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    Employee Onboarding

    What is an Onboarding Experience?

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    Ethan Israel
    November 30, 2022
    3 min read
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    The onboarding experience is a vital one for employees and employers alike. It gives both sides the chance to get in sync from the start.

    Being on the same page from the beginning means employees can come up to speed on company expectations quickly, and employers can better prepare new hires so that their professional ambition aligns best with company goals.

    Onboarding Experience Defined

    What is the onboarding experience? It’s the collective first moments – hours, days, weeks, or sometimes longer – where the business and the new hire get to know each other.

    While employees are learning everything they can about their new jobs, team members, company culture, objectives, and more, the employer is also learning a great deal about the new people. The best kind of onboarding experience is an interactive, two-way street.

    The onboarding experience is the process of bringing aboard new employees into an organization and helping them become familiar with their new job and workplace.

    There are dozens of ways to make the onboarding experience more interesting, interactive, memorable, and inclusive. Onboarding doesn’t have to be about watching a seemingly endless series of PowerPoint slides.

    Interactive, inclusive onboardings provide new hires with a richer first experience with the company and a much more engaging orientation.

    The Value of Inclusive Onboarding

    Too many companies make the mistake of bombarding new hires with volumes of information about the business without giving them a chance to share anything about themselves. This is a missed opportunity.

    Inclusive onboarding isn’t one-sided; it includes plenty of opportunities for new employees to communicate – and to feel that they are genuinely being seen and heard.

    What’s more, inclusive onboarding welcomes everybody. Everyone participates. Everybody’s needs are accommodated. Every person matters.

    3 Tips to Make the Onboarding Experience Great

    Even if your new hires are working remotely and the onboarding experience is online, you can make it a great one by following these five tips, which work well for both in-person and remote settings.

    Focus on Being Inclusive. Make all your new employees feel included by empathizing with them, helping them feel welcome, and showing your appreciation. Include everyone.

    For example, find something positive to say about each new hire. Give all new hires the chance to provide you with feedback. Be sure to thank each person individually for their feedback, and respond to all questions, thoughts, and concerns in a timely manner.

    Engage Your New Hires. Some new hires are shy and quiet, while others are more outspoken. Engage all your new people, even the more reserved ones, by providing different ways for them to communicate.

    In a group setting, incorporate a variety of ice breakers, games, and other fun activities to give everyone a chance to be heard.

    Maintain Two-Way Communication. While training is involved in the onboarding experience, don’t make it just about teaching the new people about your business.

    Make it more about everyone getting to know each other and feel comfortable working together. Invite and encourage two-way communication.

    Encourage Questions and Offer Resources

    You won’t get through everything your employees need to know during the onboarding experience, and that’s okay. Hopefully they’ll be with you a long time, and they’ll learn as they go.

    To keep helping your employees adjust to their roles beyond the initial onboarding experience, encourage them to reach out with questions. Provide different avenues for them to connect, including email, messaging apps, and team meetings, for example.

    Be sure to offer any resources that might help all your new hires. Also offer specific resources and accommodation to any individuals who might need them. When the onboarding experience is inclusive, thoughtful, engaging, and fun, everyone benefits.

    Get in touch and let us show you how Juno Joruney’s LMS module, with it’s built-in rich onboarding experience solution can elevate your organization’s onboarding.

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