more heavily. Likewise, an in-depth onboarding process enables newcomers to quickly become a firmly anchored part of the company, develop a sense of identity and see themselves as part of the team. This not only increases the motivation of employees, but ultimately also the quality of their work.[5] In addition, apart from fluctuation and increased performance, there is a high value in a familiar and trusting working community.
Conclusion
It takes courage on both sides to engage in new relationships and allow for changes that are inevitably associated with onboarding. Bringing employees on board in the right way proves to be a sustainable gain, because a sound onboarding process creates the basis for a relationship that lasts a long time and enables fruitful collaboration.
Authors:
Nora Krassnig-Plass
+43 5 70 375 - 1036
nora.krassnig-plass@bdo.at
Traeger Wanda
+43 5 70 375 - 1553
wanda.traeger@bdo.at
Erstling Janosch
+43 5 70 375 - 1034
janosch.erstling@bdo.at
Contact person:
Sandra Donhauser
Learning & Development - People & Organisation
sandra.donhauser@bdo.at
+43 5 70 375 - 1293
[1] Haufe Talent, Große Potenziale beim Onboarding - Digitalisierung stagniert, https://www.myonboarding.de/form/haufe-onboarding-studie-2021?akttyp=organische%20suche&med=google&aktnr=84834&wnr=04393672 (abgefragt am 28.4.2022).
[2] Vgl. Ebenda.
[3] Vgl. Ebenda.
[4] Hermann/Pela, Onboarding im Fokus, https://docplayer.org/116201697-Onboarding-im-fokus-stepstone-recruiting-insights.html (abgefragt, am 28.4.2022).
[5] SurveyMonkey, Warum glückliche Mitarbeiter so wichtig sind, https://www.surveymonkey.de/mp/why-having-happy-employees-matters/ (abgefragt am 28.4.2022).
Abonnieren Sie die neuesten Nachrichten von BDO.
Please fill out the following form to access the download.