In these changing times how can companies efficiently and effectively onboard and train new hires?
It seems that everything nowadays is optimised for perfection. Technologies and frameworks have the potential to greatly impact how organisations source, recruit and onboard new employees and now more than ever, the onboarding process is critical to overall happiness and staff retention.
So, in 2025, what can these organisations do to ensure that their onboarding practices are having the desired outcome?
Don’t pause for emphasis
A drawn out onboarding process has the potential to deter a talented new hire, as they might feel that it is a warning sign of an indecisive, ill-equipped and unprofessional working space.
Early mistakes, such as failing to contact the new hire quickly, forgetting to send on important documentation in a timely fashion, not checking in during onboarding, not setting them up on necessary systems and giving them a weak job description are just a few of the many mistakes that can be made, but that go on to have a negative impact, much like falling dominos.
Make it immersive
Starting a new job can be nerve wracking. During onboarding and those first few weeks it may be difficult to train new hires in areas that are customer or stakeholder facing, as jitters and a lack of confidence can prevent growth.
For that reason innovative solutions can sometimes be great in situations that require both quick thinking and a degree of delicacy. Immersive VR technologies enable newly onboarded staff to tackle real problems and challenges, in a low-risk learning environment.
Simulations can be employee specific and for larger organisations VR tech can also help employees become familiarised with the building, to avoid becoming lost, or just to make the first few days easier to navigate.
The interactive experience, whilst being novel and creative, is also a unique way to show new hires the potential of technology to greatly impact their day-to-day working life, as well as indicating that training is an important aspect of recruitment.
Make it personal
Companies could benefit from acknowledging that onboarding is not a one-size-fits-all activity. To ensure a seamless, (or as seamless as possible) transition, organisations should aim to personalise the onboarding experience for new hires and implement tailored onboarding, training and catch up regiments.
Different departments should have individualised goals and processes so onboarding is relatable to the position. It also means that disruption to teams will be minimal as each employee, regardless of their role, will have an objective and a team to lean on should they have questions or concerns about the job.
Encourage mentorship
You can give a new hire all of the necessary technical resources to succeed and still they might find themselves falling behind. Starting a new role often requires guidance and support from people who not too long ago were in the exact same position.
By matching new hires with mentors and peers, organisations can help people integrate quickly, so they aren’t new or out of place for too long. Companies should also ensure that recently onboarded staff members are included in social events and company culture, to avoid feelings of isolation and otherness.
Be transformation ready
Often organisations will be set in their ways when it comes to processes or procedures and may be unwilling to alter how they operate. However, it can be helpful to be open to reasonable criticism, not just because it is important to listen to the workforce, but also because it enables an organisation to amend policies that are not working as intended.
Anonymous surveys, one-on-one sessions and independent reviews can be a handy way of obtaining information in relation to how onboarding policies and practices are being received. By keeping an open mind and restructuring inefficient frameworks employers can ensure a worthwhile and appreciated onboarding procedure.
Onboarding happens right at the start of a person’s career within a new organisation, however, it is an especially crucial aspect of the overall job experience, as it can colour how you view the company, right from the beginning.
If that experience is a negative one it means that you may not give 110pc, that you are unlikely to form workplace bonds and that you may not speak favourably of the organisation to others. With this in mind, companies should prioritise the onboarding journey, acknowledging that you should never really stop or deter momentum.
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