Project Insights: Conception and implementation of an international onboarding program for new employees
Many people still know the good old induction plan from their own start in a company – and this was probably especially the case in a company, that had already reached a certain size as a medium-sized company.
This induction plan is now an important part of a new employee’s onboarding process. Onboarding is the period of hiring and taking on a new employee into the company. To this end, various measures are used to achieve a rapid and smooth integration in the new working environment. Onboarding already begins with the signing of the contract and it ends at the earliest after the trial period – if you do it seriously and sustainably, it ends after the firm integration in a defined position.
The goal of onboarding is to familiarize new employees quickly and specifically with the organization, its processes, structures and products as well as the respective work area with its working methods and specifics. The faster an employee is well trained, the faster he can become productive and efficient in an organization and contribute to the company’s goals.
It is not only important in the onboarding process to provide the employee with the necessary information and skills for his workplace. It is far more important to inspire him from the very first minute for the company, his tasks and his environment and thus to strengthen commitment, motivation and trust. A clear structure in the onboarding phases, the support and feedback of the manager and colleagues are regarded as success factors and give the new employee orientation.
THE MAK’ED TEAM divides the onboarding process into three stages:
- Onboarding phase for preparation
- Onboarding phase for orientation
- Onboarding phase for integration
The scope of the individual phases in terms of time and content depends on the company, its size and complexity as well as the position to be filled. The onboarding structure is the same for all employees in the company.
Successful onboarding can be attributed to the following factors:
- Anchoring in the personnel strategy and in personnel development.
- Clear responsibilities for implementation in the unit and in the human resources management.
- Automation of the onboarding process through digital tools: The training takes place faster and the employee retention is measurably higher than with conventional methods.
- Standardization of the onboarding process and permanent further development of the content and procedures within the process.
- Positive feedback culture towards the company and controlling of the measures.
THE MAK’ED TEAM designed and subsequently implemented a cross-divisional and cross-location onboarding program for a medium-sized international production company.
The clear requirement for the project was a smooth onboarding of new employees, which had to be standardized, fast and target-oriented compared to the previous approach.
Special attention was paid to the motivation and the immediate and interdepartmental networking of the new employees with their new colleagues. This required a clear definition of the onboarding process, roles and responsibilities.
Contents of the project were thus:
- Setting up a stringent process for onboarding.
- Definition of the responsibilities and tasks, that the various actors in the process take on.
- Conception of a 2-day cross-departmental presence program as part of the orientation phase in the company: this involved the conceptual implementation with various methods and actors in the company. The regular implementation of the program should be supported by the main areas of the company. The content of the program was a mixture of topics related to the company with its values, strategy, working methods, structures and products.
- Introduction of an accompanying digital onboarding tool: this tool accompanied the employees throughout the entire onboarding process on the one hand to network with each other, to share information and to maintain motivation.
- Development of a competence matrix, which had to be fulfilled for each role in the induction phase.
The onboarding program was a success for the company. Inside, the clear and motivating concept radiated to the employees, who wanted to become more and more part of this event. Externally, it was used as part of the employer branding activities, for attracting skilled workers and in all measures to increase the company’s attractiveness.
The clearly structured process relieves management and colleagues and creates measurable added value. The responsible HR department and in particular the personnel development has gained clear visibility and recognition through its establishment – and makes a noticeable contribution to the success of the company.
THE MAK’ED TEAM for solution development and implementation for challenges in Management & Development & Learning in medium-sized businesses and institutions. THE MAK’ED TEAM works in corporate, organizational, personnel and business development with a strong focus on finance, HR and sales and marketing. Among other things THE MAK’ED TEAM develops strategies and concepts for a target-oriented, efficient induction of new employees and onboarding programs in medium-sized companies and accompanies them through to implementation.
