All managers are responsible for engaging the new employee in the effective performance of the company. No one has a bigger impact on new employees’ success than the managers who hired them.
Why? Because more than anyone else the hiring manager understands what his or her people need to accomplish and what it will take — skills, resources, connections — for them to become fully effective. Managers also have the biggest stake in onboarding their new hires effectively. Research has shown that being systematic in onboarding brings new employees up to speed 50% faster.
Which means they’re more quickly and efficiently able to contribute to achieving desired goals. Effective onboarding also dramatically reduces failure rates and increases employee engagement and retention. It’s the deeper work of integrating new hires where the real work of bosses begins.
Understand their challenges
Onboarding is among the toughest types of job transitions. Why? Because new hires, even if they are experienced professionals, are unfamiliar with the business. Don’t understand how things work, lack established relationships, and have to adapt to a new culture.
Consequently, the challenges which enter into the company may feel insecure to employee, even if they look calm. It should also be taken into consideration that when people change the location of the service, they make changes in their personal life, or if they move to a high level, they have a new managerial role.
Accelerate their learning
Bosses need to reassure recent hires that learning is more important than doing in the early days. The faster a new hire learns about the organization and their role, the more they will be able to accomplish in the critical first months.
To accelerate the learning process, managers must first focus on what they need to learn in three areas.
Technical learning is insight into the fundamentals of the business, such as products, customers, technologies, and systems. Cultural learning is about the attitudes, behavioral norms, and values that contribute to the unique character of the organization.
Political learning focuses on understanding how decisions are made, how power and influence work, and figuring out whose support they will need most.
Bosses should also think about how to help a new employee not only in personal matters but also to think about building an environment that can bring significant knowledge and experience to the employee.
Make them part of the team
The starting point is to make sure the team understands why the person has been hired and what role(s) they will play.
It’s also important that bosses formally introduce new employees — to everyone — as soon as possible after their arrival and make it clear that teams are expected to help their new colleagues acclimate and move up the learning curve.
A small initial investment of time and effort in connecting the new hire with the team will pay long-term productivity and performance dividends.
Give them direction
Employees can’t — or shouldn’t — get to work before bosses set clear expectations. The right guidance helps them answer three key questions: What do I need to do? This means defining their goals and the timeframes for accomplishing them, as well as the measures that will be used to evaluate their progress.
How should I go about doing it? This means being specific about what strategies they should use to accomplish the goals, including what activities they should and should not prioritize.
Why should I feel motivated to accomplish it? This means communicating a vision for what the organization is striving to accomplish and helping new hires see the part they play in realizing it.
Coach them for success
Finally, bosses who think seriously about the idea of the onboarding, provide timely and intensive support for new employees.
Over time, new employees will be fully integrated and will be able to work independently and productively. It is therefore important that the employer managers continue to communicate and manage the leadership of the team.
As usual, managers use these principles that “effective wheel” does not mean only employee hiring processes. There may be many problems or challenges in the company for them.
As a result, managers can use the approach that will ensure and accelerate each member of the team.