The Importance of a Good Onboarding Program
By Suzette Welling
Onboarding, defined as the action or process of integrating a new employee into an organization, is a largely discussed topic today. Google it, and you will find there are over 27.5 million results. Why has it become such a large part of our culture?
Onboarding is more than just a "warm and fuzzy" PC practice of expecting everyone to like everyone and be singing kumbaya. It is a practice that is very important to your business. Turnover is expensive. Training is expensive. And, in today's market, good, qualified employees are extremely difficult to find. When you are lucky enough to get a great hire, chances are you had to pay a recruiter a hefty sum to find them, and the last thing you want to do is lose them after the investment of recruiting fees, training costs, and the slow productivity while they get up to speed.
The results of onboarding are not just subjective. They are also quantifiable. A good onboarding program has been shown to result in better job performance, greater commitment to the organization, reduced stress, higher job satisfaction, and better retention. The cost of hiring a new employee averages $65k, and it takes an average of 5 months of full-time employment to bring new hires up to full productivity.
So how does one successfully onboard an individual for successful integration into the firm?
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