5 Common Onboarding Mistakes to Avoid

Yes, first impressions matter! When we talk about onboarding, it also leaves a first impression of your company on new hires. It’s a crucial process as it converts happy hires into productive employees.

Many employers think onboarding as simply about hiring candidates with a contract and getting work done by them. But onboarding is much more than that! It's part of a long talent acquisition process from advertising a role, sourcing & screening candidates and then conducting interviews to hiring candidates.

It is about recruiting a new hire physically, professionally, and emotionally into an organisation, and making them job-ready. But running the onboarding process smoothly needs talent and patience along with the right strategies. However, certain mistakes organisations are making regarding onboarding which need addressing.

Here are Some Mistakes Employers Commit During the Onboarding Process

Onboarding is Not Just an Administrative Process

Absolutely! Onboarding involves several steps out of which the administrative process is one. It involves signatures of candidates on several documents and collecting information from them. This is a very important step, no doubt! But the onboarding process should also involve fostering positive relationships with the new hires.

For creating a positive work environment, organisations need to run the onboarding process smoothly to make a connection between candidate and employee. By this, you can also introduce candidates to the organisation’s culture, values and mission to make them feel valued and supported.

Don’t Make the Onboarding Process Too Short

To make your onboarding process more effective, go slow but steady following all the required procedures. Making an employee fully productive and effective in a position needs attention and time. Sometimes failing to run an onboarding process smoothly may lead to employment risk. So, make use of the latest onboarding technology to provide you with a more structured and consistent approach to workflow, helping you avoid the mistake of missing any step.

Communication Gap

Organisations failing to make regular contact with new hires after accepting the job and their first day is a common mistake and can send the wrong message. The candidate must be excited about their job. And that excitement should be maintained until they join the work. To maintain the momentum going until new hires reach the organisation, ensuring an onboarding process with a regular connection between you and the candidate is necessary.

But in its absence, you may also risk your new hire becoming disinterested towards you. So, regular communication reduces the chance of a candidate being tempted to accept another offer.

Unclear Goals and Expectations

Before starting the onboarding process, set your goals and expectations. Employers have to design a smart goal framework which helps set other specific, measurable, relevant and time-based goals. Employers have to decide what they want from employees. Also, conduct a proper meeting with the new hires and tell them about their work and how they perform that to maintain their enthusiasm.

Failing to Cross-Board

Sometimes the onboarding process organisation implements for external hires may not work for the candidate who may either be promoted or moved to a department. Because they may have that attitude that they worked here for a while, so they know how it all works.

Some Other Mistakes You Should Avoid

Failing to Prepare on the First Day Properly

For achieving future goals, a good employee experience is essential. You have to plan the whole day for the new hire to step through the door till the end of the day. Make sure that all requirements like phone, computer, desk, and logins are ready on day one. Mail the concerned HRs about the first day of new hire and tell them to mail the recruit before that day to make them feel valued. Also, start their first day with appreciation and a clear picture of what the rest of the week looks like.

Information Overload

A common mistake in onboarding occurs when an HR tries to handle everything on the first day or week of onboarding and then leaves the employee to work on their own. It takes time for an employee to understand all the processes within a week like peer and management introduction.

Conclusion

Here you understand what you need to avoid to conduct effective onboarding. Many organisations feel it is difficult to conduct an employee onboarding process effectively. If you are the one, contact Kutumbh Digital ( Kaam matlab Kutumbh)- it helps manage your onboarding process effectively. Contact Now!