So you selected your new employees; excellent, this means you’ve gotten through the hard part. Now they are about to go through the orientation program you have planned for them, but what about training?
Laura Vanderkam’s blog post on Fortune.cnn.com references a survey from Accenture that found how 77% of college students who were going to graduate in 2013 expected to receive formal on the job training. However, only 48% of the students in the class of 2011 and 2012 said they received training. Katherine LaVelle of Accenture is quoted saying, “There’s a disconnect between employers’ expectations of grads entering with relevant skills and the reality….” One of the benefits, according to LaVelle, of training new hires properly is that they will be less likely to quit quickly. This ties back to creating a feeling of commitment and trust with the new employee.
Laura references multiple new employee training examples, but the one I found most interesting was about Le Pain Quotidien. People hired as servers at the restaurant receive five days of training with a certified instructor; during these five days they are taught about “every aspect of the restaurant,” including a taste test of each meal. However, the training doesn’t stop after those first few days. Le Pain Quotidien offers training courses, such as baking and catering, to help them learn new skills while keeping the old ones fresh. This allows the employees to create a career path that is meaningful instead of being stuck as a dishwasher.
Getting started with new hire training
While it may seem beneficial to cut costs by eliminating new employee training, you are actually saving money in the future by training them now. We discussed in previous posts how new hires need to feel accepted as part of the team. The question should really be: “how are you going to train your newbies?” In his article, Ilya Pozin describes four crucial elements of new hire training, three of which I will discuss in this post.
Train for the specific types of people you hire
This tip may sound easy enough, but it can actually be quite complex. To do this, you must analyze the personality and culture of each current employee who fills specific positions or are a part of a certain department; you will then take this knowledge and apply it to the training program. For example, if a specific position tends to attract brilliant people who unfortunately have poor social skills, create a training program that builds their self-confidence and doesn’t make them feel uncomfortable. If this happens to be a position that requires a lot of social interaction, help them build proper and confident social skills.
Cross-train
People who work at start-up companies often gain a competitive edge when applying for a new job. Why is that you might ask? Well, it is not uncommon that employees of a start-up business will be required to learn varied skills and perform the functions of what would be considered a separate position in most businesses. The same benefit applies to new employees. Training them for other positions, either all at once or slowly over time, would be beneficial to everyone. This would provide better interaction and communication between the sectors of a business, while also allowing people to step up and help out when there is an overwhelming amount of work.
Remove the fear of failure
New employees often come into a situation nervous or afraid to try new things since they are not sure what will happen if their idea fails. The best way to learn is by doing, so let the new employees do something without the fear of repercussions if they get it wrong. Help them learn the ropes and point out their mistakes so they can avoid them in the future.
One of the most effective ways to learn is to engage in intelligent conversation with an expert on a subject. Mentoring and shadowing are an excellent supplement to research and independent learning. In particular, online relationships, facilitated through the Internet, have evolved how professional mentoring and shadowing happens. Technology makes online mentoring and shadowing cost-effective for organizations with offices anywhere in the world.
Value of shadowing in new hire training
Whether you are taking an online or offline approach to this, Susan Heathfield provides great insight into why job shadowing is so important. Here’s how shadowing can help your new hires:
1. It “helps employees absorb the values, norms, and standards of an organization…” Think of this as if you were trying to learn a language; the only way you can truly learn is by immersing yourself in a culture and being surrounded by native speakers. The same principle applies since job shadowing allows the new employees to see how the culture and values of the business are applied in normal everyday settings.
2. The new hire can demonstrate what they learned. After the new hire is taught a skill or job function, they can demonstrate what they have learned to their mentor. This allows them to solidify the knowledge and gives their mentor the opportunity to clarify any misconceptions or fix any issues the new employee may be having.
3. What better way to create friendships than to interact with people, right? Assigning a mentor will give the new employee someone they can get to know at a personal level. On top of that, the mentor can introduce the new hire to other current employees he or she may not know yet.
4. If the mentorship is temporary, it can provide a way for the new hire to gain a “deeper knowledge about a variety of jobs and functions in the company.” Here is a scenario. You could allow the new employee(s) to mentor with one person from each section (or as many as you choose) of the company. Over the course of 2-3 weeks, the new hire(s) would learn about which position would suit them best, or the mentors could decide who would fit what position best. This would also allow the new employees to have a better understanding of the relationship between each sector of the business. Armed with this knowledge, you will be able to create a successful training environment for new employees.
What steps are you taking to create a successful training environment for your new employees? Leave us a comment and let us know!
It is estimated that 46 percent of newly hired employees fail within 18 months. Although it may seem like all of the territories in new hire onboarding has been fully explored and mapped out, the pre-join period is still uncharted territory that human resources professionals may be overlooking.
According to a recent Aberdeen report, Engaging Your New Hires on Day 1, the onboarding experience is typically black or white for your new hire. Either it is positive or it is negative. When onboarding goes well, your new hire is energized, motivated, and eager to go forth and perform.
On the regrettable flipside, with a negative experience, they may feel resentful and start to question their decision to join the organization.
You don’t want that to happen. This is where having a strong pre-join plan for your new hires can come in handy. A strong pre-join experience addresses the earliest stage of engagement with your new employee when they are forming an initial opinion about your organization.
“Investing in the pre-join experience is a great opportunity to invest in your new hires.” Todd Raphael, Chief editor, ere.net
What is the “pre-join” period?
“Pre-join” refers to the period between the day a new employee accepts an offer to the day he or she shows up at the office for the first day of work. This period could be anywhere from 2-4 weeks to 6-9 months, in the case of campus hires where job offers are extended while the student is still in school. The same Aberdeen report shows that 37% of companies extend their programs beyond the first month. For these companies, “onboarding is regressing rather than advancing.”
Why should your organization implement a pre-join program?
The pre-join period represents a huge missed opportunity for most organizations, as they fail to recognize the value that an organized pre-join program can offer in terms of employee recruitment, retention, and productivity. Read on as we break down the top reasons for implementing a pre-join program for training and engaging new hires.
1. Pre-join programs reduce employee dropout rate
There’s a lot that can happen between the day that a prospective employee accepts an offer and their first day on the job. In particular, when there are several weeks or months leading up to their start date, people can receive other job offers or simply change their minds about joining your company.
An organized pre-join program can help mitigate these risks by making new hires feel like they are already part of your organization. By having their training program start before their official start date, employees are more likely to feel a bond with your organization, empowered by the fact that they’re going to be starting day 1 with weeks (or even months) of training experience under their belt.
In one impressive example, a $5 billion dollar IT company reduced pre-join churn by about 90% using Mindtickle’s gamified learning platform.
2. Pre-join programs aid in successful employee placement
You can learn a lot about a new hire’s interests, strengths, and weaknesses through their performance in pre-join programs. This information can then be used in identifying areas of improvement to be addressed, as well as determining optimal employee placement in your organization.
For example, new hires that do well on modules pertaining to soft skills could be put in customer-facing roles, while those that excel in technical skills could be placed on technology projects.
3. Pre-join programs improve employee engagement beyond day 1
A successful pre-join program helps to validate a new recruit’s decision to join your company. This does more than prevent them from going to a competitor or dropping your offer before joining but extends its value beyond day 1 and well into their tenure.
In the words of Naveen Narayanan, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at HCL Technologies, “Pre-employment engagement plays a significant part in bringing down the renege scores and enable the new joiners to get a 360 view of the company. Prospective employees feel valued and this gives the candidates the impetus and drive to excel post joining.”
4. Pre-join programs reduce the time it takes employees to become productive
There is a gap of time between an employee’s first day on the job and when they start being a productive member of the organization. According to Michael Watkins’ book “The First 90 Days”, the break-even point when a new hire starts being profitable is at 6.2 months from their start date.
This gap can be reduced by employing a pre-join program that brings new hires up to speed on technical skills and company values, allowing for a more seamless integration into their new role and the corporate culture. This allows for a quicker transformation of a new hire from an expense into an asset to your organization.
5. Pre-join programs can be a source of competitive advantage
An effective pre-join program can contribute to a company’s bottom line in a number of ways. From a cost savings standpoint, an organization benefits from lower drop-out and retention rates that mitigate the need for additional recruitment efforts.
A strong pre-join program also impacts a company’s profits, with employees being able to contribute business value faster – of particular impact when looking at training sales teams.
Effective onboarding is the cornerstone of human capital management. There’s no doubt that it sets the tone and in many cases can also set the trajectory for new hires joining your organization.
According to an Aberdeen Onboarding Benchmark report, “New employees often feel that the attention they receive during the pre-hire stages is abandoned once they are hired.” In Fortune 500 companies alone, about 500,000 managers take on new roles each year and, overall, managers begin new jobs every two to four years. Unfortunately, in the midst of all these transitions:
Half of all senior outside hires fail within 18 months in a new position
Half of all hourly workers leave new jobs within the first 120 days
Source: Aberdeen Group, The Onboarding Benchmark Report
What we want to avoid is new hires feeling that your organization is not meeting the expectations set by the hiring process. Fortunately, this challenge can be overcome with investment in a pre-join program. Pre-join is the time between the employee accepting the offer of employment and starting in your company on day one. For most companies, the pre-join investment includes checklists with tasks like ‘get your email set up, take a drug test, and register for your employee number’. If this doesn’t sound inspiring, that’s because it isn’t.
For more inspired ways to deliver an excellent pre-join new hire onboarding experience, we decided to speak with two experts: Mohit Garg, Co-Founder of Mindtickle and Todd Raphael, Chief Editor at ERE. Ere is the premier resource for the employment, HR, and recruiting world.
Read on for our conversation!
In your experience, can organizations benefit from engaging with new hires between the offer and the first day of work? How does this help the new hire?
Mohit Garg: Modern-day talent development is about keeping your employee at the center of the experience. It’s important to treat every new hire as a new customer that you are prospecting or pitching and, like a marketing campaign, invest in building the relationship through referral and retention. When you look through this lens, it is similar to onboarding a new customer. You want the experience to be high touch and ensure that expectations are met.
In many ways, your new hire is forming an opinion about your organization before the hiring process begins. Research from Aberdeen Group shows that employees make a decision to work with a company long-term within three months of joining an organization! They are asking, “Is this consistent with my expectations?” They are comparing your organization’s values to their worldview and value system.
The pre-join phase is an opportunity to engage your new hire with the value proposition of the business. You can show new employees what it means to work in your organization by starting your new hires off in an excited and positive state of mind. Focus on fostering a strong appetite to learn and get engaged. Having info on what to expect can reduce your new hire’s anxiety on day one.
Todd Raphael: I agree that investing in the pre-join experience is a great opportunity to invest in your new hires. However, it’s important to really consider your approach and ensure that your pre-join experience is relevant and voluntary.
For example, you don’t want to bombard your new hire with parties and conference calls. You are supposed to get to know people as you join a new company, but it is important to be aware that when people leave a job, they sometimes need time before starting. Sometimes you just want a vacation and to be with your friends and family. You don’t want to create a pre-join experience that makes the candidate feel like it is controlling their life.
Instead, ask someone what their availability is. This allows them to set aside time in a way that makes sense for them. Just be careful about making them feel like this is going to take over their life.
What are the activities that organizations can deliver during the pre-joining period?
Mohit Garg: Let’s look at this from the perspective of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. At the basic level, a new hire needs to understand how the organization offers an opportunity for a secure life for their family. At the next level, an employee is concerned with work-life balance as well as how to further learning and their future career. They want to align their aspirations with the business. The third level is for new hire self-actualization with the new hire thinking about corporate social responsibility and the ecological footprint of the business. They want to know how the business is investing in the community and working with employee partners in charity opportunities.
You want to try to hit on all three levels of Maslow’s hierarchy with a readily available pre-join program that communicates the value proposition of the business. Incorporate success examples. For example, show the “12-year employee story” featuring a long-time respected employee in the business. You can also show how the organization is making the world a better place with stories of how the business supports the community. Think of it as a welcome package with continued engagement, delivered through multiple channels – email, print materials, and online communities.
Todd Raphael: Here are some more ideas. You can facilitate many activities online. Sodexo and ADP send newsletters to employees and send a modified version to potential employees – of course, you want to make sure that it is relevant. You could have future employees meet their future co-workers in a private online group or use Twitter or other social media to have current employees welcome future employees. Put together a document, an email, or a video with half a dozen employees talking about what they are doing and what they are excited about.
Make an inspiring video. For example, if you are a shoe company, you can feature an inspiring athlete who has used your shoes. If you provide medical devices, show a patient that has benefited. This can be really inspiring. In every industry, you have former customers, buyers, and partners. Show the impact your business is making on the world to future employees.
In terms of offline activities, you could Invite your new hire to company calls and get-togethers, but again be respectful of time. Check in with the new hire and see how they are feeling. Allow time for a check-in to address any concerns they may have before the first day.
Another angle to consider is your current employees. When a new employee starts, the employer is often thinking about how to make the experience good for them, but they don’t think about current employees who are often nervous. The current employee may be thinking: are they going to be promoted in my place? Are they a threat?
To address this, consider communicating what the new employee’s role is all about. Make your current team member feel valued. Work on reducing their anxiety and nervousness.
How can you influence the possibility of employee retention during pre-join?
Todd Raphael: The problem starts pretty early for external hires. It stems from when they get to work and it isn’t like what they expected. Start with setting expectations early. To get a handle on expectations, talk to your own employees and see what they experienced. You might find out things you didn’t know about the new hire experience and then you can tailor accordingly.
Also, there may be an opportunity for long-time employees to be involved. Have the new hire meet up with a mentor for coffee during pre-join. This is often more beneficial than the new hire meeting with their future manager who may be busy or not as good at coaching. The new hire benefits from knowing that they can ask questions of someone who can advise them but is not connected to hiring and firing.
Mohit Garg: To add to Todd’s point, you also have to consider what stage the employee is in and connect the pre-join to the post-join experience. This requires communication between human resources, recruiting, and learning and development as the new hire get handed off to different groups throughout the new hire onboarding experience. A seamless view of the new hire experience is needed.
Typically only public domain material is available. Once they are inside the building, then proprietary information is then made available. So one of the challenges for businesses in the pre-join period is having a way to deliver access to secure company information before day one.
Secure online learning platforms like Mindtickle enable you to provide links to private information with a pre-join program login. This provides an opportunity for motivated new hires to learn as much as they want before formal new hire orientation starts.
Using gamification in a pre-join program, you can begin to identify the strengths of new hires beyond what you know from the interview process. It also allows employees to self-select and show progress as part of the pre-join experience. New hire self-selection and performance on learning modules can be good indicators in order to skill matching. This can help retention in the long run.
What is the best way for organizations get started developing a pre-join program?
Todd Raphael: Human resources managers should speak with recruiters to get a sense of what would be good. Look at your company’s history with pre-join and new hire onboarding to figure out what the gaps are. You are looking for what prospective employees are concerned about.
You might also look at Glassdoor to see what are people saying about your company. Don’t forget to talk to your current employees as they are a valuable resource in creating a strong pre-join experience!
Mohit Garg: It is also important to begin by looking at the mix of hires joining your organization. For example, are the entry-level hires or lateral hires? These segments have different needs. You have to treat entry-level campus hires differently than lateral recruiting hires that come to the business with more experience. Technology can help you deliver a flexible experience that recognizes differences in new hire needs. Technology can help automate the order and priority for pre-join content delivery.
Next, you can implement a small pilot and have pre-join new hires go through it. You can get feedback and ensure that target outcomes are being achieved. Start with a geography or a region and scale from there.
Thank you, Todd and Mohit for your helpful insight on building a great new hire pre-join experience!
What are your thoughts on more inspired ways to deliver an excellent pre-join new hire onboarding experience? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
Todd Raphael is a widely cited/quoted figure in the employment/HR/recruiting world and is the Chief Editor at ERE. Find ERE at www.ere.net.
Mohit Garg is the Co-Founder of Mindtickle. Prior to co-founding Mindtickle, he served as a Director in PwC’s management consulting practice in New York. He was awarded “Entrepreneur of the Year” by Startup Leadership Program (SLP) in 2012. Mr. Garg holds an MBA degree from ISB and an MSEE from Stanford University.
This objective is at the core of Cloudera’s sales enablement strategy according to Lars Nilsson, VP Global Inside Sales, who has helped the company scale from a team of just 11 salespeople to a global selling operation with 200 sellers and over 150 sales engineers, solution architects, business development and customer-facing individuals. In this webinar you will learn:
How to methodically onboard your people and make them productive sooner
Benefits of creating an infrastructure that supports enablement initiatives
Sales enablement activities that drive conversion from discovery to final sale
How to ensure sales reps are consistently on the message to deliver a best in class customer experience, and
How Cloudera leverages sales enablement as their competitive advantage
to hear the Cloudera team, along with our VP Sales, Marc Wendling, and Max Altschuler from Sales Hacker, talk about how a modern sales organization can leverage sales enablement to bring value to their customers and prospects consistently and efficiently.
