A good, structured onboarding process is a proven method of making sure employees are introduced to a firm in a way that can maximize their productivity.
But sometimes, the onboarding process can be overwhelming. This can happen if the process contains too much information – everything from their initial computer password to personnel forms to retirement benefits to report on sexual harassment in the workplace.
If the information becomes too overwhelming, a portion of it won’t be retained and accessed. The key to onboarding information is to provide enough, but not too much.
Here are five signs that employers are giving employees too much information within the first few weeks.
Employees can’t remember access codes, passwords, or locations.
Sometimes, onboarding includes giving employees relevant access codes to a building or a specific floor, or passwords for their computer, or maps to essential sites for them. These are provided so they can get up and running physically.
If you have a rash of employees not being able to remember their credentials or where to access their information, it could be that they received too much information or have too much paperwork.
Managers complain their new hires aren’t focused.
Employees need to understand what their primary goals are in a new job. If they’ve received too much information, they may not be fully able to separate the critical expectations of their career from other goals. They could focus on the teamwork expectation, for instance, and socialize excessively rather than focusing on completing their primary tasks.
Direct supervisors should take the time to go over the most critical expectations for employees within the first week.
New hires don’t complete paperwork in a timely way.
The standard onboard procedure almost always includes filling out paperwork. If there is a chronic and noticeable issue with new hires failing to complete the required paperwork in a timely way, they could be overloaded with information.
Required paperwork needs to be designated as such. It also helps to give specific dates by which it should be completed.
Employees leave within the first 90 days.
If new hires leave, it creates several burdens for the company. First, departments are scrambling to recruit, with a time burden on the managers and possibly employees. Second, hiring and training costs money, which is lost when a just-trained employee leaves.
Institute an exit interview policy so you can learn why relatively new hires leave. Ask specifically if onboarding was helpful or how it could be improved.
Employees don’t integrate with the team.
Some onboarding processes assign peer mentors to new hires. Mentors may create a risk, though that a new employee will bond with the peer mentor but not necessarily with the rest of the team.
Take steps to integrate new hires with their teams, such as weekly lunches or get-togethers.
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