In order to get a company perspective, I talked with one of my clients this week. This VP of Human Resources and I had worked for the same company in the early 1990’s. That company had a model onboarding program, so I was not surprised to learn of my client’s commitment to effective onboarding.
My client, let’s call him Mark, told me that they viewed onboarding as a process, not an event. They use a six month period to assimilate the new hire into the culture, her role, and her team. He said, “the Devil is in the details.” It is a well-plannedprogram run by their training department. That was an interesting revelation. But it makes sense. He went on to say that the new hire’s supervisor is involved in the process to include regular interaction. The new hire is assessed throughout the process which is recorded on a balanced scorecard.
Mark told me that a new CMO had joined the company that day. She was beginning to go through the same process, starting on the shop floor. This first step is scheduled for six to eight weeks. During this time, she will learn the business from the ground up. The next phase is to shadow a Regional Operations Vice President for eight to twelve weeks. She will see how the moving parts work together in the field, especially how Sales, Operations, and Marketing personnel interact.
The final step is to spend time with her direct reports to understand how the business rolls up to her level of responsibility. The evaluation process includes a three hundred sixty degrees review. Mark is very proud of their process and its results. He said, “it is important to start the new hire on the right foot.” He went on to say that their home office turnover is very low, seven percent.” As I mentioned earlier, Mark and I had worked for the same company years ago. Their onboarding process was superb. It is no surprise to me that he carried on the tradition with his current employer.
Mark went on to tell me that the onboarding plan is customized to the new hire. A conference call is scheduled prior to the new hire’s start date. It is a group conference that includes all relevant parties. Adjustments are made along the way to accommodate for transition issues like house hunting trips if relocation is involved. At the end of the process, the new hire debriefs with her Superior.
My client’s program is a textbook example of onboarding the new hire most effectively. Probably the most effective part of the process is the significant amount of time given to shadowing key personnel in the field. Not only does the new hire see what gets done they also become immersed in the culture. They learn the company’s philosophy, values, and norms. They learn about the formal power structure as well as the informal power dynamics of the firm. The latter may prove to be very important to the new hire’s success.
Successful onboarding programs think of the new hire as a customer. Their question is.“ how would you deliver great service to this customer?” A key component of great customer service requires monitoring the process and the evaluation of the customer’s effectiveness using the product. My client’s program closely follows this model. Additionally, by placing the responsibility for onboarding with the training department they ensure that accountability is optimized.
If the employer believes that onboarding is critical to the new hire’s success, then it needs the appropriate emphasis. If the employer lacks the resources internally, it may be worthwhile to consider an outside resource to guide the process.
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Jim Weber, President
New Century Dynamics Executive Search