When new employees join your company, they feel like they’re “drinking from a firehose” until they get familiar with their job, build relationships with co-workers and stakeholders, and learn how to get things done.
Many people say they feel as if they are in a foreign country when they start a new job. They do not know the lay of the land and who they can or cannot trust and are unfamiliar with the company’s products and services. They must also watch what they say and do. The people they meet are their new teammates, and they want to make a good impression on them.
Managers often forget how challenging it can be for employees to adjust to a new job. They use employee potential assessments and invest thousands of dollars in recruiting top candidates. They need to invest the same amount of effort in keeping them once they are hired, which is why they must use good employee onboarding tools and implement an effective training and employee development program.
Why Employee Onboarding Tools Are Important
Onboarding refers to welcoming new employees and helping them assimilate into your organization. Organizations use many employee onboarding tools to help new hires learn how to do their jobs successfully, get familiar with their company, and build relationships with team members and internal/external stakeholders.
A good onboarding program helps new employees feel welcome and supported, ensures they understand their responsibilities, and educates them about company policies and procedures. The onboarding process can last a day or two or even several months or a year. It typically includes both structured and informal activities.
Which Employee Onboarding Tools Do You Need?
Business leaders often ask which employee onboarding tools they should use. We recommend that they first create an onboarding checklist that consists of the following action items for a new hire:
This provides a good foundation for the next step—structuring onboarding and ongoing training tailored to the new hire’s needs and career goals.
How Employee Potential Assessments Support Onboarding
It is pointless to provide training on material new hires already know. Use the new hire’s employee potential assessment results to determine which areas they have mastered and where they need more help, allowing you to focus training on where it’s most needed.
You can also use employee potential assessments to proactively manage training and identify rising stars. If you are planning to introduce a new product, penetrate a new market, or upgrade technology, skills test results can help you identify high-potential employees who have the knowledge, experience, and aptitude to move into jobs that support those efforts.
New employees need time to reach the top of the learning curve and maximize performance. They also need time to understand and adapt to your company culture. This is why onboarding and training is an ongoing process. So, schedule follow-up employee potential assessments at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days to ensure the program is working and make any needed adjustments.
Why Employee Onboarding Tools Are Important
Using employee onboarding tools helps you improve retention. A Gallup study shows that 70% of employees who had a good onboarding experience feel positive about their job and their company. Devlin Peck reports that 69% of employees who have an exceptional onboarding experience are likely to stay with your company for at least three years. A BambooHR survey found that 89% of employees who had an effective onboarding process felt more engaged at work.
A Brandon Hall Group study shows companies with strong onboarding processes improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%. It also indicates candidates lose confidence in organizations with weak onboarding programs and often leave during their first year.
Offering training and development opportunities also helps you retain top employees and reduce turnover. More than 75% of employees say they would stay with a company long-term if it offers good training and development opportunities. Over half want to develop skills that position them for future opportunities, and 39% say they would leave for a job that offered better learning programs.
Get Started with Employee Onboarding Tools
Using employee potential assessments and good employee onboarding tools will help you develop onboarding and training programs that make new hires feel welcome and help ease their transition into your company. They also encourage managers and team members to establish performance expectations to ensure less confusion and fewer misunderstandings.
Are you ready to learn how employee potential assessments and good employee onboarding tools can help you retain top employees? Contact eSkill to request a demo.