Employee on boarding is the process of hiring new employees with the skills, knowledge, and mindset to integrate into their role and the organization. It is a process that can take weeks or months and ensures that the new person is comfortable, productive, and works effectively with their group.

phases of onboarding

1. Pre-On Boarding

Pre-on-boarding covers the time between the new hire’s job offer acceptance and their joining day. This stage provides new employees with the information they need to start working, like tax forms, team information, and other essentials.

At this moment, it is very important for employee retention and an opportunity to solidify the new employee’s loyalty—after all, they could still have other job offers with them. Some organizations use the pre boarding period to give new employees the opportunity to visit the workplace, introduce them to a mentor, or provide a company kit. Sometimes these activities also start in the first few days of employment.

2. Initial On Boarding And Orientation

This stage, which is called orientation, starts early in their employment. The employee is provided a workplace tour—if they haven’t already had one during pre boarding—as well as information about the company, their job, and what their day-to-day activities look like. The goal of this phase is to educate new employees more deeply on company culture, values, policies, and safety procedures.

 3. Training

This stage of employee on boarding can last several days or weeks and gives new hires the knowledge and skills needed to perform their routine tasks. This stage is crucial for employee retention because there can be a mismatch between their tasks and their expectations about the role.

In the training phase, the employee should also learn more about their colleagues’ roles, how to work with new ones, and who they can ask for help from. Some companies use group-building exercises during the training phase to facilitate collaboration and relationship-building with new people.

4. Growth, Mentoring, And Initial Performance Feedback

Once the employee is confident in their ability to perform daily tasks, they are ready to start integrating into their role. At this stage of employee on boarding, the employee should be set up for mentoring and initial performance reviews so they can grow. As an employer, they should provide new hires with target metrics and performance goals that they can work towards. These will also help their managers more easily measure their performance and give feedback.

 5. Ongoing Employee Development

At this stage, the new employee is likely completing their daily tasks, working towards goals, and integrating feedback from their superiors. As an employer, new employee on boarding efforts don’t stop here. New people still need continued support and development, which can last several months. If you are dedicated to employee retention and satisfaction, your organization will probably invest in employee development opportunities as long as they work for you.

Ongoing Employee Development Involves:

• Mentorship opportunities
• Skills development training
• Team Building exercises

 Conclusion

When hiring a new workforce, many organizations focus on finding the suitable candidate, orienting them on their starting stage, and training them for daily activities. But in the present competitive scenario, hiring from the market isn’t enough to avoid the costs associated with a high turnover cycle. A comprehensive on boarding program—which covers pre-boarding, orientation, training, initial performance feedback, and ongoing development—is essential for retaining talent.