Ott in Employee Engagement & Satisfaction — 6 min read

According to David Bizer, Europe’s first Google recruiter, identifying good people is “just one part of recruitment” because “hiring is all about culture”.

What Bizer means by this is that hiring doesn’t end when you bring a new person onto your team. Onboarding and helping that individual integrate into the company are equally important if you want them to succeed and the company to thrive.

New Hires Make Decisions Quickly

It doesn’t take long for a new employee to form an opinion about the company for which they’re working. Most of the time, new hires know within six months or less whether they’re going to stay at the company long-term or quit.

Good onboarding and training play a significant role in helping an individual to decide whether they want to stay at a particular job or move on to something else. Onboarding and training help to familiarize new employees with the company culture. They also make it easier for these folks to be productive and feel as though they’re part of the team.

The Right Way to Train and Retain New Employees

Outlined below are some effective strategies on how to train new employees effectively. You can implement these strategies to ensure that new hires start their journey on the right foot:

Align Workplace Culture with Recruitment Information

If they start working for a company and find that the company culture and environment is different from what was advertised to them in a job listing or during the interview process, new hires will likely feel dissatisfied with the job and think about leaving.

To counter this issue, ensure there is alignment with your job postings, the information you provide to candidates, and the actual work environment. Check that the roles and responsibilities listed match the real requirements for the job, too.

Provide Plenty of Guidance

Assigning a mentor ensures that new hires have someone to whom they can turn if they feel confused, overwhelmed, or have questions. This added support can increase retention and help new hires feel that they belong. It helps them to increase their productivity faster, too.

It’s also a good idea for higher-ups to arrange for regular check-ins with new employees as well. Meeting once a month for the first six months creates opportunities for open dialogue and allows employees to express concerns or ask questions that their mentor might not be able to answer.

Set Clear Expectations

Setting clear expectations from day one ensures that everyone is on the same page, minimizes confusion, and helps new hires to know exactly what they’re getting into when they start working at your business.

Remember, setting expectations goes beyond providing a list of responsibilities. It also involves explaining the company culture and values, as well as explaining primary goals and the metrics used to measure performance. Make sure that your onboarding process includes all of this information.

Examples of Effective Training and Onboarding

There are lots of well-known organizations that are using effective training and onboarding practices for new employees. The following are some great examples you might want to keep in mind:

Google

Former Google recruiter Bizer is a big fan of the Objectives and Key Results approach that the company uses for their quarterly goal-setting. OKRs help to establish clear expectations, improve company-wide performance and productivity, and provide new hires with a simple overview of the company’s teams and departments, as well as goals and how they are measuring the success of those goals.

Google onboarding also includes a mentorship program, known as the “Buddy Hire Program,” which ought to serve as inspiration for other businesses. This program provides nearly all new hires with a mentor who answers questions and speeds up their progress.

Weekdone

Weekdone includes playing games in the onboarding process. Giving new employees a chance to bond with their colleagues helps them to feel as though they’re part of the team and provides a clear introduction to what they can expect from the company culture.

Working remotely also doesn't have to stop you from engaging your new hires. There are plenty of virtual team building activities available, including online games.

Airbnb

Airbnb takes a different approach and provides new employees with welcome packages, which the last person who was hired is in charge of making. This is a personalized approach that also provides the newest person to join the team with insight into what they can expect and what they need to succeed.

Level Up New Employee Training Today

If you’ve been looking for ideas on how to train a new employee, keep the information discussed above in mind, especially the examples from other companies, and start putting it to the test today.