The world of hybrid work is here, and the usual 10-minute intro call, swag bag and first-day team lunch are just not enough to make your new employee feel welcome.
While many companies have found a way to interview and select candidates in a fully remote environment, fewer have spent time and resources on aligning the “pre-boarding” and onboarding process for the new hybrid world of work. Many employers still rely on old ways of welcoming new hires, despite our totally changed work environment.
It’s important to capitalize on candidates’ enthusiasm and eagerness from the moment the offer is signed, instead of when they log in on Day One.
In our experience at Greenhouse, where we help companies as diverse as BuzzFeed, HubSpot and Intercom hire talent across their organization, first impressions can make or break a candidate’s chances of staying at a company.
In fact, 69% of employees will stay for more than three years if their onboarding experience is good, while 20% will leave within 45 days if it’s bad. That difference is costly, as it takes, on average, around $4,129 and 42 days to fill a position.
Replacing someone can cost up to 50%-60% of their annual salary. At the same time, 58% of organizations said they were guilty of centering their onboarding processes on administrative and paperwork requirements alone.
Here is how we advise our clients to set up every new hire for success right from the start.
The company’s Day One comes long before the candidate’s Day One
Most of us can remember the excitement (and anxiety) of receiving and signing an offer for a new job. It’s important to capitalize on candidates’ enthusiasm and eagerness from the moment the offer is signed, instead of when they log in on Day One.
An effective “pre-boarding,” as this is known, includes giving new hires the opportunity to absorb handbooks and FAQs well in advance of their start date, and making the right resources available if they need them. It can also mean providing a detailed schedule of their first day, including names of the people they’ll be meeting with or which Slack channels they should join.
A structured pre-boarding process doesn’t just help set expectations for the candidate. It also gives companies the time and the process necessary to make sure everyone involved in the process (think: people ops, the hiring manager, new hire buddies, et al.) knows their role to onboard the new employee. New hires that can get up to speed quickly also begin adding value more quickly, which enhances both an employee’s overall development and the company’s ROI on its hire. Even as many companies transition back to an in-office environment, not all of a new hire’s first touch points look the same as they did before the pandemic. Structuring this experience is critical for building a sense of belonging virtually, particularly for people who have never met in person.
Managers should proactively discuss things like working hours and communication norms — think email, Slack, Microsoft Teams — for the team and company before Day One arrives (and then again during the first day). Managers should also create a tailored welcome experience for the specific team and location (even if it’s remote) that can be shared with the employee before they even start.
With the right onboarding strategy and technology, new hires can get settled in faster while getting immediately ingrained in the company culture.
Make new employees feel like productive team members from the start
Many of us can remember the first-day-on-the job nervousness of having both everything and nothing to do. Beyond ensuring that new hires have detailed first-day schedules, companies should also make sure they have asynchronous work or structured independent study during the first days on the job.
The simple action of earmarking time for new hires to do autonomous work or self-paced learning can help ease any fear they may have of not being productive while making a first impression.
And don’t be afraid to over-communicate. It’s important that managers check in more frequently during the first few weeks of virtual or hybrid onboarding. Again, since there are fewer opportunities to cross paths with and engage with new hires, managers need to make a conscious effort to make sure new employees feel welcome and are getting everything they need to settle into their new roles.
Create meaningful connections from Day One
I often get asked how companies can create a culture for the future when many of their new employees have never set foot in the office or met anyone in person. Gone are the days where a company could easily set a new employee up with a buddy committed to showing them around the office and making sure they’ve met everyone.
In person, it’s easy to bump into someone when you’re getting a drink in the kitchen and strike up a conversation. Virtually, companies need to be more intentional and prescriptive since these chance encounters don’t exist. By scheduling virtual introduction meetings and providing a structure for those conversations, employers can make sure their first few weeks are filled with productive and constructive activities.
Also, don’t do away with onboarding new hire cohorts or “classes.” Even in a virtual environment, shared experiences strengthen cross-functional relationships that employees can carry with them throughout their career.
Let new employees know how they can become involved with and contribute to the company’s culture from the start by sharing a piece of themselves with the company or building community. At Greenhouse, for instance, we always aim to make connections between new hires and their teams before their first day by sharing potential points of common interest, including personal hobbies and fun facts about themselves.
New hires want and deserve more than forms to fill out as they prepare for a major change in their professional life. The best companies foster a positive hiring experience that begins when a new team member signs an offer, strengthens throughout a comprehensive onboarding process and sets a confident tone for their entire career at the company.