Research Shows Subpar Onboarding Decreases Productivity

Since the dawn of the digital age, businesses and corporations have been utilizing the every-changing tapestry of technology to better suit the needs of consumers and employees. Applying this technology to daily operations has changed the frontier of managing a team of employees, especially when they are first hired.

Many organizations choose to implement an onboarding process for newly hired employees. These programs give new-hires an idea of how the enterprise functions on a daily basis and what their role will be within the business. An onboarding program may also go into specific detail about the new employee’s job responsibilities and how to complete them.

Business2community.com has spoken up about the importance of a streamlined onboarding system that won’t scare candidates off on their first day. The site urges managers, HR reps, and business owners to take a long, hard look at their onboarding process.

If an organization has a quality onboarding system, it’s important to maintain the quality of human interaction. Rather than setting up an automated hiring process, don’t neglect to provide a personal touch.

Business2community.com also laid out five ways business owners will know when their onboarding system needs to be updated:

1. A business is trying to avoid spending money: Business owners may think avoiding spending money on an updated onboarding system is a smart move, but it’s actually quite the opposite. An outdated onboarding system will cost that business employees and means they will spend more money looking for new employees and training them than they would spend on an updated system.
2. Employees feel confused: When employees aren’t sure about their responsibilities and how an organization works on a daily basis, business owners will lose out.
3. New employees are leaving: Research shows that an ineffective onboarding program is the cause of quitting a new job for 15% of new-hires.
4. Executives and managers are noticing issues: If the top executives are aware of an issue that’s happening at the lower level, it’s definitely time to change some things.
5. The current onboarding is getting rusty: Technology that was top-notch three years ago may be completely irrelevant today. Staying up-to-date with technology trends is imperative.

Having a standard onboarding process not only benefits the employee but the business as a whole. Organizations with such processes in place experience 50% greater employee retention and 54% greater new hire productivity. With well-informed and more productive employees, it’s a win-win.