The Incredible Impact of Effective Onboarding [Infographic]

A lot of organizations treat recruiting and onboarding like fishing: dangle the bait, hook ‘em, reel ‘em on board, and then…well…there isn’t a ton of concern about the fish’s experience after that. Unfortunately for these organizations, by neglecting everything past the reel-in they’re also leaving behind a netful of benefits. While savvy organizations have known this for a long time, our most recent onboarding study revealed just how impactful effective onboarding can be.

Bonds With the Organization

Organizations that create an effective onboarding experience have employees who are more bonded to them in multiple ways:

• They feel more committed to the organization. Effective onboarding helps employees gain the tools and knowledge they need to be productive and happy in their roles. This investment in the employee, their experience, and their success could leave them more likely to feel committed.
• They feel more connected to their coworkers. Oftentimes, effective onboarding involves getting-to-know you activities and training from coworkers. These efforts give new employees an opportunity to develop relationships that help them feel more embraced and connected.
• They feel more integrated into their company culture. Integrating employees into company culture is absolutely crucial. If you care about maintaining your culture and values, all new employees should be well acquainted with them.

Increased Confidence and Abilities

Employees who experienced effective onboarding felt much more empowered to do their jobs:

• They use their benefits at a higher rate. Onboarding is a perfect opportunity to give employees a deep explanation of their benefits that helps ensure they aren’t leaving any value on the table.
• They feel more confident in their performance. Effective onboarding programs often involve deliberate job trainings that leave employees more able to perform independently.
• They contribute more quickly. Onboarding effectively is a great way to get a quicker return on your hiring investment, as employees report that they’re able to contribute in less time.
• They have more role clarity. Possibly because they have a better connection with their managers or receive better job training, employees who receive effective onboarding have a better idea of their role expectations.

Improved Employee Experience

Employees who receive effective onboarding also report higher levels of many employee experience elements:

• They have better job satisfaction. Taking the time during onboarding to help employees see all the wonderful things about your organization and their new role seems to make them like their job more.
• They have better engagement rates. It’s much easier to be engaged in the work you’re doing if you feel invested in the organization and able to perform your work well. Onboarding does both of these.
• They feel more supported by their organizations. It’s no surprise that employees who feel their organizations provided an excellent onboarding experience feel more supported. Onboarding is all about employee support.

Improved Perceptions of HR and the Organization

One of the biggest surprises was how effective onboarding correlates with employees’ perceptions of both their HR teams and their organization’s performance. Employees who experienced effective onboarding were more likely to report that their HR team was highly capable and that their organization’s performance was strong.

Our latest study makes one thing clear: Organizations that care about improving employee performance and business outcomes should invest in effective onboarding. To see more results, download our full infographic. To learn more about the study or more about how to create an effective onboarding program, be sure to check out The New Definitive Guide to Onboarding.