Hiring an employee is not the end of the road for human resource management. Recruitment is just one step in a long process that includes everything from identifying a vacancy, placing an ad, starting the recruitment process, hiring, onboarding, training, and evaluating employee performance. 

HRM involves many moving parts, each requiring precise organization and coordination. The ultimate goal of HRM is to align the company and employees’ needs. Every step of the process is critical and essential for success. 

Quite often, since staffing expends so much energy on recruitment, onboarding takes a backseat. This sets recruits up for failure and adversely impacts all subsequent processes in HRM. Unless proper onboarding is conducted and recruits are made to feel comfortable, maximum productivity will not be achieved. 

It is troubling to go over such statistics as a 50% turnover rate within the first 18 months of recruitment for the workforce. Additionally, only 12% of employees are satisfied with the current onboarding procedures followed by their companies. This trend highlights a clear lack of good onboarding procedures.

Image on Freepik

Common Onboarding Mistakes and Their Solutions

Among the HRM functions, onboarding seems to be the area that requires the most attention, since it is severely ignored and underdeveloped. Here are some common mistakes made by companies during onboarding and solutions to rectify those mistakes:

  • Failure to Prepare for Onboarding

Onboarding should not be an afterthought. It is a significant mistake for companies to fail to plan and prepare for onboarding procedures. Inability to prepare for proper onboarding leads to confusion. Recruits need all the help they can get to settle in and start work. Confusion during onboarding can seriously impact their perceptions of the company and what is expected of them, leading to lower confidence and motivation levels. This, in turn, contributes to high turnover, resulting in constant recruitment needs. 

Solution

Develop a well-planned and standardized onboarding strategy. This must be designed to accommodate the goal of making recruits fit into the existing working environment. The plan must include ways in which recruits will be briefed on their role within the organization, as well as detailing the organizational culture. Planning also includes preparing in advance. This means aligning all the necessary resources before onboarding begins. Doing this prevents any delays and creates a more professional environment overall. Temporary staffing agency software can significantly enhance the onboarding process, particularly during this stage.

  • Dumping Too Much Information

You want recruits to learn quickly and grasp all the information. Most companies, however, have unrealistic expectations. They overburden employees with too much information and expect them to deliver. Recruits feel overwhelmed and second-guess their abilities. 

Solution 

The solution is simply to spread out the flow of information over a period of time. Develop a plan to provide employees with company policies, documents, paperwork related to their work, and so on, in an organized and logical manner. Divide the information into manageable portions that recruits can digest easily. Having a suitable flow of information will make them aware without confusing them. 

  • Failure to Communicate Properly

Communication is key to coordination and proper onboarding. Many fail to realize that onboarding is not simply about giving a presentation or two or showing recruits around the office. Communication is a two-way street. Yet in most companies, onboarding consists of providing employees with a lot of information in a short time and expecting them to start working optimally. 

Some organizations have completely outsourced onboarding to AI. This ignores the need for human contact that employees require, at least initially. Working for a new company means exposure to a completely new culture and way of working. It is not just about learning to do the job, but also navigating hurdles. 

When onboarding lacks proper communication and feedback, it fails to achieve its real purpose, which is to educate and enable employees to create a space for themselves within the organization. Human connection is a necessary ingredient in onboarding.

Solution

Make communication open and inclusive. Encourage employees to ask questions, provide feedback, and voice their concerns. Through communication, managers can gauge how well recruits are faring in the onboarding process. Feedback will also alert the onboarding team to potential areas of improvement. It will allow the onboarding process to be constantly improved and upgraded. 

  • Giving Time for Assimilation

Organizations frequently fail to recognize that recruits not only have to grapple with new work commitments, but also an entirely new work culture. Failing to acknowledge this change leads to unrealistic expectations. Recruits are not given time to process their new surroundings. They are not allowed to acquaint themselves with the social setup and face isolation. 

Solution

Recruits must be given time and space to settle in. They should also be provided with resources to assimilate into the organizational structure. Do not just brief them on the company policies and rules, but also make them aware of the implicit organizational culture. 

Have a proper welcome so recruits feel less anxious. Here are some great ways you can greet new employees and show them around. Hold ice-breaking sessions and social events to improve team building. This will help recruits ease into their roles and adopt the organizational culture naturally, rather than being forced to do so. 

  • Lack of customization in Onboarding

Onboarding procedures must be standardized, but they should not be so generic that they lose their utility. All recruits have specific strengths and weaknesses; they have skills that are specific to them. An onboarding process that is inflexible and does not accommodate personal requirements is inadequate at best. 

Solution

The onboarding process needs to be flexible enough so recruits can learn at their own pace. If a recruit is inclined towards hands-on learning, allow them to do so. Include multiple ways of learning, for example, include documents, presentations, and practice sessions. This is because different people prefer different means of learning. Including many formats makes the onboarding process more diverse and exciting. 

Onboarding-Preparing Employees for Success

Ultimately, onboarding is just a piece of the puzzle when it comes to HRM. But it is a critical piece because, without proper onboarding, the expensive process of hiring new employees never stops. It is necessary to turn recruits into productive members of the workforce. Onboarding is the first step in this direction, and perfecting it shapes the rest of the employee journey within the company. 

Having the initial support is integral to future success. It boosts employees’ confidence and creates circumstances through which they can do their best.