your complete guide to onboarding from decision to...

Onboarding | Best Practices

Your Complete Guide to OnboardingFrom Decision to Day One

© 2015 TalentWise, Inc. / 1.877.893.1665 / [email protected] / TalentWise.com 2

Onboarding | Table of Contents

A Look Inside...

3 The Journey Begins

Onboarding Best Practices

Onboarding with the Best

The Technology Solution

Onboarding with TalentWise

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What’s the most memorable day on the job? Think back to your own experience, from your first day flipping burgers or interning as a teenager, to your current position. Many days are a blur, but one always stands out: the first.

Structure a process that will optimize everyone’s time, create a smooth transition for the new employee, and set the stage for a long, productive tenure.

The 2013 Candidate Experience Awards survey revealed that onboarding practices are relatively consistent among the winning companies.

Onboarding is a people-oriented process that demands time and energy. Technology can help facilitate, but not replace it.

TalentWise onboarding services streamline and automate all the critical and time-sensitive tasks associated with bringing a new hire into your organization while providing a great experience for all involved. Our cloud-based software delivers current forms and TalentWise experts help you navigate compliance complexities.


Onboarding | The Journey Begins

Onboarding: The Journey Begins



What’s the most memorable day on the job? Think back to your own experience, from your first day flipping burgers or interning as a student, to your current position. Many days are a blur, but one always stands out: the first.

For both the new hire and the employer, there’s a lot riding on the first day. Either all the expectations and promise of the interviews will come to fruition, or hopes will be dashed.

Most employees decide whether to stick with a job within the first six months. Day one is where the rubber meets the road. Make the first impression a good one!

Onboarding: The Journey Begins



Onboarding: What It Is At its most effective, onboarding tells a cohesive, compelling employer brand story. It engages and socializes the new hire from the moment she steps through the door. And it lays the groundwork so that your new employee can become a productive, successful team member for the long haul.

Onboarding: What It’s Not Gone are the days when a new hire’s first day consisted solely of filling out benefit forms and perhaps attending an orientation. Although an effective onboarding process should include some or all of the following, it is more than:

• A welcome packet

• A meet-and-greet with leadership

• An orientation or training session

• A team lunch

• A first day gift bag

• A get-to-know-you game



You can’t afford not to invest in an engaging, inclusive program that bridges the gap between recruiting and a new hire’s transition into your organization. Here’s how a solid onboarding program impacts the bottom line:

Retention: In a 2013 study of 230 organizations by the Aberdeen Group, companies that excelled at onboarding— that crucial period between first day and fully immersed employee—achieved a stellar 91 percent employee retention rate.

Compare that to the 30 percent retention rate achieved by companies with less strategic onboarding programs.ee

Recruitment: By providing a positive, engaging experience in a competitive hiring environment, your organization will gain an edge in the war for talent.

Performance: An effective and inviting onboarding process boosts engagement. Companies with highly engaged employees rank 12 to 34 percent higher in customer satisfaction ratings, according to Vance.

Empowerment: Aided by a technology solution, your talent acquisition and HR teams can stop wrangling paperwork and start creating dynamic onboarding programs.

Employer Brand: Your new hire is sure to be asked, “How’s the new job?” Thanks to Glassdoor, Facebook, Twitter and other channels, your reputation as an employer is riding on the answer.

The ROI of Onboarding

Cost Savings: A Wynhurst Group study ballparks the cost of losing an employee within the first year at three times her salary.



The Empowered HR DepartmentStrategic onboarding starts with a fully empowered HR department. Human Resource professionals partner with their internal client groups to understand their needs and develop a process that will help the organization attract, onboard and retain the best talent. An effective process is:

Within appropriate time frames.

Within budget.

Aligned to strategic business initiatives.

Any business that wants to operate at its greatest potential needs a human resources department that functions at a high level.

How does an empowered HR department handle onboarding?

Instead of wrangling new hire paperwork, top-performing talent acquisition and HR teams focus on doing what they do best: finding, recruiting and securing the best talent for the organization. And then they devote time to creating dynamic, engaging onboarding programs.

The result? New hires will remember a transformative experience that immediately immerses them in the company culture, and be far more likely to stay.



Will your new hire become a happy employee, or a hiring horror story?

A good onboarding experience can make all the difference. Since a new recruit will decide within the first six months whether to stay with a company, an effective and inviting onboarding process is key to improving employee morale and retention.

Starting Off on the Right Foot

The first six months on the job are the most productive time for the new employee

32% of companies have formal onboarding programs

30% of these have programs lasting greater than one month



Challenged by work

Great placeto work

CompanyCulture

38%

36%

28%

Drivers for a Positive New Hire Experience

Source: Aberdeen Group, March 2014

What Makes for a Happy Employee?



Structure a process that will optimize everyone’s time, create a smooth transition for the new employee, and set the stage for a long, productive tenure. Here are the pillars of success:

Centralize the process – Whether it’s HR or the hiring department, assign one resource to oversee onboarding.

Automate forms management – Don’t burden new employees with paperwork on day one. Send all benefit information in advance, electronically and securely.

Align onboarding goals to business goals – Give the new employee a turn at bat by providing some meaningful work on day one.

Articulate the new hire’s potential impact – Outline your organization’s big goals and explain how your rookie employee fits in to the big picture. Describe her potential impact on the company.




Day One ChecklistA new hire’s first day can be hectic for everyone. Avoid last-minute mixups and set the stage for success with this to-do list. • Create a warm welcome

• Specify a start time for day one

• Assign someone to greet the new hire

• Offer a small welcome gift

• Confirm that the new hire’s manager is in the office and available to meet with her

Provide the tools the new employee needs to become productive:• Fully equipped work space: desk, chair, computer

• Voicemail setup instructions

• Network passwords

• Building/garage access codes or cards

• Instructions on how to resolve IT questions

Involve the entire team• Decorate the newbie’s cube

• Host a welcome lunch

• Organize one-on-one welcome meetings

• Plan an orientation and company overview

• Schedule time with key leaders to give insight into company goals

Create a seamless transition from the recruiting process to the new job• Send benefits enrollment forms in advance—electronically and securely

• Set up automatic payroll deposit—also in advance

• Schedule an orientation to the company

• Arrange a meaningful task to complete on day one

• Connect the dots: Explain how the new hire’s job relates to company mission

• Book regular touchpoints over the first six months of employment

Hi. I’mnew

Onboarding: Extra Credit - Make it clear to your new hire that you’re invested in her success by pairing her with a mentor.



7 Onboarding Mistakes to AvoidSidestep these common pitfalls of the onboarding process to create an engaging, positive first day for your new hire.

Don’t:

Maroon the new employee in a conference room to fill out forms

Schedule the first day when the new hire’s manager is absent

Fail to provide basic tools of the job: work space, computer passwords

Drop a welcome packet on the newbie’s desk and call it good

Equate an orientation session with onboarding

Leave the new hire to navigate the office for herself

Assume that no news is good news



A prominent Northwest company recruited a senior executive for a key role. He accepted the position after a lengthy interview process and moved his family across several states. It was a big risk—his kids had to change schools and his spouse left a successful job. Still, this new hire was excited about the role and assured his family that this move would be terrific for everyone.

Prior to his first day on the job, he received great information from the central HR department about the new employee orientation scheduled for day one. However, despite repeated requests for more information from his new manager, he received no post-orientation instructions. Relying on his memory of the interview, the new hire completed the day-long orientation and went to find his new manager and office. When he finally found it, no one was there. Attempts to find an administrative staff person to assist him were unsuccessful.

He wandered the hallways until he found someone from his new team who thought he knew where the new hire would be sitting. The colleague took him to a small, cramped office. On the desk was a laptop but otherwise the office was unfurnished. No chair. No bookcase. The new hire opened the laptop only to find that he was locked out of the company network. Unable to do anything that day, he left, feeling discouraged.

At home, his newly-relocated family asked, “So, how’s the new job?” The executive put a positive spin on a negative day.

Day two proved little better. With assurances from the manager he’d emailed from home, he attended the second day of orientation. Afterwards, he again headed back to his office, commandeering a chair along the way. This time, there was an administrative person there to greet him but she had little time to assist him.

This frustrating experience continued for a week. During this time, the new hire struggled to maintain a brave face for his family. It took a very long time to wash away the bad taste of day one.

A Cautionary Tale: How NOT to Onboard


Onboarding | with the Best




The 2013 Candidate Experience Awards survey revealed that onboarding practices are relatively consistent among the winning companies:

69.4% had new hires complete paperwork online

Their candidates – now new hires who most certainly consider themselves winners in the competition for a job – are nearly universally positive about their onboarding experience:

• 87.2 percent of the hired candidates were positive about their onboarding experience.

49.2% of candidates received a call from HR

39.7% of candidates received a call from the hiring manager




8 Organizations that Are Getting it RightTake your cue from companies that have empowered their HR departments to do more than push paper on an employee’s first day. They show how onboarding can showcase company culture and build loyalty from the start.

Google: Join the Class

New hires are called “Nooglers” and start a whirlwind orientation the first day. They get some great swag, including a Noogler tee-shirt, and meet their “class” of fellow new hires. They are also paired with mentors to help them learn the ropes. And of course, Nooglers get to partake of the famous food in the Google cafes. (Beware the “Google 15” weight gain!)

Birchbox: Calling Card

The curator of beauty and grooming products equips each new employee’s desk with the technology essentials plus a candy bowl and a special callout: a handmade welcome flag that proclaims, “Hi. I’m new. Come say hi!”

Hi. I’mnew



Bonobos: Fact and FictionIn keeping with the clothing retailer’s cheeky attitude, every new employee’s tenure starts with a little tease. Prior to the newbie’s first day, the hiring manager emails the entire company an introduction, complete with brief biography and photograph. The tease is a game called “Two Truths and a Lie.” Of three “facts” included about the new employee, only two are true. To uncover the lie, employees must meet the rookie. The first person to spot the lie snags a $25 store credit.

Rover: Free Range EmployeesFreshly hired developers are already off leash from the word go. They make live updates to the online dogsitting service’s website on day one.

Warby Parker: Literary LegacyThis maker of prescription eyeglasses gives a copy of Jack Kerouac’s “Dharma Bums” to each new employee because the book inspired the company name. Rounding out the Warby Parker welcome kit are a gift certificate for a free eye exam; two pairs of glasses (one to keep and one to give away); the company founders’ favorite snack food, Martin’s Pretzels; and a gift certificate to a Thai restaurant—because it harks back to the company’s early days in Philadelphia.

REI: Get Your Hands DirtyA perennial on Fortune magazine’s annual list of the 100 best companies to work for, the outdoor gear purveyor initiates new retail employees into its culture by including an outdoor service project in its employee orientation.

Wheatsville: Inspiring GenerosityThis Austin-based food co-op promotes its core value of generosity by giving each new employee two small food items, such as a couple of oranges. The first is to keep, and the second is to be given away to another person before then end of the new hire’s first day.

Zappos: Bet You Won’tAlways the HR groundbreaker, the online retailer offers all new hires who complete its training program $3,000 to leave. That’s how highly the company values a good cultural fit.


Onboarding | The Technology Solution




Onboarding is a people-oriented process that demands time and energy. Technology can help facilitate, but not replace it.

By moving new hire paperwork and the initial socialization process to a unified online system, you can improve the experience for HR and new employees alike.

Your rookie employees can skip the day-one paperwork and complete all new hire forms electronically and securely—before they ever set foot in the office or on the jobsite. And your HR recruiters are freed to do what they do best: interact with new employees on a person-to-person level.




Powering Business by Investing in HR TechAccording to a 2014 survey by global services giant Towers Watson, one in every three companies will increase and redirect their investments in HR technology as they embrace talent management solutions, HR portals, software-as-a-service (SaaS) systems and mobile applications.

Companies are realizing the value that consumer-grade technology brings to HR and are willing to make smart investments that can grow and evolve with the business.

-Mike DiClaudio, Global Practice Leader, Towers Watson

“ “



Choosing a new software solution can be a daunting proposition. But, with a little preparation, it can be painless. The time and money you spend up front will be more than recouped in the end, when you’ve implemented a system that fits your needs and makes your entire department run more efficiently.

Assess Your Landscape

You can’t get where you want to go if you don’t know where you’ve been. Take a hard look at your current technology solutions. Identify bottlenecks and critical steps that make or break your efficiency. For hiring, look at your entire process, and go through it from the perspective of a candidate.

• What is the experience that you want them to have? What will drive engagement early on in the process?

• What sets you apart from other employers, and how do you address the diverse needs of the different generations, specifically Millennials?

• What do you want your ideal software solution to accomplish?

• How broad and far reaching does it need to be in its capabilities?

• What is the true cost to recruit, hire and train one candidate?

HR Software Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose

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Involve the Stakeholders

Don’t make these decisions in a vacuum. Think about others who use your current systems or would be affected by a new software purchase. The list is often longer than you think, as you’ll need to involve all your HR end users, your IT folks, payroll specialists, and anyone whose responsibility touches this process, or whose job will be impacted by change. Executive buy-in is also critical. Consider suggestions for “must have” features in the final product. An ROI calculator can help make your case.

Research the Players

This task can be so daunting that organizations sometimes hire industry consultants who act as “matchmakers” for technology providers. But there’s no need to be overwhelmed. Do some research and get some recommendations.

LinkedIn groups and professional associations are great places to ask unbiased HR professionals what is working and what is not. Cull your options to a short list of possibilities.

But don’t just go for tried and true – look for innovators. An organization that hasn’t altered its offerings in five years might not be adjusting to the changing landscape

Take a Test Drive

Get a demo of the product and ask tough questions. View the solution from every stakeholder’s perspective, including your employees. Ask what future releases will include. This question will reveal the features that aren’t yet available. If these items are mission critical, you might not want to wait. Ask to “drive” the product yourself, rather than having a salesperson do it.

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Consider Your Other Systems

Integration can mean lots of things to different people. Make sure you understand the capabilities of the integration. If a custom integration is required, be sure that all software solutions are open to such integration, and that it has been completely scoped out and the complete costs identified and quantified. Optimally, look for certified partnerships between vendors that will ensure a seamless integration.

Consider the Human Element

There’s more to a technology purchase than the software and hardware. You need to feel comfortable with the human team that stands behind them. Your sales rep is a window into the company and its operations. Be sure you are entering into a partnership and not just a relationship with another vendor. When you have questions or need guidance, is there a team to help you? Who will offer training to end users? The relationship with the provider will be there for a long time. Make sure it’s with people you like working with.

Sign on the Dotted Line

Congratulations. You’ve selected the perfect HR technology solution for your needs. Rejoice!

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Bring the Team On Board

Now it’s your turn to educate your internal users on implementation and training. A little planning will save time in the long run. You’ve chosen a partner that gives great support, so don’t be afraid to ask for it. Make sure everyone knows the objectives of the tech purchase so that any feedback or questions will be measured against them. Keep communication freely flowing during deployment and training to maximize efficiency.

Measure Results and Report Findings

Enjoy your new system while continually evaluating it. Measure your results to make sure your investment was worthwhile. Regularly communicate with your account manager or sales contact about best practices and software updates. Send feedback on future improvements or features that you’d like to see. Your new partner should be collecting data on the back end and sharing it with you. Make sure you’re using it to your advantage. Take your analysis and present it to your executive team. Receive accolades for your wise technology software purchase.



Measuring SuccessBefore you invest in creating or updating an onboarding system, it’s important to know what impact you intend to make. An automated system can save HR many hours of wrangling paperwork, but there are other key performance indicators to track.

These are the most common metrics that measure the success of an onboarding program:

• Length of time from offer letter to start

• Time required to process hiring paperwork

• Error rates on hiring forms such as I-9

• Retention rates

• Recruiting and hiring costs

• Employee engagement


Onboarding | with TalentWise




TalentWise onboarding services streamline and automate all the critical and time-sensitive tasks associated with bringing a new hire into your organization while providing a great experience for all involved. Our cloud-based software delivers current forms and TalentWise experts help you navigate compliance complexities. Configurable workflows that map to your hiring needs can help you eliminate paper and reduce time in your onboarding process. You can breathe easier and have the confidence that government-mandated and corporate new hire forms are being completed accurately, while preparing your new hires for a productive day one.

Company Branded Candidate Portal

• Secure, online portal with anytime, anywhere, any device access

• New hires complete hiring tasks like completing and signing government and corporate forms

• Simple, self-service tools to manage branding and content within the portal, including policy documents, social media, and video




eForms Library for Streamlined Onboarding

• eOffer letters – customizable templates

• Government forms including electronic Form I-9 and E-Verify, W4/W9, over 120 State tax withholding forms, equal employment opportunity

• Corporate forms — standard and custom — including direct deposit and emergency contact

• Supplemental hiring documents like your company’s unique health, dental, life, disability, 401k enrollment, corporate policies, etc.

Key Benefits

• A professional and engaging onboarding experience that can impact brand equity

• Configured hiring workflows to map to your unique needs for positions across the organization

• Increased efficiency in your hiring process by pushing candidate data through screening and onboarding tasks

• Confidence that your onboarding process is consistent, aligned to corporate goals, and encourages compliance

• Prepare your new hires for a meaningful and productive first day



We moved to TalentWise for the compliance and their pricing. But then we

put together the onboarding piece, which is different for each of our clients,

and that’s where we’ve really seen the difference. It’s made the process a

lot smoother and it eliminated a lot of paper…Internally, it’s really cleaned

up our process. Externally, it gave us a better branding appeal to our

candidates. We look more professional as a company. - Namita Premnath, HR and Immigration Manager, InfoVision

“ “

© 2015 TalentWise, Inc. / 1.877.893.1665 / [email protected] / TalentWise.com

30% annual revenue growth YOY 16% employee growth YOY 99.97% screening accuracy rate

25% customer growth YOY 28% increase of new hires served by TalentWise YOY

48 cNPS score

TalentWise by the Numbers

About TalentWiseTalentWise, a leading cloud solutions provider for the Human Capital Management industry, is transforming how HR screens and onboards new hires from offer letter to day one. The TalentWise Cloud is built on a foundation of compliance, embracing federal, state, and local government regulations; industry standards; and corporate policies. The single solution unifies HR systems and tasks, delivering a streamlined workflow. HR can have more confidence, breathe easier and deliver an awesome new hire experience. Recognitions include: “Top 10 Provider” in HRO Today’s Baker’s Dozen for seven consecutive years; Red Herring North America Top 100 and Inc. 5000 in 2015.

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