For some, this will take you back dozens of years, for others, it might have been only a few years ago. Think back your first day of High School. While I know elementary and middle school might have been rough, for most people freshman year can be very challenging.
It is easy to recall my brother (who was a senior) trying desperately to be that big brother while staying cool with his friends. Sure I was picked, on but I very quickly learned the rules of the road and which people to stay away from at all cost. I made it, yet I do wish some of the rules and clicks and rules spelled out better and much faster. I would have starting thriving earlier in the year without having to learn all these rules.
Fast-forward to the last job you accepted an offer. You probably went through quite a few interviews, and finally, the hiring manager called and gave you the “good news.” Of course, you have to pass a background check and drug screen but for you, that is just a process. They give you your start date, which is probably two weeks out? You either leave your current job and take a mini-vacation or do the absolute minimum at work right? Either way, you’re ready to start learning about your new company, but how do you go about this?
- Did your company send you any videos or files (except for HR and Background Info? If you’re like many companies if they did, it was limited, which made you focus on Google to learn more?
- Did they ask you to teach back in writing or video coaching the material?
- Now it’s your first day. Was your laptop, all system logins, desk, and email ready minute one?
- Were you given a copy of your onboarding plan and schedule?
- Did the manager plan a lunch for that first day and give you names to schedule other meetings?
- Were you exposed to videos – if so how long were there? More than 10 minutes each?
- Did your co-workers offer to help or would they only answer the questions you knew to ask?
- Did an announcement go out to the entire office with your bio and picture?
I can tell you for sure most of those bullets weren’t checked off at my last two jobs. And the big question is why not? Does it cost a lot of money, no? Is it very complicated, not really?
My guess they are not done for two reasons only:
- The hiring department simply hasn’t seen it in best practice, and never experienced in their career.
- There is not a high value on a new hire’s first few weeks. Take a quick look at this video I sent out recently which talks a lot about “Throwing the Keys.”
So why does this matter you might ask? Most studies claim waste in the initial onboarding leads to frustration and even turnover. Every single hour wasted during this process is slowing the organization down and costing money. The faster you get to 100%, the more likely you will Win, Gain, or Sustain and account.
This article was written by Steve Buergey; Vice President, Sales at SEAM Strategies and he has over 15 years experience in On-Boarding.
