GRCA Commerce Quarterly Spring 2019 - 14

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STRATEGIC ONBOARDING:

How critical is onboarding to employee
attraction and retention?
By Nic Thomas, Business & Community Development, Gage Personnel

Employers today are facing interesting shifts in the workforce.
The tighter this "full employment" market gets, the more competitive
and inventive employers must be to attract and retain their talent.

Gallup State of the American
Workplace Report:
* 21% of employees strongly agree their performance
is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work.
* A record 47% of the workforce says "now is a good
time to find a quality job."
* More than half of employees (51%) are searching for
new jobs or watching for openings.

The word "competitive" often precludes a jump to a discussion
about raising pay rates. While this measure is often warranted,
especially if it is long overdue, we would be remiss if we ignore the
changing landscape of our workforce, and what other expectations
they might have.
Today, many employers are taking a more strategic approach
to talent attraction and retention through strategic onboarding.
Please note that onboarding should not be confused with orientation. Onboarding should be used as a strategic tool to help create
productive and enthusiastic employees. Strategic onboarding is a
valuable tool that helps companies promote their culture, values
and potential for growth.
Generational differences are having dramatic effects on how
today's workforce views their employment relationship. One such
example is in what employees expect in the form of career potential.
We've heard about and are engaged with Career Ready Berks, which
educates students about different career opportunities. Our current
workforce wants the same thing: career opportunity and growth
potential. The problem: many job seekers lack the skills required
for their own career growth!
So, we're smack-dab in the middle of the proverbial "chicken or
egg" scenario. Are we focused on hiring people that meet all of our
job requirements? Or are we prepared to hire motivated people and
train them into becoming productive employees?
14 COMMERCE QUARTERLY SPRING 2019

According to a recent SHRM article written by Roy Maurer, "nearly
90% of employees decide whether to stay or go within the first six
months." Knowing that, do the employers reading this feel strongly
that they are set up for successful talent development and retention?
With strategic talent development, onboarding and training
programs, companies are finding success with increasing employee
retention and job satisfaction. It is imperative that companies
continue to build culture and create value through their onboarding. You don't need to be a company like Google to create a great
employee experience!
* "69 percent of employees are more likely to stay
with a company for three years if they experienced
great onboarding."
* "New employees who went through a structured
onboarding program were 58 percent more likely
to be with the organization after three years."
* "Organizations with a standard onboarding process
experience 50 percent greater new-hire productivity."
Statistics compiled by Click Boarding, an onboarding
software company in Eden Prairie, Minn., demonstrating the value of a structured onboarding process
or program.
Let's learn from some local companies who are leading the way
with talent attraction and onboarding, creating stronger organizations because of it. Here are some ways employers are leveraging
onboarding as a strategic engagement tool:
Fraser Advanced Information Systems - Lauren Christman,
Corporate Recruiter
Q: What is the goal of your onboarding/training program?
A: "Our goal is to transition the new employee as efficiently and
thoroughly as possible, not only into the role but also into our
culture and our team. We have found that our orientation and
onboarding process reduces ramp time and increases retention and
increases referrals."
Q: How long is your onboarding program?
A: "Onboarding is 90-100 days, but really we provide the extra
resources and support through an employee's first year."

GRCA Commerce Quarterly Spring 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRCA Commerce Quarterly Spring 2019