In our current climate, with an influx in hiring demand and many people pivoting careers into different industries, it’s vital that we make onboarding a priority in the recruitment cycle. But it’s one thing to have an induction process–and another thing entirely to have a great one. That’s why Recruitment Marketing Magazine spoke to Steven Demedio, Head of Learning and Development at Scout Talent, to hear from an expert about what makes a great induction process.
What defines a great induction process for you?
If I were to define an effective induction in one word, it would be connection. Above all, I stress that an induction process is about reinforcing the new starters’ connection to the organisation, and vice versa.
I start every induction process with a conversation about values because my goal is to make sure all new starters know how they add to our culture and to the team. Ask them which values attracted them to choose us, and validate their reasoning with examples of how those values are embodied in the workplace. Talking about our values helps new starters to see how they connect people to our culture, value and purpose.
If my new starters walk away excited about being part of the organisation and knowing what part they play in our wider culture, value and purpose, then that means I’ve helped them establish a great connection with the organisation and it’s been an effective induction.
“If I were to define effective onboarding in one word, it would be connection.”
How do you build that connection during induction?
Connection starts before they even walk in on their first day – connect with your new starters on LinkedIn beforehand and send them an email that has all the information they need to know: what to wear, where they can park, what to expect in their first week, and so on.
Giving your new hires a feeling of familiarity before they even officially start is important. If they’ve heard from multiple leaders and received at least one email to introduce them and give them necessary information, they’ll feel like they’re part of the team before their first day.
It’s also important that new starters are shown support and genuine care from day one–and not just in what they can do now, but also in their growth and brightness of future. They’re not just a number, they’re highly skilled individuals that can add so much value to your organisation, so empower them to share their skills from the start. Let them in on the business’s goals and validate their connection to the organisation by encouraging them to contribute their ideas and skills to projects.
After I’ve talked about our values, I invite new starters to tour the office and ask current staff what their favourite values are. I often buddy people up from different divisions (rather than with someone who will be on their team) so they can get talking with someone they may not interact with often in the day-to-day activities of their role.
Doing so achieves a few things: your new hires will get to talk to their colleagues and see the company culture in action, while also developing a deeper understanding of how your organisation values are embodied by your people.
I also take new starters out to a free lunch with the senior leadership team as part of the induction process. Not only are you showing them they are a priority to the business, but you can also get to know them when they’re not “performing” in an interview setting.
Often in induction processes, we launch right into setting up desks and computers, but none of that matters if your new starters haven’t connected to your organisation and their role in its culture, purpose and value.
How do you measure the success of your induction process?
As I mentioned earlier, my most important measure of success is checking whether my new hires are walking away excited about being part of the organisation and knowing what part they play. If I can see they’ve built a great connection with our organisation and what we do, then that means the induction was a success.
Other metrics I use to measure success are retention rates and improvements in our internal employee engagement survey results. We’ve seen a significant increase in retention here at Scout Talent since we put our focus on implementing a strong induction process.
Any last pieces of advice?
It may sound clichéd, but have fun! At the end of the day, having new people on board is an exciting thing, so enjoy it – get to know your new starters and remind them they got here on their own merit.
They say you should treat people the way you would want to be treated, but I think you should go the extra mile and treat them better than that. That extra bit of effort is going to be so memorable–people always remember their first day and it can set the tone for how invested they will be in the business and how involved they will be in the future.
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