Mistakes to avoid when onboarding your employees

In this article, we are going to show you the mistakes that you should not make to ensure a successful onboarding of new employees.

An onboarding process that is deemed incomplete by new employees has a significant impact on their commitment and productivity within the company. However, there is no onboarding formula that works 100% for all companies. In fact, every company is different and every employee is different. But we notice that the same mistakes occur very often when onboarding new employees. Yet, these are mistakes that are easy to avoid.

In this article, we will show you the mistakes that you should not make to welcome a newcomer in your company and ensure a successful onboarding.

Mistakes not to make when bringing in new employees

When you consider that one in five employees leave their jobs within 45 days of being hired, and that more than 50%of employees who have completed a comprehensive and well-structured onboarding program stay for more than 3 years, it is no surprise that more and more companies are taking their onboarding process into account. In fact, it has become essential to create a structured onboarding program that can retain new employees over the long term.

It should be noted that the successful onboarding of a new employee represents a major challenge for both the manager and the company. Indeed, the more successful the onboarding phase, the more committed the employee will be to his work and the more he will develop a sense of belonging to his team.

1. Considering the first day as an ordinary day

The first day of a new employee is an essential step and the beginning of life within the company. Therefore, it is important that it should be memorable and marked by highlights such as:

  • A presentation of services and work environment
  • A welcome message from management
  • A team lunch
  • An explanation of the first task and accompaniment for the takeover
  • An informal exchange over a drink
  • A delivery of the welcome booklet

2. Not informing teams

Until now, it is common that teams are informed of the arrival of a new employee on the same day. Most of the time, newly hired people start their job only to find that they are not expected by the existing teams.

Very often, they find that no one knows their names and no materials were planned for their arrival. This tends to leave a negative first impression on the company. Therefore, it is essential to notify former employees.

If you have a journal or a newsletter in your company, you can use them to introduce the new employee. You can also make a more informal presentation at an internal meeting.

Note that the more the former employees feel they know the new employee, the warmer the welcome.

3. Neglecting accompaniment

It is important to determine a sponsor to complement communication with the teams. This person will be responsible for onboarding the new employee. He will also be his referent to answer questions about the company to facilitate his onboarding.

Accompaniment should be provided for as long as necessary and not be limited to the first days or week.

4. Managing too much paperwork

One of the most time-consuming tasks is filling out administrative forms. In fact, this mission can take several hours or even several days. It is valuable time that the new employees as well as the human resources department and the entire group waste. It should be noted that each hour spent on reading manuals or signing documents is a non-optimized hour. In fact, new comers could have devoted this time to get familiar with their new tasks. This administrative burden extends the time required for the new employee to reach full productivity.

5. Overburdening your newcomers during trainings

One of the most common mistakes during onboarding is giving too much information to new recruits. Indeed, introducing a new work environment is already a source of significant information to manage.

The role of any company is to help new hires get the information they need at the right time.

With digital adoption platforms like Picomto, you can train employees in real time. This way of learning helps new employees to learn quickly by following instructions. With digital solutions, you can also breakdown your training into small modules. This will make it easier for new employees to retain information in the long term.

6. Limiting onboarding to the end of the first day

Another common mistake is to think that once the first day of integration is over, onboarding is over. However, it does not end there. In fact, the first day is just the beginning. A few days are not enough for a new recruit to assimilate and understand the different procedures and culture of the company. Indeed, the accompaniment of a new recruit is carried out from hiring to adaptation to taking up the position. In addition, you should know that onboarding in the company continues beyond the trial period (onboarding period for newcomers).

7. Lack of feedback throughout the onboarding process

Beyond integrating a newcomer into the organization, onboarding is also the beginning of a relationship with his manager. Therefore, it is a two-way process. So, it is important to implement milestones that provide feedback and allows the newcomer to express himself.

You should not forget the chance you have with each new arrival. Actually, you are introducing someone with previous experience and a new perspective on your company and its processes.

Therefore, it is an opportunity to take advantage of the new employee’s exteriority by highlighting areas of improvement.

About Picomoto

Picomoto is a digital solution that provides the necessary information to new employees. This digital tool also helps to train new employees to make them operational more quickly.