Are Your Onboarding Programs Doing More Harm Than Good?

Are Your Induction and Onboarding Programs Doing More Harm Than Good?

You would think that in today's economic climate the last thing you need to invest in is a new onboarding program, but according to the latest survey from talent retention specialists Performability Pty Ltd, that is exactly what many organisations should be doing.

Performability recently conducted extensive research to gauge the effectiveness of traditional induction programs. They assessed new starters at the beginning and at the end of each program and found that organisations often miss the mark when it comes engaging and supporting their star recruits.

'Some programs we looked at did more harm than good,' Jayne Marsh from Performability said. 'Even new starters who were optimistic at the outset, left induction programs unsure of how to connect with others, unable to express their concerns or engage others in important plans and decisions. New starters who aren't inducted in the appropriate way decrease their levels of Emotional Intelligence within the first 3 months of starting'

Performability research also revealed that many candidates who completed traditional induction programs lacked an understanding of expectations and KPIs and did not receive networking support.

In a landscape of budget cuts and intense competition, it is even more critical to retain and quickly develop talent. New recruits are expected to hit the ground running, yet our research show they simply don't get the support or resources they need,' Jayne said. 'Consequently, they are more likely to feel stressed and less able to cope with the daily pressure of their roles. In the organisations we surveyed, there was a 20% turnover of new starters at the end of 6 months.'


With this in mind, Performability set about developing a technique for onboarding and transitioning people and trialled it across a wide variety of organisations - with startling results. 'Jayne said, the results of the program we developed enabled new starters to increase emotional intelligence, productivity and engagement with the organisation within their first 3 months of starting. To assist with this process we engage the direct line manager to build their capability to induct their new starter. 100% of organisations we researched, failed to engage the direct line manager when inducting the new starter which leads to very poor outcomes.'

Aimed at top tier and middle managers, the program provides a personal trainer/coach for their first 90 days in the new organisation or new job role. Starting before day one of the job, it offers online access to information and resources, a proven emotional intelligence assessment to assist with the fast tracking of relationships, and networking support to ensure the candidate develops key relationships within the organisation.

In all organisations that conducted the trial, there was an increase in
productivity of 20% at the new starters' three month-marks. (It usually takes over six months to make a positive contribution.)

All new recruits in the pilot groups had a clear understanding and commitment to their organisation's values, purpose and vision. They also were more engaged and displayed higher levels of emotional intelligence than those who attended traditional induction programs. Notably, there was a zero turnover of new starters at the six-month mark.

'We know this technique is hitting the mark,' Jayne said. 'Smart companies hard work to find the right candidate only to see them move on within three
months through lack of support.'

For further information and interviews please contact Jayne Marsh of Performability on 03 9004 2171 or 0419 202 149 or [email protected]


SOURCE: Performability