Everything Matters: Successfully Onboarding Your Staff to Avoid “New Hire Remorse”

Everything Matters:Successfully Onboarding Your Staff to Avoid “New Hire Remorse”

Today’s Topics

• What exactly is onboarding?• What are some supervisors/managers not

communicating to new staff?• What is the psychology of your new staff?• Why bother to onboard your staff? (What’s in it for you?

What’s in it for them?)• What is onboarding versus orientation? • What can you do to properly onboard staff before they

arrive and throughout their first year of employment?• What can you do when someone in your unit is

uncooperative?

Onboarding Defined:

• Onboarding is a process in which new employees are assimilated into the workplace and given the tools and knowledge they need to become successful at their new job

• True onboarding should begin the moment your new staff accepts your offer and throughout the first year of employment—not just the first few days

Onboarding Defined:

• While you are a critical component in the process, onboarding does not involve just you—it involves your entire team to be successful

• Your new employee also shares a significant responsibility in making his/her onboarding a success

Some Feedback from Specialists…

• HR Specialists routinely indicate that the following information is not being communicated to new staff by their supervisors:– Who their specialist is and where HR is located– Which divisions are located at each facility– Their Branch, Division, and Unit names (where they

lie organizationally)– Their formal job classification title– How long their probationary period is– Their salary and bargaining unit

The Psychology of Your New Staff

• It is critical to remember that to your new employee, everything matters

• This is especially true in the first 90 days of employment—this is when they are most impressionable and observant

• Because your new employee is in unfamiliar territory, s/he is much more alert and sensitive to clues that signal what kind of work environment s/he has just entered


• In addition, because s/he feels vulnerable and uncertain, this will cause your employee to leap to conclusions before having enough data to make an informed choice

• Due to this heightened sense of awareness, your new hire will notice any instances where s/he feels they were not onboarded properly, no matter how insignificant you feel they are


• If you are able to successfully communicate ideas like “we’re happy you’re here,” “you’re part of a great organization,” and “this is why your job is important,” you tap into three critical human motivators:– The need for meaning and purpose– The desire to matter– The desire for esteem

• Address these needs from the outset, and you will engage your new employee from the start

With This in Mind….

• Recognize that every choice, every action, and every communication you have during the first three months in particular has potential consequences—every decision carries an implicit message about you, your unit, and your organization

Benefits of Onboarding

• Research consistently shows the following advantages of onboarding staff:– Shortens the start-up learning time for new

employees– Helps new employees become productive faster– Helps retain staff long term, causing less time

spent training staff and in recruiting and interviewing replacements

– Sets the tone and attitude for new employees and how they feel about you and your unit

Benefits of Onboarding

– Promotes better teamwork and loyalty to you and your unit

– Promotes greater job satisfaction and better morale for both the new and unit staff (i.e. unit does not have to continually pick up the slack when someone vacates, etc.)

– Helps maintain consistency in the unit • All of these reasons (and more) will create less work

and hassle for you as supervisors if thoughtful onboarding practices are consistently and effectively implemented

A Word About Gen Y in Particular…

• While all new staff anticipate being onboarded to some degree, most Gen Yers will expect an even more concerted effort because:– They often see the workplace as their new

“home” and see you as their surrogate “parent”– They will expect your interest in their continual

growth and development, and they will look forward to regular feedback and help with adjusting

A Word About Gen Y in Particular…

–They will appreciate any efforts you make that show you are “keeping score” of their successes via good onboarding since they have been raised with a “benchmark” mentality–Gen Y expects both autonomy as well as

structure—if you do not show them that you care through a structured program with specific milestones, regular conversation, and other techniques, you will have a hard time keeping many of them long term

What About Transfers?

• It is sometimes easy to take transfers for granted since they are already in State service

• Recognize that while the learning curve is definitely shorter than for someone brand new to the State, these staff still require onboarding since the cultural norms, processes, and procedures vary from department to department

Orientation Vs. Onboarding

TYPICAL ORIENTATION ONBOARDING

Transactional focus and goals (i.e. completing paperwork, acquiring badges, setting up computer, etc.)

Strategic focus and goals (what is the mission/vision/culture of the organization; how does the employee contribute to this)

Less than one week Includes first year

Owned and executed by Human Resources Integrates multiple functions and individuals (supervisor, mentor/lead staff, training, etc.)

Addresses general needs of new employee Addresses all new employee needs over a long term period through giving and acquiring feedback, etc.

Employee is a passive attendee Employee is an active participant with a vested interest in success

Onboarding Phases

• Recognize that there are essentially four critical phases involved:–Pre-arrival–First day–First week–First 90 days

Before Your Employee Starts…

• Make sure your current staff know that someone new is coming into the unit and share any non-confidential information of interest

• Consider asking your staff what they wish they had known when they were first starting out

• Contact your new staff several times ideally via email and/or phone


• Consider doing any or all of the following typical onboarding tasks via email:–Personally welcome them to the unit and go

over what their first day will entail– Send them a welcome letter from the Branch

Chief (or leave it in their cube)– See whether they have any questions/needs– Let the new staff know about any current or

upcoming projects in your unit–Offer to give them a tour of the facilities


–Send them any paperwork that could be easily read/completed prior to their start date (or request your specialist or support staff do so on your behalf–Direct them to specific pages on our

website that will provide background information and help clarify our mission, services, customers, accomplishments, etc.

• Make sure their workstation has been set up and badge access has been arranged; try to sit them next to another co-worker you feel they will get along with, if possible

• Compile any relevant reference materials (i.e. staff directory, organizational chart, etc.)

• Make an appointment with their HR Specialist for them to address paperwork issues



• Select a capable and willing staff member to function as a mentor for whatever time period you think appropriate. Make sure s/he is the following:– Is a high performer with excellent communication

skills (good listener as well as speaker)– Is committed to their job and the organization– Has leadership potential/ability– Has a clear understanding of a mentor’s role– Has the time and dedication required for the

process

Bottom Line…

• Any or all of these steps will greatly assist in reducing anxiety on the new employee’s part

• They will reinforce your employee’s decision to come work for you

• They will reduce the amount of time needed to explain things on the first day or to address unnecessary questions

The First Day…

• The importance of your role as the first-line supervisor can not be overstated. Therefore:–Make sure that your schedule is mostly open

and make yourself as available as possible– Introduce them to the rest of the unit;

consider bringing in some kind of treat – If you were not able to do so prior to their

start date, give them a tour of the facility (or ask their mentor to do so)

The First Day…

–Escort him/her to HR to submit/discuss required paperwork–Ask your supervisor to stop by for an

introduction; introduce to the Branch Chief, if possible– Introduce your new staff to his/her mentor–Have the mentor and the new staff sign the

Mentoring Agreement to ensure clarity and accountability by both parties (or within the first few days)

Have That First Meeting…

• Have a one-on-one meeting and cover the following: –How their job specifically supports the Department–Where their position lies organizationally (chain of

command, etc.)– Your own personal expectations/management

style, culture of your unit, who the key players in the organization are, and their duty statement; however, do not make this first meeting all about rules and red tape

Have That First Meeting…

• See if your staff is willing to share any information about themselves (i.e. how they like to be trained, etc.)• Inform them that they will receive a

New Employee Onboarding Plan within the next week or so to assist them in learning their new job

Your Goal For the First Day

• Overall, by the end of the first day, your new employee should leave knowing the following:–That they have joined the right team and that

you are vested in their success–That you have provided some resources to

answer any questions they may have –That their job specifically relates to the

organization as a whole and that they are valuable

The First Week…

• Check in/meet with your staff frequently to make sure s/he is adjusting and solicit their feedback

• Try to structure smaller assignments that will allow your employee to demonstrate their competence, prior knowledge, and their ability to learn quickly—this will also build more confidence and engage them more

• Continue to direct them towards learning resources so they can be more productive

The First Week…

• Develop a New Employee Onboarding Plan and discuss with your employee. Ideally, it should do the following:– It should be seen as a helpful roadmap by the

employee; however, allow flexibility– It should outline specific milestones, formal and

informal training, and support available to the employee to help them succeed–Ultimately, it should clearly spell out what they

will learn/do, how they will get there, and what assistance they can expect

The First Week…

• Introduce them to other key players, and take them to meetings where appropriate (even if they can only observe)

• Schedule any training needed to help your staff meet your goals as well as theirs based on your Plan

• Allow them to shadow other unit staff, if beneficial

The First 30-90 Days…

• To meet your Onboarding Plan’s milestones, give assignments with more variety and complexity

• Schedule a meeting with your new staff every 30 days to discuss how well the Plan is going; consider using the 30-60-90-Day Check-In Interview Questions to assist you

• Gauge what additional training might need to be added based on progress (or lack thereof)

The First 30-90 Days…

• Continue to provide/solicit feedback regularly

• Be sure to provide a timely probationary report which clearly outlines your staff’s successes and/or challenges at the 90 (or 120-day mark, depending on the length of probation)

• Watch carefully to make sure your new staff is being accepted by your unit and is part of the team

The First Year…

• Realize that for most employees, the feeling of “newness” and accompanying learning curve linger up through the first year

• Continue to monitor your onboarding process by asking for and providing consistent, constructive feedback

• Work with them to determine their career goals and how they can be met via an IDP

When You Have a Bitter Employee in the House….

• Sometimes long term staff can feel threatened by new (often younger) staff who they do not feel have “earned” their position, they may feel they deserved the position more, etc.

• Sometimes they are “silent sabotagers” and other times they are more vocal

• Whatever the case, the worst thing a supervisor can do is to ignore the situation—your nightmare is that the rest of your group will be “poisoned” by disgruntled types

Behaviors to Watch For…

• Staff not wanting to assist/interact with the new employee (providing weak excuses for excluding the new staff from projects, meetings, etc.)

• Staff gossiping about your new staff• Staff being overly judgmental or tough on your

new staff as they are learning the culture of your organization/unit

• Various passive aggressive behaviors (i.e. not sharing information that would obviously be helpful to the new staff, etc.)

How to Address the Issue

• As soon as you feel there is some tension, pull the seasoned staff aside and try to find out what the real issue is• You may need to communicate why

your new staff does not know something yet, what they actually do know, etc.

How to Address the Issue

• Make it clear that you won’t tolerate behaviors that could possibly interfere with a positive group dynamic• If your new staff knows you know

there is a problem, make sure you communicate to him/her that you are taking steps to handle it; monitor closely

Questions to Ask Yourself…

• Is the first day/first week mostly “transactional”—completing paperwork, reading manuals and processes, etc. or is it more interactive?

• Do you do all you can to make your new hires feel welcome beyond the first day, or could you do more?

• Do you make it easy for your new hires to ask for what they need? Are you truly accessible, or do you rely mostly on your senior staff to fill this role?


• Do you help your new hires to see the big picture and their role in it (mission, vision, org structure, their specific role in making the organization successful)?

• Do your new hires see that you take pride in your job as well as in the organization?

• Do you regularly encourage new hires to give you feedback on how things are going?


• Do you use some form of an Onboarding Plan for your new staff?• Do you use mentors within your unit to

provide guidance and support?• Have you helped your new staff feel as

if their career goals are attainable?

In Closing…

• Despite all the clear benefits of onboarding new staff, it is not the only solution for creating employee productivity and engagement

• For it to work, it must be strategic in focus rather than simply transactional

• Onboarding will not compensate for other problems that create turnover, such as poor interviewing processes, a weak management style, or poor morale in your unit

In Closing…

• However, a carefully planned and executed onboarding program, though somewhat time consuming, will generate a variety of short- and long-term benefits

• Overall, it will make your job easier in the long run—you will see better performance, commitment, and overall employee engagement

• Though you may not be able to incorporate all of these tools and techniques, implementing even a few will reap positive benefits

Resources Used/Consulted:• California Department of Human Resources website• “Getting On Board: A Model for Integrating and Engaging New

Employees,” by Booz, Allen, and Hamilton Consulting Group• “Tools and Techniques for Successful Onboarding,” Office of

State Personnel, North Carolina• “If You’re Serious About Onboarding Success, Remember This

Mantra,” David Lee• “Five Effective Techniques for Onboarding New Hires,” Angel

Business Advisors• “Employee Onboarding: A Manager’s Guide to Orientation for

New Employees,” Government of Saskatchewan• “All Aboard! Does Your Onboarding Process Lead to Employee

Engagement or Buyer’s Remorse?” David Lee

Questions?

Everything Matters: Successfully Onboarding Your Staff to Avoid “New Hire Remorse”

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