Onboarding

Many people still know the good old onboarding plan from their own start in a company – and this was probably mainly in a company that had already reached a certain size as a medium-sized enterprise.

Today, this induction plan is an important part of the onboarding process for a new employee. Onboarding refers to the period of hiring and welcoming a new employee into the company. Various measures are used for this purpose in order to achieve rapid and smooth integration in the new working environment. Onboarding begins with the signing of the contract and ends at the earliest after the probationary period – if it is pursued seriously and sustainably, after the permanent integration in a defined position.

Onboarding begins with the signing of the contract and ends at the earliest after the probationary period – if it is pursued seriously and sustainably, after the permanent integration in a defined position. 

The aim of onboarding is to familiarize new employees quickly and in a targeted manner 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 or she can become productive and efficient in an organization and contribute to the company’s goals.In the onboarding process, it is not only important to provide the employee with the necessary information and skills for his or her job. It is far more important to get them excited about the company, their tasks and their environment from the very first minute, thus consolidating commitment, motivation and trust. A clear structure in the induction process, the support and feedback of the manager and colleagues are considered success factors and provide orientation for the new employee.

The timing and content of each stage depends on the company, its size and complexity, and the particular position being filled. The onboarding structure is the same for all employees in the company. 

Successful onboarding can be attributed to the following factors: 

1. Anchoring in the HR strategy and in HR development. 
2. Clear responsibilities for implementation in the unit and in HR management 
3. Automation of the onboarding process through digital tools: Onboarding is faster and employee retention is measurably higher than with conventional processes 
4. Standardization of the onboarding process and permanent further development of the content and procedures within the process 
5. Positive feedback culture towards the company and controlling of the measures. 

A clearly structured process relieves the burden on managers and colleagues and creates measurable added value in the organization. The responsible HR department, and in particular HR development, has gained clear visibility and recognition with the establishment – and makes a noticeable contribution to the company’s success. 

THE MAK’ED TEAM designed and subsequently implemented a cross-divisional and cross-location onboarding program for a medium-sized internationally operating 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 motivation and to the immediate and cross-departmental networking of new employees with their new colleagues. For this purpose, the onboarding process as well as the roles and responsibilities had to be clearly defined. 

The contents of the project were thus: 

• The establishment of a stringent process for onboarding. 
• The definition of the responsibilities and the tasks that the different actors take on in the process. 
• The conception of a 2-day interdepartmental attendance program as part of the orientation phase in the company: this involved the conceptual set-up with various methods and actors in the company. The regular implementation of the program was to be supported by the most important areas of the company. The content of the program was a mix of topics related to the company with its values, strategy, way of working, structures and products. 
• The introduction of an accompanying digital onboarding tool: this tool accompanied employees throughout the onboarding process on the one hand to network with each other, share information and keep motivation high. 
• The development of a competency matrix that had to be fulfilled per role during the onboarding phase. 

The onboarding program was a success for the company. Internally, the clear and motivating concept radiated to the employees, who increasingly wanted to become 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 managers and colleagues and creates measurable added value. The responsible HR department, and in particular HR development, has gained clear visibility and recognition with the establishment – and makes a noticeable contribution to the company’s success.