How does a first impression leave you?
What happens after a good experience vs. a bad one? How does it impact your perception? And what does it make you want to do next - tell a friend, family member? Rant to strangers online?
The truth is a new hire's experience with an employer is no different to the experience any of us have as consumers day-to-day. It's a time sensitive opportunity for employers to wow, and reap the benefits.
To either build a lasting impression that has a new employee drinking the kool aid, raving to friends, family and LinkedIn followings. Or that leaves them underwhelmed, or worse, re-evaluating their decision and sharing their negative perception externally.
Crafting an exceptional onboarding experience is as much of an art for HR professionals as crafting an exceptional customer experience is for a store manager. And, it's training that lies at the heart of both.
Learning and Development (L&D) managers and Operations managers play a pivotal role in an employee's lifecycle, where each phase contributes to the next, with employee onboarding emerging as the crucial first chapter, the impact of which resonates through the remainder of the employee's story.
In this blog post, we will explore the significance of designing impactful onboarding experiences within the context of the broader employee lifecycle theme. Join us as we delve into the art of crafting onboarding experiences that set the stage for success while seamlessly fitting into the holistic narrative of an employee's journey.
Why onboarding is important
Onboarding is more than just an initial orientation - it's the cornerstone upon which the entire employee journey is built. Let's delve into more specific benefits.
Benefits of onboarding
1. It leaves a lasting impression
Onboarding is the employee's first real interaction with the organization. It sets the initial impression, which can significantly influence job satisfaction and retention.
2. It boosts new hire productivity
Well-designed onboarding can help new hires become productive faster. It equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to excel in their roles from the outset.
3. It's an opportunity for cultural integration
Onboarding is the ideal time to introduce employees to the company's values, culture, and expectations. It fosters a sense of belonging and alignment with the organization's goals.
How to create a great onboarding experience
Now, let's dive into practical tips for crafting onboarding experiences that not only accelerate employee integration but also align with the broader narrative of the employee lifecycle.
What makes a great onboarding experience? There are certain ingredients to a good onboarding program, and here are some key components.
1. Personalization is key
Tailor your onboarding content to individual roles and responsibilities. Avoid generic information overload by providing relevant, job-specific resources. This level of personalization ensures that the onboarding experience is meaningful and sets the stage for future growth.
2. Interactive learning
Engage new hires with interactive content like videos, quizzes, and simulations. These elements make the learning process enjoyable and memorable. Furthermore, interactive content sets the tone for ongoing engagement throughout the employee journey.
3. Bite-sized learning
Break down content into manageable chunks. Microlearning, with its short, focused lessons, is a perfect fit for onboarding. It allows employees to absorb information in small, digestible doses, creating a positive learning experience that extends into the following chapters of their careers.
4. Feedback mechanisms
Incorporate feedback loops into your onboarding process. Use surveys to assess learner satisfaction and understand future learning needs, fostering a culture of continuous improvement. By doing so, you set the stage for open communication and collaboration down the road.
Real-world success stories: onboarding case study
Looking to improve onboarding UX? Let's draw inspiration from organizations that have excelled in crafting impactful onboarding experiences:
1. Urban
We wanted a really easy, scalable way of educating our practitioners. We did all of our onboarding offline, so we would invite therapists, our practitioners, into our offices and owe would do everything face to face. Onboarding would take weeks.
- Peter Dixon, Urban
Wellness app Urban faced challenges with in-person onboarding that hindered scalability and consistency. They transitioned to remote onboarding using eduMe, resulting in a 50% reduction in onboarding time and efficient scaling of their processes. Quality of service remained high, with a rating of >4.9/5.
The platform also ensured compliance with health and safety standards, leading to negligible customer concerns. eduMe's concise, mobile-ready learning content empowered practitioners to self-pace their learning, contributing to Urban's operational efficiency and growth.
2. Gopuff
Facing challenges in efficiently onboarding driver-partners, Gopuff turned to eduMe for a solution. With engaging microlearning and seamless integrations, they streamlined onboarding, reducing the time to instruct drivers by 24 hours and increasing driver productivity by 14.7%. eduMe bridged the gap from readiness to productivity, benefiting both driver retention and customer satisfaction.
The onboarding chapter in the employee lifecycle story
In conclusion, new hire journeys and crafting impactful onboarding experiences to optimize them are not just about welcoming new hires; it's about setting the stage for a successful employee journey.
By personalizing content, making it interactive, and drawing inspiration from successful organizations, you can create an onboarding process that leaves a lasting impression.
This chapter is a foundational element within the broader narrative of the employee lifecycle, shaping future growth, engagement, and success. As you embark on this journey, remember that the impact of a well-crafted onboarding experience resonates throughout the employee's entire story.
So, invest wisely, and watch your employees thrive, creating a story of growth and success that endures across the chapters of their careers.
How might we help you onboard successfully
Looking to optimize the employee onboarding experience?
eduMe offers digital employee onboarding, helping countless clients at companies like Uber, Marriott, Grubhub and Vodafone to optimize their onboarding training, streamlining the process on our clients' end while improving the onboarding experience for employees, leading to better long-term outcomes.
We're seeing an increase in quality of applicants and more dedicated drivers. Quality has gone up.
- Jared Grebner, Gopuff
