You get a call into HR at 4pm from a line manager. They have a team member whose probation finishes tomorrow. The problem is this team member isn’t where they should be in terms of their performance and the manager has concerns about their fit for the role.
They’re calling to ask what HR can do? 🤦♂️
We’ve all been there! This is the simplest illustration of why it’s essential to master the employee lifecycle right from day one!
From onboarding to exit, there are critical touchpoints in the employee lifecycle that impact company performance and an individual’s career success…. And avoid this awkward moment at the 11th hour 🥴.
In this blog post we’d like to share some ideas for getting that first 90 days right. Within the employee lifecycle, the first 90 days are critical in setting someone up for success and it’s so much harder to make positive changes after this time. This is why Appraisd has developed a set of customisable templates to help users master every step of the employee lifecycle from check-ins during the first week to collecting the right information at exit interview 🙌.
Why the first 90 days?
The successful onboarding of new hires is critical to revenue and profit. The study, ‘From Capability to Profitability: Realizing the Value of People Management’, conducted by BCG and the World Federation of People Management Associations, showed that the onboarding of new hires is the second biggest contributor to a company's success.
Elsewhere, research from the Brandon Hall Group and Gallup found that “Organisations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%. However, just 12 % of employees strongly agree that their organisation does a great job onboarding new employees.
This failure prevents the formation of an emotional bond between the new hire and the company at a critical time -- a connection that can make or break the relationship.
Beginning with the end in mind
We spend a lot of time recruiting the right person so let’s do the best job we can of bringing them in and setting them up for success. Doing a good job now will help ultimately reduce the time it takes for them to become 100% effective in their roles, increase engagement, and improve retention.
So, what can HR do to ensure new hires have a great experience? We spoke to employee lifecycle expert Marc Earnshaw for his top tips:
The best onboarding experience is really about keeping it simple and focusing on getting the basics done to an exceptional level. The experience should be inclusive and set new hires up for success – through personalised content, social interaction, and collaborative conversations:
- A structured approach with adaptability built-in – not every employee has the same needs so it’s best to provide a structure with key dates, meetings and milestones but whilst maintaining adaptability. For example, a junior hire and a senior hire will have very different needs and the experience needs to feel relevant to everyone.
- Involve managers from the outset – whilst HR might be leading this project, the knowledge that new hires need doesn’t just sit with HR. The business has shared ownership of the success of new hires, and their direct line manager is a key individual. The onboarding process needs to include managers and equip them to be advocates for the onboarding process.
- Well timed, purposeful interventions – new hires often report feeling overwhelmed with information when they start a new role. There’s no getting around the fact that there is a lot to learn in any new organisation and new role, but by managing the flow of information, HR can create a much better experience with a variety of learning formats and carefully designed timeline.
- Use the right tools, tech, and resources – We also know that social integration and collaboration are key to success so opportunities for facetime with managers, mentors and peers should be part of the onboarding process. Tools like Appraisd support the process with templates for meetings, prompts for line managers, and reminders for employees as they track their journey into the organisation.
What should this process look like?
Using the principles above, we’ve designed a set of templates for the entire employee lifecycle including suggestions for the first 90-days including early-days check-ins, 30-day and 60-day milestones and end of probation. These templates will be available to Appraisd users at the end of this month!
Like to see a preview of the Appraisd form library?
Contact us to attend our community event later this month where we’ll be sharing all the templates 🙌
