Yannik, what makes a good onboarding process for you?
Good onboarding follows a clear structure and ensures transfer at all points. To achieve this, it is necessary to keep asking yourself the question "What is the goal?". Onboarding begins long before the first working day of new team members with precise planning and can flow seamlessly into further personnel development measures. We can define these individual steps and map them transparently so that onboarding becomes intuitive for new team members and measurable in their future day-to-day work.
I have learnt that there also need to be phases in which the onboarders deal with topics and content independently - at their own pace. If you believe in trust and personal responsibility among employees, you should also anchor these values in onboarding. Independent onboarding is the time when feedback is often generated, which is particularly valuable for optimising future onboarding or company topics.
What disruptive factors have you encountered?
Focusing on people and developing their potential only works if external factors, such as a high current workload in the team, do not jeopardise onboarding. It is a no-go if onboarding has to be repeatedly interrupted or even cancelled. In the end, the onboardees are on their own and think to themselves: "My induction doesn't seem to be a high priority".
So everything should be planned in detail?
Despite clear structures, no two onboarding programmes are identical. Flexibility in onboarding means being able to cater to the individual learning styles in the team. If we support the onboardees on their journey through coaching and sparring, we recognise early on what they need.
For example, on-the-job training is necessary for those who only realise their true potential when they put it into practice. Documenting processes in a knowledge database is time-consuming, but pays off in terms of more efficient familiarisation. The additional step towards media such as videos reaches an even wider spectrum of learners.
Not to forget: The communicative learners who use conversations with colleagues to deepen their knowledge. Offers such as introductory talks or a direct exchange of knowledge are helpful for this.
That sounds like a lot of responsibility for the onboarding officer.
It is, and the entire team can support this by also taking responsibility. If values play a central role - and in my opinion they should - these values should also be lived and every facet of onboarding should be characterised by them. Values are carried by every person in the company and must be tangible for the onboardees. If the narrative is on a par with the experience, the company becomes authentic and approachable.
Which point do you consider to be particularly important?
Values are best expressed through people and actions. I am convinced that, in addition to the "standardised approach", there are many ways to better develop potential in onboarding. This requires precise planning as well as an open approach to the individuality that each new team member brings to the company! This in turn generates feedback, which is helpful in finding new ways to strengthen growing teams from day 1.
