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5 Major Challenges With On-boarding During Pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic drastically changed the working pattern all over the globe. With social distancing and lockdowns in place, a large number of organisations transitioned to telecommuting with some even increasing their hiring to meet the expanding business demands. This greatly affected their onboarding process, making the training and induction modalities rather complicated.
Integrating new employees into the company isn’t easy. And when one is largely functioning on remote working, it makes it even more challenging.
Let us look at the 5 major challenges with the onboarding process during the pandemic-
1) Inability to personalise the process-
Induction helps in integrating a new employee into the company’s culture while instructing them about their own roles and responsibilities within the organisation’s structure and functioning. It facilitates in establishing personal connections and a great working relationship among colleagues.
However, in the absence of a face-to-face interaction, it becomes difficult to personalise the onboarding process. Instead of meeting the team and getting to know them in an informal and relaxed setting, the new employees would have to contend with a video call or even in some cases, an email message. This proves challenging in building a strong lasting working relationship among peers.
2) Ineffective Communication-
Effective onboarding is crucial for employee engagement, retention and for boosting the overall productivity of the organisation. With telecommuting, it may not be possible at times to know everyone in the team and the new employees may get confused about whom to approach for clarifying or obtaining certain information. They may also be unaware about the hierarchy within the organisation or may feel reluctant to ask questions.
On-site Induction allows the new members to get to know their colleagues and establish a cordial relation with them, which allows them to approach their peers for help or clarification regarding a particular situation. In the absence of this relationship, the employees may hesitate to reach out to others which leads to communication gaps.
Also, without facial expression, gestures or tone of a person’s voice as a guide, it is often easy to misinterpret a message as critical or curt when it comes through the email. This, further hampers effective communication, which in turn greatly affects the overall productivity of the organisation.
3) Ineffective employee engagement-
Onboarding is crucial as it introduces the new employee to the company’s business culture and value systems. They also understand the code of conduct essential to every member and learn to build a good working rapport with their colleagues, other senior managers and the organisation’s leaders.
This may be very difficult to communicate through a virtual induction program and may result in many employees feeling unwelcome or unable to identify and integrate themselves with the company’s culture. This greatly affects their participation and engagement with the organisation and leads to lower employee retention.
4) Inability to monitor employee performance-
Monitoring the employee’s performance and progress is an important step in integrating them into the company’s work ethics and culture. Feedback is important as it clarifies assumptions and expectations, helps people improve and learn from their mistakes and builds confidence. Constructive feedback also helps in reinforcing positive behaviour and generating a strong work culture. It is therefore essential that the new employee’s progress be monitored and reviewed.
This however, becomes challenging in a remote working scenario. Not only is there a disadvantage of physical distance, but even the process for documenting and monitoring the employees’ performance may be unclear or not adequately defined. As a result, they may underperform or fail to achieve the targeted milestone. This would not only affect the individual’s growth but also the company’s progress at large.
5) Unavailability of essential equipment-
Digitization of modern business has made it impossible to function well without appropriate technology. Most new employees are provided with their own laptop and other essential software, tools and programs that are necessary for their work. This particularly becomes challenging during the pandemic, especially if the employee has to be trained to use a particular software or program. Some organisations may also find it difficult to reevaluate their employment benefit schemes to make it relevant to the current situation.
These are the 5 major challenges with onboarding during the pandemic. They can however, be overcome by making the necessary changes to the Induction program and leveraging mobile technology to make the process more engaging, interactive and effective.
How to build an Induction Program
A new job comes with all new experience, roles, challenges, and environment. A new employee is full of excitement, and nervousness, while joining even if the employee has worked at other places. It is essential for the employee to get acquainted with the new workplace.
The first impression has a long term effect on the employee. Therefore, the first few days are very important for the employee, as well as the employer. The employee needs to be felt as a part of the organization, and should not feel left out. A good Induction program bridges this gap by working two-way, and is essential for the employee as well as the employer.
Induction is a process which aims to familiarise new employees with the organisation and their job. A well planned induction program will include information about the organisation, safety rules, general conditions of employment and the duties in the section or department in which they are employed. The induction program also introduces the new employees to the culture and values of the organization for which they are working. The process helps to welcome new employees to the company as well as give refresher training to employees within the organisation so that they are aware of all the policies, regulations, dresscode of the organization.
Many things need to be considered while making a good Induction Program, as it is necessary that the induction process is successful and brings expected result.
The program should cover basic information such as orientation in the building, health and safety information and employment terms and conditions.
The details regarding the period of the process should be clear. This includes the tasks to be given in the first week, third week, then the next month and so on.
As soon as an employee accepts an offer with the organization, the employer should connect over a phone call, involve the employee in social activities and ensure that all relevant administrative and IT arrangements are in place.
The employer can link the induction program to the organisation’s objectives and strategy. This may include social meetings wherein the employee is helped or assisted by other employees.
Planning a mini induction during the first 3 days with an immediate supervisor is also an alternative. A more comprehensive induction training session may follow during the first 3 weeks and then a review meeting after 3 months to check everything is going according to what is planned.
The employer must ensure that all the details are stated clearly. This includes the aims and objectives of the organization, the roles and responsibilities. The employee must not feel that he is given a work which is out of his knowledge or is different.
With all the rules and regulations, the employer must take care that the employee feels as a part of the organization. This improves retention.
To build a successful induction program the employers must take feedback from the employees after a certain period. This helps to keep a check if things are on track and employees too feel valued.
Effective inductions are timely, organized and engaging, and give a good first impression of a company. The induction process doesn’t end after a certain period. It’s the responsibility as an employer to make sure that the employees grow into their roles. Successful employee induction is a continuous process!
Reference-
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Why is an Induction Program important?
An induction program is the process used within organizations to onboard new hires into the organization and familiarize them with the new role and company culture.
As you would expect, new hires are typically stressed and nervous about the new job, and the induction program helps them to get warmed up for the challenges that lie ahead. During the course of the program, new hires get an opportunity to learn about the new work environment, company culture, and their own role. A good induction program ensures they go through this without feeling overwhelmed or stressed.
A good induction program will include activities like-
- Organizational hierarchy and structure
- Introduction to the different departments within the company
- Introduction to key members of staff
- Guided tour of the office space
- Introduction to employment terms and conditions
- Rules governing working hours
- Expected behavioral standards and dress code
- Information pertaining to benefits, incentives and appraisals
- Job description along with key duties and responsibilities
- Specific job-role training
Benefits of Induction Program
- Drives Productivity – Productivity is a major aim of business, and a workplace with comfortable employees brings more productivity at work. Good Induction training empowers your team with the skills needed to get their jobs done correctly and more efficiently. It defines the right track for one to follow in terms of the job profile and also seeks to build a positive aura in the team with respect to the organization.
- Saves Cost – Giving a certain amount of time in the beginning, leads to faster time-to-performance, which saves a considerable amount of time and money. Further, by investing time and money into induction training for your workforce, you show that you value them, which in turn, can improve loyalty and staff retention, saving your business money in staff turnovers.
- Improves Communication – Letting everyone know who is in the organization and their first point of contact sets the basis for good employee/management communication. It instills a level of confidence as to where they sit within their teams and who their leaders and mentors are.
- Improves Retention – Employees leave their job in the first year if they don’t receive adequate training, or if they find it difficult to know about the organization, and, the roles and responsibilities. Typically, employees that do receive induction training are more likely to stay and progress within the company, as they are given a transparency regarding the organization context.
- Healthy Environment – Getting an employee to know about other employees as well as the people in charge of the organization, creates a healthy environment that prevails as long as the employees work in the organization. Induction leads to a comfortable and friendly environment. And overall, with a comfortable environment around, people come out with more ideas and it paves the way for more creativity.
Induction training, is a great way to train staff, visitors and contractors on their roles in a company. It increases overall performance and job satisfaction, benefiting both the business and the employees. It significantly improves staff and visitors’ first opinions about the organization, sets their expectations and gives them the tools to make a great start at work.
References-
5 ways to know if you’ve successfully launched the ON-BOARDING program
Employee onboarding can be defined as the process of familiarizing a new employee with the organization’s policies, the employee’s role in the organization, and the organization’s culture. It also involves making the employee comfortable at the workplace, making interactions with colleagues easier.
The success of employee onboarding depends on the structuring of the onboarding program. Faster the employees are made comfortable and empowered to do their job, faster we get the outcome.
Onboarding may not only be for newly joined employees, but also for employees who are getting promoted. Even though they know about the work culture, the team culture can be different. The onboarding process also helps in such situations.
A formal onboarding program can range between 30 days, 90 days, 180 days, or a good 365 days. It takes place immediately after the employee joins the company. Pre-boarding can also be done as soon as the person gets the offer letter.
An onboarding program includes information about the policies of the organization, rules and regulations, benefits, job profile, roles and responsibilities, work culture, social connections with colleagues. It can also include a tour of the organization (or a virtual tour too!)
With all the effort, it is essential to know if the onboarding program is successful or unsuccessful along various vectors:
1.Role Clarity
The first point to check is if the employee is aware of the job profile. If the new hires seem to be easing into their roles a few months after the onboarding process has ended, it’s a sign that the onboarding has gone well in terms of role clarity. If the employee is frustrated or confused about the job profile even after a few months, the onboarding process needs to be modified.
2. Organizational Functions
The new employee should also know about the organization along with own role. The employee must know about the departments, and whom to turn to, in case of any doubt. If the employee does not know these things, it can be stated that the onboarding process didn’t go well. A virtual tour is an option in such cases wherein the employee can go back and visit the program even afterwards.
3. Company Culture
Understanding the Company culture is very important for a newly hired employee to operate effectively in a team. It is essential that one get acquainted with the new atmosphere and co-ordinate with other employees. If the new employees find it difficult to synchronize with the team, the onboarding process surely needs modifications.
4. Knowledge Retention
It is essential to know if the new employees remember the information a few months after the onboarding process has been completed. Onboarding typically includes drives critical information and skilling centered around an employee’s role. Thus, if the employee is unable to recall the knowledge imparted, the onboarding process needs to be revisited.
5. Employee Retention
High employee retention is a sign of successful onboarding process. Every organization wants its talent to retain and sustain for a long period. If the retention rate of newly hired employees is high, it hints at a successful onboarding program, whereas, if the employees are leaving within a year, the onboarding program needs to be checked.
Often, the first impression is the last impression, and the onboarding process works in the same way. Though it is limited to the initial period of an employee’s life in the organization, it must be well-structured to bring out the best in an employee throughout their tenure. This benefits the organization in terms of profits, and the employee in terms of growth and development.
Reference: https://elearningindustry.com/signs-show-onboarding-process-is-successful
https://hr.toolbox.com/articles/what-is-new-employee-onboarding/
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The 7 Key Objectives of your Induction Program
A sense of belongingness is a very important aspect for an individual joining a new workplace. A new employee who feels accepted and included at the workplace, adds to the overall growth of the organization as well as the employee.
An Induction Program can be said to be the first step to welcome new employees. Through the Induction Program, organizations introduce the new hire to the workplace, roles and responsibilities and culture. It creates a feeling of trust with other employees and significantly improves employee retention.
The induction program addresses key aspects of working in the organization:
Inclusion: Inclusion is an important aspect for an individual entering a new group. Making them feel a part of organization can be done with a warm welcome by the team members. An employee must not feel like an outsider at the workplace. This should be collectively handled by the higher officials as well as other employees.
Introduction: The new employee should be introduced to all the departments and colleagues. Ideally, a mentor can also be assigned to initiate them into the projects which the employee would work on. It helps as employees can speak out their doubts and clear them with the guidance of a mentor.
Rules and Regulations: A key part of induction is explaining the rules and regulations of the organization like work hours, dress code, annual leaves, appraisals, incentives, and flexible working arrangements. This creates a sense of awareness and predictability for the employee.
Vision and Mission: The aims and objectives of the organization, and its work culture should be made clear, so that the employee has a clear idea of the work environment and how to behave.
Job description: The incumbent’s job profile along with their responsibilities and challenges needs to be briefed to them. This can be explained with the help of earlier projects and the execution done by members of similar profile. The employee must know about their key tasks as well as the qualities required for completing them. In this way they can brush up their skills or learn new skills, if required, to be prepared for all the upcoming new tasks.
Role training: Practical execution is always easier after an employee knows all the aspects of a particular job profile. A newly joined employee can be trained, so that they have a grasp of all the responsibilities of their position. A guide or mentor can assign tasks in the initial months and the organization can assess the strengths of the employee, basis which similar tasks can be assigned in future.
Feedback: After a few weeks of joining the employee can be asked about his experience and if any suggestions or modifications should take place. An employee feels motivated and appreciated, when such feedback is taken.
Employee Induction needs a proper planning and needs to be revised after every year for new perspectives. It is a key to ensure retention for employees.
New employees need to feel comfortable in their new work environment and become productive as soon as possible. With some of the factors discussed here, retention rate of employees increases. In closing, induction needs to be thought of as an investment in an employee for the long-term benefit for the organization.
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