Remember the excitement of our first days in school? We couldn't wait to catch up with friends and share summer stories before diving into assignments, group tasks, and school activities. Once we started our working lives, we can all remember our fair share of awkward smiles, small talk on employees' first days, and the experience of eating lunch alone while observing other tables and interactions. If we were lucky, we had a fellow co-worker starting on the same day. As digital agency leaders, we hope our employees have a more enjoyable and welcoming first-day experience than we did!
In 2023, Deloitte reported that an effective onboarding process results in an 18% higher productivity and retention rate for employees, while only 12% of new hires agree that their employers do a great job onboarding. A well-structured onboarding plan in digital agencies is essential to continuously grow these figures and let recent hires genuinely feel that they are an important part of our organization — because they are. Without our rockstar candidates turning into satisfied, productive employees, we would be nothing.
So, are you ready to ace the seamless process of growing your team? Let's dive in!
What Is Employee Onboarding?
According to the Harvard Business Review, employee onboarding is a vital process where new employees acquire the information, skills, and culture to integrate into an organization. It is often supervised by the HR team and transitioned to the new employee's immediate team leader on their first day. Typically, the onboarding process starts as early as when a new job offer is handed to a candidate and continues until six months to one year after hiring.
An effective onboarding process minimizes employee turnover and onboarding costs by as much as 69%. This process also allows our new hires to step directly up into productivity. Without an efficient onboarding process, it might take them longer to start playing their role as part of the team and would only end up costing more to begin the hiring again with nada.
Why Is Effective Onboarding Critical for Digital Agencies?
Although new employees are often giddy with excitement to impress us on their first week, they are not computers that you can hand a big book of policy manuals to and expect to become the top performers in a matter of days. Digital agencies may face new hire challenges with poor employee onboarding experience. This can be detected by these signs during their first few months:
- Often confused or making the same mistake over and over
- Unmotivated and disengaged from the rest of the team
- Expressing a desire to quit (even jokingly)
- Ultimately, quitting before their first year
And that's the only time we realize we are DEFINITELY NOT ACING this onboarding job!
On the other hand, here are the benefits of a streamlined employee onboarding process:
- Makes embarking on the new role easier for our new employee
- Facilitates a smoother onboarding journey for our HR teams
- Helps with hiring the right people who stick around longer
- Builds trust and community with other team members
It sounds too good to be true, eh? Nope. These benefits are all possible, and we can enjoy the fruits of our efforts once we know how to create an effective onboarding plan.
How to Create an Effective Onboarding Plan
Now that we know how important an effective employee onboarding process is, it's time to plan to make one. Here are the steps to develop a comprehensive onboarding plan:
#1 Finalize the job offer
Preparing the job offer does not mean copy-pasting a relevant template from the internet. It may take up a lot of time, but establishing the job description, terms, compensation, and qualities suited for the role makes every effort worth it. Questions like what we are looking for in a potential candidate, where we will place them in the organization, and what they will be responsible for should be included in the job details. This (and having a life-saving hack) also spares our HR teams from going through a pile of resumes.
Don't forget to highlight the employee's duties and functions to provide a clear picture of the overall work and to set the candidate's expectations on the administrative routine tasks and role-specific work tasks that the job entails. Give the selected applicant your time and ears and listen to their salary negotiation because it is a negotiation. Justify the job offer more accurately based on the position's scope and impact.
#2 Craft a solid employee pre-boarding
After agreeing on the job offer, walk the new hire through the hiring process and keep them engaged from early on. By building their ties with the organization and keeping them interested even before their start date, they can be assured that they made the correct choice of accepting the job. Proceed with signing any necessary forms (like employee agreements, non-disclosure agreements, IRS forms, and payroll forms) and setting up their personal company email. Give a quick run-through on how their first day will be.
This is also the step in which we inform our team about the new hire. Briefly discuss the tasks and activities affected by the new role, who will be working with the new hire directly and indirectly, and how the team should make the new hire feel welcome and included.
#3 Complete the new hire's paperwork before the start date
Before the new hire officially starts their first day of work, it is essential to complete the paperwork to avoid eating up official working hours during their start day. Sort out and complete mandatory compliance and one-day courses on occupational safety, in-house training, and an overview of the organization's culture.
Benefits enrollment, human resources, and team forms should be completed at least a day before the new hire's start date. These documents may include the new hire's allergies, emergency contact details, or any medical condition we should be concerned about.
#4 Ensure inclusion on the employee's first day
A warm welcome enhances the employee's experience and significantly increases their comfort in their new working environment. Whether remote, hybrid, or on-site, our agencies should be a haven for them to be themselves, and we must enthusiastically bring out their full potential.
But how do we do that without disrupting regular operations?
Thoughtful planning and small gestures make them feel included on their first day. Conduct a brief office tour on their arrival, introduce key team members during a coffee break, and invite them to lunch and upcoming social events. A quick virtual welcome meeting can also be arranged (with a fun fact or two from each team member) just to break the ice and make the new hire feel relaxed and at ease in an informal setting. It can also help to assign an onboarding buddy to guide them, answer their questions, and provide support throughout the day.
#5 Establish performance metrics
Remember the job offer we mentioned earlier? The one we wish you didn't just copy from the internet? We will conduct a performance evaluation based on the tasks and responsibilities to ensure they align with our expectations and that we have achieved our hiring goals.
Annual reviews go both ways, so be ready to listen to what they think is other relevant information to help them succeed in their role. Pay attention to how their first year has been, whether the organization supports their growth, and what parts of our onboarding process should be improved to cater to new hires' needs. We'll discuss more on these later.
#6 Remember to tick off a checklist of essential elements
Creating a list to monitor if we have done everything in our onboarding plan is vital to keep us on track and efficient in our hiring process. For example, our employee onboarding won't be complete without:
- A finalized and signed offer letter and other paperwork with a copy provided for the employee
- Software passwords, digital workspace access, and tech setup from the IT team
- 1-on-1s with the hiring manager and 30-60-90 check-in meetings
For a complete lineup of critical onboarding items for our new employee, a new employee onboarding checklist makes all the difference from being a cluttered half-a$$ed disaster.
What Tools and Resources Can Enhance Onboarding?
Implementing a thorough, full-scale employee onboarding process can be overwhelming and confusing. Fortunately, in today's digital world, agencies can utilize appropriate technology to make our jobs easier. Here's an overview of tools and software that can help us facilitate the onboarding process:
Employee onboarding software
Our organization's human resource information system (HRIS) helps execute each step of our onboarding workflow. Platforms like Asana and Trello let us track employee onboarding tasks and milestones and ensure our paperwork is automatically saved and up to date. Utilizing a documentation platform like Google Workspace and Dropbox allows us to store and safely keep all employee records for easy access and retrieval.
Employee handbook
Having an employee handbook is like having a compass for new hires: It includes the company policies and SOPs to lay the ground rules and regulations of the agency, a manual for products and services offered, and a digital library of databases, directories, and organizational structure to help them find their way around. It's like giving them the FYIs and answers to their FAQs on what we do as an agency so they can learn how to talk the talk and walk the walk.
Welcome kit
A welcome kit is a resource for our new hires, typically handed on their start date, that could help them prepare for their first few weeks at work. This includes weekly and monthly work structures, tech access instructions, a schedule of company events and holidays, and tech equipment if there is any. Providing a welcome kit fosters a sense of belonging and appreciation, making new hires feel valued and prepared to take on Day 1.
Effective communication platforms
Establishing collaboration channels like Slack and Microsoft Teams enhances communication with employees, especially new hires. By regularly checking in with our new employees and providing data with context, we speed up the enculturation process, leading to faster productivity and assimilation—a vital aspect, especially for remote and hybrid agencies.
Tips on integrating these tools into our agency's workflow:
- Schedule regular check-ins for new employees
- Promote a supportive work environment by encouraging all team members to engage and participate
- Structure the use of LMS to each of the new hire's career path
Guiding new hires to feel right at home without the pressure of overwhelming both the existing and new employees shows our leadership and collaboration skills and our time management prowess, all while sippin' our Starbucks.
Key Elements of a Successful Onboarding Program
Making a new hire feel integrated with the organization takes more than conceptualizing an onboarding plan and listing the resources and platforms we need. New hires will remain unmotivated and disengaged without clear goals and expectations, continuous training, mentorship, and encouragement to embrace the work culture.
Transparent expectations and goals
Setting transparent goals and expectations is vital because it strengthens the alignment between company goals and personal growth. When new hires know what is expected of them and how their role affects the agency, clear goals guide their career development and help them see how their productivity and deliverables contribute to the company's bigger picture.
Proper training
Next, we need to prioritize providing proper training. Passing a pile of handouts or links to videos of training materials to our new employees IS NOT actual training. Instead, quick-start tutorials, on-the-job training, shadowing a co-worker, and asynchronous instructional courses can help them build trust in themselves doing the job while digesting bite-sized information.
Facilitating accelerated training programs can help new hires get up to speed with their key responsibilities. On the other hand, role-specific training is vital to up-skill and refine their expertise. Remember, organizational education should be a continuous process to keep every team member sharp, knowledgeable, competitive, and involved.
Mentorship
Assigning a go-to person for each new hire assures accountability and ongoing support beyond the initial 90 days. The mentor, or work coach, is a reliable resource for organizational questions and guidance in navigating their roles and the workplace atmosphere. Extended mentorship programs also promote long-term professional growth and lasting relationships within the team.
Cultural Integration
When we clearly communicate our company culture, it helps new hires understand and integrate our organizational values as early as their first day at work. It's about making them feel like a genuine part of the team and ensuring they align with our mission and vision. Immersion in team activities and participation during social events help them bond with colleagues and establish a solid cultural foundation for new employees.
How to Evaluate and Improve Your Onboarding Process
Collect REAL feedback
We may not know it, but fake feedback lingers within those surveys our employees are rushing to complete because they are mandatory. To extract the real juice, try employing different feedback-gathering methods for new employees. Tell them what they can gain from these activities and demonstrate our commitment to hearing the person out, really listening without any interruptions and without being defensive.
Conduct performance evaluations tailored for different phases – pre-hire, orientation, first week, first 90 days, and first year – as part of the onboarding program and prepare the right questions to evoke genuine responses. Don't forget to schedule the assessment and remind them a few days prior so they won't be rushed with the answers. Recognize their efforts to respond and give personalized, appreciative, and positive feedback as well.
Regularly assess and adapt
Ensure the employee onboarding process is up-to-date by regularly reviewing and updating training materials, checking all relevant KPIs, and involving managers and mentors for insights. Continuously incorporating feedback and letting new employees know their suggestions are heard strengthens employee satisfaction (and ensures they never leave) and helps refine the hiring process.
Set a long-term employment onboarding strategy
The employee onboarding process does not happen overnight. Setting a long-term strategy is essential for continuous improvement of the onboarding program. It will lead to automated and streamlined hiring processes for the benefit of our HR team and future new hires.
Align annual talent acquisition with overall business strategies by including opportunity planning for onboarded employees. This way, we can take care of their personal growth, skills development, and path towards longer tenure, saving us from the costs of training and retraining a new hire.
The Project Management Institute (PMI) reminds organizations that an onboarding program is an upfront investment in people. By exerting effort to provide generous coaching and guidance, exchange information, interact and communicate, and build networks, we do our share to get major ROI from our human resources.
Wrapping It Up: Your Blueprint for Onboarding Success
Let's highlight the critical points for creating a seamless employee onboarding program.
- Crafting a powerhouse onboarding plan includes a detailed job offer, solid pre-boarding requirements and completed paperwork, interaction, integration during the employee's first day, and performance metrics on which they will be evaluated.
- Incorporating tools and resources for self-paced tutorials, communication platforms, and access to collaboration channels can increase a new hire's experience, while feedback and strategic onboarding help increase satisfaction, productivity, and retention rates.
- Implementing continuous programs after their first year helps to guide the employee's career path, streamlines HR processes in documentation and training, and deeply integrates organizational culture and values.
Observing these strategies, creating a welcoming and transparent environment, and incorporating best practices into our employee onboarding process support our new hires' growth and organizational adaptation to maintain a high-quality onboarding experience to give our employees the best start possible.
Ready to elevate your onboarding process? Use our Hiring and Onboarding Checklist to ensure you're covering all the bases. Contact us today to learn more!
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