Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2023 - 19

efforts aimed to standardize the
activities and tasks they perform.
Kick-start a
Relationship Network
Onboarding offers an opportunity
to strategically build a connection
network for new hires. This begins
the moment an employee accepts
the offer. The first effort is expanding
the network beyond the recruiter and
hiring manager to a group of trusted
advisors that can support and guide
the new hire as they begin working.
This group of advisors encompasses
representation from critical groups
such as human resources, information
technology (IT), payroll and other
functions involved in onboarding.
Their objective is to become a
resource, directing new hires to
information or contacts when needed.
The next step is to grow the relationship
network to include team members,
collaborators and cross-collaborators.
These connections guide new hires
as they navigate internal workflows
and best practices. The final extension
of the relationship network includes
opportunities for relationship-building
with other new hires, employees
sharing commonalities such as working
in the same location, mentors and
even
randomly
paired
connections.
This effort aims to engender a sense
of belonging to the organization and
to the team. A new hire space or
community platform can be leveraged
to execute this program objective.
A critical measure of success for
onboarding is the ability to form
connections for new hires and
guide networking opportunities.
These connections and relationships
encourage a sense of belonging,
offer support and guide the new hire's
integration into the organization.
Build Know-how
Learning organization-specific knowhow
can take a substantial amount of
time. Address this by designing a plan
to acquire critical knowledge during
onboarding. This can include milestones
Onboarding efforts must identify
and quickly remove the roadblocks
hindering new hire performance.
at 30-, 60- and 90-day marks revolving
around organizational, team and system
learning, as well as performance
expectations. Share the learning plan
and milestones with new hires so they
can track their progress throughout their
onboarding journey.
In addition, communicating sample
developmental opportunities will frame
the goals new hires set out to achieve.
Goals such as developing an internal
relationship network with collaborators,
gaining a better understanding of
business units and their work and
obtaining a certain credential are
common among new employees. Finding
a way to acknowledge or celebrate
the achievement of these milestones
is a powerful motivator to continue
meeting these targets. The onboarding
program conclusion can culminate in
recognition of the new hire's efforts
and achievements and can include a
certificate of completion or a gift.
A successful program guides the
consumption
of
learning,
support
resources and activities for new hires
to accomplish during their onboarding.
To manage their intake, point new
hires toward a central hub where they
can
access
timely
communications
and announcements, onboarding
materials such as guides and checklists
and relevant learning paths. Some
learning will be easier to manage and
promote; however, there may exist ad
hoc learning that varies by team or role.
Capturing and standardizing these
learning experiences will offer a more
consistent new hire experience across
the organization.
TRAINING INDUSTRY MAGAZINE - SPRING 2023 I WWW.TRAININGINDUSTRY.COM/MAGAZINE
One of the most important goals of
onboarding is to reduce the time
it
takes for new hires to become
fully productive in their role. As
a result, onboarding efforts must
identify and quickly remove the
roadblocks hindering new hire
performance. Often, these revolve
around organization-specific
processes, culture and knowledge.
We must leverage the onboarding
connections,
learning
assets
and
resources available to guide new
hires in navigating this cultural knowhow
and offer solutions to bypass and
overcome obstacles they face.
New hires are eager to soak in all
incoming information and intrinsically
motivated
to
complete
onboarding
programming and activities. They
want to make an impact through their
contributions and showcase their value
right away. Emphasizing the benefits
to new hires by linking these to their
success at the organization will further
compel them to remain engaged, learn
and participate in the onboarding
process. Shaping the employee
onboarding experience and creating
compelling onboarding objectives will
result in higher employee retention,
engagement and satisfaction.
Vivian Rohleder holds M.A. degrees
in organizational development and
counseling and focuses on the
intersection
between
learning
and
organizational development. She leads
global learning and development
functions aimed at building inclusive
learning programs. Email Vivian.
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Training Industry Magazine - Spring 2023

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