Onboarding is "the process of introducing a new employee into his or her new job; acquainting that employee with the organization’s goals, values, rules and policies, and processes; and socializing the employee into an organizational culture" (Watkins, 2016).
Most onboarding efforts and technology focuses on the policies, processes and goals of Watkins’ definition. However, one of the most important aspects of effective onboarding is the socialization.
It can often take months for new employees to understand the unique ways team members work and in that time judgements can be made about intentions that sabotage team performance. What follows is a guide to enhance team socialization.
Why Is Good Onboarding Important?
It's important to realize that joining a new organization is stressful. People experience extra stress above the norm when starting a new job. That’s where YOU come in as a manager to help reduce some of that stress and integrate your employee into their new home!
A great onboarding process is your key to success, and your support can help your employees perform better, be more satisfied on the job, and reduce your organization’s turnover.
How can Managers Lead Good Onboarding?
We are here to help YOU succeed as a manager by helping you help your employees! Here are some simple ways you can seamlessly integrate a newbie into their team.
First, establish a relationship with your new employee as soon as you can after the hiring decision.
Help reduce some of those first-day jitters both physically and mentally by making a connection online.
Have them log into Cloverleaf to see where they fit in with their new team! Our resources on the platform can also help you get to know your employee better before their first day, so you can be the best support you can be.
Pair your new employee with an experienced mentor.
Mentoring can also be set up online! You can use the Cloverleaf platform to set up a two-person team -- try crafting newbie/mentor teams with complementary profiles.
You can play around on the platform and do side-by-side comparisons with your newbie and current employees to choose the best mentor for the individual.
Provide your new employee with the information they need to know the rules in the workplace.
Share your employee handbook & company policies before your new employee’s first day! This helps your new employee get acquainted with the organizational culture.
Making organizational rules and culture information accessible in one location (either on paper or online) will make it easy for your new employee learn more so they can manage their expectations.
Our Motivating Values & CulturePulse assessments are awesome resources to use to get a feel for how your employee is going to fit in with your organization’s culture. You can encourage your newbie to take these assessments so they can acquaint themselves with the culture, too.
Get new team members connected with their team.
Relationships help emotionally embed employees in their organization and keep them engaged! Introduce your new employee to their teammates and encourage them to take a look at teammates’ profiles on the Cloverleaf platform so they can get to know their team more intimately.
Hosting a Lunch and Learn for your new employee and their team and project your team’s dashboard so everyone can see it. Start a group discussion about how your team can work together best!
Communicate a culture of trust.
When your new employee arrives on the scene, you should meet with them to clarify their expectations, and answer any questions they have. Honest and open two-way communication fosters trust and helps build your employee’s commitment to your organization.
Bonus points if you can get higher-level execs involved in the meeting to show your employee that your organization is truly excited to have them onboard! You and the execs can check out your newbie’s Cloverleaf profile before the meeting to brainstorm the best communication strategies!
For more onboarding strategies, visit the article: Integrating Cloverleaf Into Employee Onboarding.
Cloverleaf has a lot to offer, so check out our blog or other articles about the TEAM Dashboard.
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