Dive Brief:

• More than two-thirds of HR leaders (76%) say onboarding processes are underutilized at their organization, according to a joint study from Kronos and the Human Capital Institute. Results also showed that a typical onboarding experience focuses heavily on administrative paperwork for new hires, rather than on development and training activities.
• Although nearly two-thirds of respondents said the purpose of onboarding is to integrate new hires into the company culture, this aspect makes up only 30% of onboarding programs, on average. Another segment (24%) of organizations lack a strategy for "trans-boarding," or managing an internal onboarding.
• Fewer HR managers in the study rated strategic onboarding as important as other onboarding components like reviewing rules and regulations, presenting a company overview and teaching self-service processes. More than half of respondents said that a lack of bandwidth is a significant barrier to improving onboarding.

Dive Insight:

Apparently, onboarding is still functioning the way it was when it was called "new employee orientation." But employers who want to improve their onboarding procedures must update their programs.

First impressions can be lasting impressions for new hires. Bogging them down with an overview of rules, workplace policies and benefits for two or three days isn't as valuable as connecting them with teammates so they feel welcome. The goal is to retain, engage and develop new hires. Strategies such as laying out clear goals and providing coaching or mentoring shows them support.

Some other onboarding mistakes to avoid include not communicating with new hires after sending the job offer letter, failing to recognize them with a small celebration and overwhelming them with too much information.