We asked people managers and CEOs to tell us about what their onboarding programs have in common. From incorporating AI to providing a standardized experience, recommended a variety of things that any company can try to help ensure the best experience for new hires.
Incorporate AI to Make Programs More Efficient
All of the best onboarding programs, as well as L&D programs today, incorporate AI that makes them more efficient. Using AI to prevent redundancy in these processes means that employees no longer have to sit through videos and click through things that they already know. The AI adjusts onboarding and training according to the individual employee’s knowledge and saves them time, which saves the company money. AI is going to be integrated into every process in the near future.
Eric Florence
Cybersecurity Analyst, Security Tech
Use Employees to Help Transition Hires into Their New Roles
A great onboarding program takes advantage of employees other than the HR department in its process. New hires are almost always happy to hear from people within the company. The experience and opinions of teammates and managers can help to ease the minds of nervous new hires, or just those who are interested in knowing what the average day of working for the company is like. When designing an onboarding program, consider who you can utilize to help transition hires into their new roles. The insights other employees provide can be a huge boon for setting the expectations of those coming on board.
Boye Fajinmi
Co-Founder and President, TheFutureParty
Personalize the Onboarding
Develop a top-notch onboarding method for your business by effectively integrating this high-quality trait. Make the process personal. Offer different things to different employees, so they receive the same value from the onboarding process. Customize by level as well, where entry-level talent needs more guidance, as opposed to junior-level recruits who should get more in-person training. Make the onboarding experience more personal, guaranteeing greater employee loyalty and retention.
Joshua Chin
Co-Founder and CEO, Chronos
Provide Opportunity to Meet With the CEO
The best onboarding programs provide an opportunity to meet with the CEO as a group, in person or virtually. The CEO’s welcome message can be powerful and inspiring to new employees. Ideally, the meeting is scheduled within 30 days of the employee starting since it may lose its impact if it is scheduled after 90 days. Ask the CEO to carve out 30 minutes three months in advance on a day that they know there is a strong likelihood that they will be available.
Scott Baker
Founder and CEO, Stage 3 Leadership
Help Onboarders Understand the Brand
The best programs go beyond the welcome email and the office tour. Instead, they make onboarding an experience. Consider making a swag bag filled with products from the company to help them understand the brand, and other tools that will make their workday more productive. Host educational lunch and learn on a weekly or daily basis. This ultimately shows that the company cares about their employees and how they develop with the company.
Natália Sadowski
Director of Aesthetics, Nourishing Biologicals
Provide a Standardized Experience
The best onboarding programs all have a standardized experience, meaning that each new hire coming in for the same role will have access to the same materials and training. Businesses can standardize their onboarding experience by using a learning management system to create and distribute training for any role across the organization. Additionally, a company should create materials that they can distribute to new hires on their first day to help integrate them into the business. These can include an employee handbook, security policies and other procedures that all employees need to follow.
Harvansh Singh
Media Relations Coordinator, TechnologyAdvice
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