One aspect of a good employee experience is tailoring the onboarding process to the employee. There has been a shift towards creating an increasingly personalised experience for a new starter, based on their role, experience, and personal preferences and requirements, and a move away from the “one size fits all” process.
To tailor the onboarding experience to the employee, begin by thinking about the individual you are bringing into the role. This will help you to personalise the onboarding activities for your new starter, including those provided by other departments. Ask yourself:
- What experience does the employee have? For example, experienced hires might need more focus on networking, but a less experienced team member might need support understanding the business structure and what each department does, and perhaps role-based training.
- What does the employee already know? You will have some understanding of your newcomer from the recruitment process, so consider this as you plan their onboarding journey. For example, have they used similar systems before, and how comfortable are they with the technology your business uses?
- What is the context within which the employees has started in your team? While onboarding is usually viewed as a process to welcome newly recruited staff, it can also be used following a takeover or merger, or where employees are transferred from a different part of the business. For example, if someone has transferred internally, is there a different culture in your team – perhaps chat to their previous manager to get a sense of what’s similar/different?
- What is the individual’s situation? To consider how best to support the employee, think about their personal situation. For example, do they need flexibility around start and finish times to get used to a new commute? To do this effectively, you will need to spend time getting to know the employee.
