10 Hidden Benefits to Perfecting Your Onboarding Process (Part 2)
This is part two of my 10 Hidden Benefits of Perfecting Your Onboarding Process. For the first five hidden benefits, check out part one.
Onboarding forces your to closely examine your current processes and training materials but it also gives you a chance to reflect on the company's growth and trajectory. Here are 5 more hidden benefits of perfecting your onboarding system.
Examine your company's culture You'll need to introduce any new hires to the rest of their department in the first couple days or weeks of their onboarding experience. Then you will likely expand the introductions to additional departments. You might have an idea of what it's like to work at your company, but there's nothing more telling than stepping into a new experience without bias. Make sure that your team is welcoming to new hires and determine if your company needs to adjust its culture one way or another (over time, of course). Gather as much objective feedback from new hires to determine how their experience has been, if the company met their expectations, and have them describe the culture if they're up for it.
Reflect on the current state of your company Whenever you prepare onboarding materials, you dive into the minutiae of the role you're onboarding. This can be a wonderful opportunity to see how far the company or department has come over the years or during your tenure. It can also be a great reality check if you're just starting out. Remember, you're just getting started and already making improvements if you're following the simple onboarding method. Give yourself some credit for growing or kick it into high gear!
Enhance the relationship between departments When you prepare onboarding materials, you get a firm understanding of how departments interact with one another and how individuals work cross-functionally. Consider implementing more (or less) face time between departments if it makes sense.
Evaluate the superstars on your team Onboarding takes a lot of work and is a team effort. You'll be able to see who on your team steps up to help their new team members and wants their department to succeed.
Determine when you can scale Preparing onboarding materials can let you know how smoothly your systems are running and what your capacity is to take on additional clients or deliverables.
I hope these 10 hidden benefits of perfecting your onboarding give you a new perspective as your company grows.
Image by Sebastian Hermann on Unsplash