Effective onboarding matters

EMPLOYEE onboarding is an essential part of the employee experience, and it’s a process that should be done with care and attention.

- MICHAEL GULLAN

Onboarding is the foundation that sets new employees up for success. Well-considered onboarding and implementation ensure new employees get out of the starting gates from day one. A survey conducted by Glassdoor puts the average cost of hiring a new employee at R75 000. One way to ensure hiring managers get a return is by implementing a strong onboarding programme that's more than a warm welcome, a tour of the office and a brief introduction to colleagues.

Data shows that effective onboarding not only improves employee retention, it also significantly enhances productivity early in a new hire’s tenure.

Here are important onboarding tips to get employees off to a successful start:

Training plan

Onboarding should be a key part of any organisation's programme. Onboarding courses should be personalised, tailored to different employee profiles and ready for new hires on their first day.