TM - March 2008 - (Page 50)

dashboard Figure 3: Time to Make Decision to Stay With Employer Beyond the first six months on the job The first six months on the job The first month on the job The first week on the job The first day on the job After accepting offer but before employment begins 0 5 14% 37% 29% 13% 3% 4% 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 % of all respondents Source: Aberdeen Group, January 2008 capacities and environments has never been more critical and has organizations looking beyond traditional new-hire orientation programs and toward formalized on-boarding strategies. Competition for human capital talent does not go away with an accepted job offer. An initial employment experience that does not align with preconceived employment expectations does nothing to quell the unknown and build confidence. All organizations must make on-boarding a part of every job fill process — from new employee to internal transfer to job promotion. In addition to managing a checklist of forms and tasks, companies need to emphasize the human element of on-boarding and formally include socialization as a primary element. in-class companies, on the other hand, are 30 percent more likely extend the on-boarding period beyond one month for senior-level executives and regular, full-time employees. The role of automation. Best-in-class companies aggressively use talent management technology tools to aid in new hire retention and productivity. More than two-thirds of best-in-class organizations have fully or partially automated their on-boarding processes. Examples of automation in on-boarding processes include: • Automatic messaging to HR or facility personnel to ready the workstation once candidate status is changed to employee. • Smart e-mails to new employees alert them to begin enrolling in their benefits programs. • Messages about training requirements and class availability. • Automatic instructions to arrange meetings with hiring managers upon commencement of employment. In addition to the use of automation in specific processes, best in class also lead in the use of performance management tools and assessment tools for skills, knowledge, attributes and/or behaviors. Best-in-class companies realize, in order to increase retention and shorten time to productivity for new hires, they need to monitor performance early in the process and help newly acquired talent set career development plans. Aberdeen’s research uncovered that growth in technology adoption among the best in class is focused on improving accuracy, timeliness and awareness of new hire or internal job transfer data, as well as the proactive pursuit and management of career development. Recommendations A vital factor to ensure the success of the onboarding process is to assign new employees, including new leaders, a mentor or coach for the first six months. Furthermore, organizations must define and communicate the role of the mentor/coach to the mentor and the employee. In addition to the aforementioned, the following specific recommendations apply: • Laggard organizations must begin by identifying key business issues an on-boarding initiative should address before investing in any formal program. Upon implementation, they must regularly evaluate program performance to ensure appropriate steps are taken to adapt to HCM challenges. • Industry average organizations must put in place processes that standardize new employee development. With firm processes in place, these organizations must look to leverage tools that align new employees with the appropriate development plan, as well as track and report progress against such a plan. Additionally, they also should seek to maintain consistent forms and tasks records. • Best-in-class organizations must expand onboarding to all stakeholders and extend their programs to six months. This will ensure all new employees receive the support network, programs and/or tools to not only ensure a positive first experience, but also to perform to potential capacity. Best in class also must track new-hire performance and respond proactively to needs. Organizations can and must leverage new employees’ experience into competitive advantage. In addition to the efficiencies and time savings that will result from standardizing and automating the data collection elements of on-boarding, organizations also will experience retention and productivity gains that result from a more engaged, motivated and satisfied workforce. Kevin Martin is research director and practice leader, and Jayson Saba is a research associate with the human capital practice in research and market intelligence provider Aberdeen Group. They can be reached at editor@TalentMgt.com. On-boarding is not a nice to have, but rather a need to have. The need to retain new employees and enable them to perform productively in their new 50 March 2008 talent management magazine www.TalentMgt.com http://www.TalentMgt.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of TM - March 2008

TM - March 2008 Editor's Letter Contents Human Performance - The Paradoxically Gifted Leading Edge - Reverse Engineering: Shifting Focus to HR's Cause Learning Connection - Sharing Talent On the Hunt for Talent Unlock Employee Motivation Through Personality Testing HR Crucial to Executive Compensation Process Downtown Management: Surfing May Not Be Slacking Think Tanks Aid Government in Talent Management Creating Consistency: Enterprise-Wide Succession Plans Battle Retention Deficits With On-Boarding Sunbelt Rentals: A Mid-Level View of HR From the Trenches Butterball: No Chicken When It Comes to Talent Management Advertisers' Index Editorial Resources Full Potential - Choosing Change

TM - March 2008

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