Rethinking the best way to help new hires settle in
Written by Dan Parry • 9 May, 2022
Leadership Article
Procedures for onboarding new recruits are evolving. Once, joiners were quietly merged into a team. These days they are more likely to be ‘unboxed’, with the flourish more usually reserved for that magical moment when you take a new phone out of its packaging with the intention of thoroughly looking after it. It’s a feeling that makes people feel valued from the moment they start, it helps them hit the ground running and it relies on a rethink in traditional onboarding techniques.
In our troubled times of economic uncertainty and war in Europe, companies need to be adaptable. However, far from encouraging new hires to be agile in their thinking, traditional onboarding techniques often take the opposite approach, moulding people to fit into a standard way of working.
An alternative method helps new employees bring more of themselves to work. This fosters a spirit of creative input from the start, and it begins by ‘unboxing’ people days or even weeks before their first day in the job.
The process of recruiting, hiring and training new employees is expensive and time-consuming. If you pick the wrong person, you might have to repeat the process. Ultimately, leaders are looking to help a new hire settle in before they start wondering whether this is really the job for them.
According to research by the Mellon Financial Corporation, professionals take just under five months and executives just over six months to settle in to a new job. To shorten these timeframes, and help people get up to speed, HR departments lead new hires through a programme of actions and events designed to help them feel familiar with their new surroundings. This process, known as onboarding, encourages productivity and helps job retention by providing a solid framework for new hires to hang on to.
Orientation – filling in forms and completing routine introductory tasks – can be completed within a day or so. Onboarding however may consist of many stages, in a programme that can last up to a year.
Before day one: Ideally, onboarding should begin well before the joiner’s first day in their new job, for example by granting them access to the company’s online onboarding portal.
Day one: Employees need to have clear ideas about what their duties and responsibilities are. They need to know who can help them answer questions on anything from HR issues to prioritising projects.
The first few months: Training in the opening weeks and months should follow a personal development plan, ideally supported by a mentor, with regular check-ins from leaders.
The first year: Joiners who are presented with a natural route for progression, including training and development, are more likely to stay for the long-term.
Underlying intentions behind onboarding are still evolving. Research carried out in 2013, by Daniel M. Cable, Francesca Gino and Bradley R. Staats, found that – at the time – onboarding procedures were usually aimed at absorbing joiners into company culture. New people were expected to keep their personal values and creativity under wraps in order to quickly fit in with organisational identity, at least while they were at work.
Since then, much has changed, beginning with the influence of Generation Z. Digital natives, with You Tube channels, and armies of followers, don’t perform at their best if they have to keep their identity under wraps. Since the pandemic, older generations have joined Gen Z and millennials in prioritising personal identity. Recognising this, HR professionals are catching up with the conclusions reached by Cable, Gino and Staats, who advocate a more personal approach to onboarding.
The three researchers suggested that companies should encourage new hires to express creative ideas and talents on the job from day one. In an article for MIT Sloan Management Review, they describe an onboarding technique that they call ‘personal-identity socialization.’ This involves “encouraging newcomers to express their unique perspectives and strengths on the job from the very beginning and inviting them to frame their work as a platform for doing what they do best.”
Personal identity socialisation – ie, encouraging people to be themselves when you’re onboarding them – includes the ‘unboxing’ trend we see developing today. Both ideas welcome the individual to the company, rather than draping the company around their new person. Does it work in practice? And if so, what are its benefits? Cable, Gino and Staats took their research to Wipro, a business process outsourcing firm, where they were able to compare the traditional, ie organisational, approach of socialisation (onboarding) with the new, personal model:
Wipro found that onboarding processes emphasising personal identity rather than company culture led to stronger employee relations, better job retention, higher productivity rates and fewer cases of human error.
Cable, Gino and Staats established four principles that leaders should follow when onboarding new hires:
Traditionally, a company paid people to complete a task, without necessarily expecting them to involve their personality in doing so. According to the three researchers, employers who break out of this way of thinking will see that “people have a desire to use their signature strengths — whether those strengths are connecting to others, being organized and prepared, or helping others understand technology.”
How as a leader are you going to introduce your new hire to other team members? Before you try, start by asking them to describe their personal strengths and best qualities. By using their answers when introducing them to others, a leader can mould the team’s perceptions about their new member before the person has even fully started.
Parading the new hire in front of a line-up of old hands is a little one-sided. Rather than put joiners in a situation that mutes their chances of talking easily about themselves, try to introduce more balance. The researchers suggest that, “by talking about what they are like when they are at their best, people…construct their social identity around their authentic strengths.”
Throughout the onboarding process, leaders are advised to focus on the new hire’s capabilities as much as their own needs and expectations. Highlight areas where a joiner can bring value to your objectives. By giving them purpose and motivation in this way, you are helping them understand the organisation’s needs, and discover how these are best served by their role.
Ultimately, Cable, Gino and Staats are advocating a policy of inclusive leadership, where employers are ready to embrace personal identity. When they carried out their research in 2013, inclusivity was less of a priority than it is now. The pandemic was a watershed moment that led to a shift in mindsets, personal identity in the workplace became more important. People who felt that their employer didn’t recognise this were ready to quit their job, last year millions did so in the ‘great resignation’. Going forward, future skills – such as a new approach to onboarding – will continue to create a more caring work environment. Already, Diversity and Inclusion strategies are taking centre-stage, and inclusivity is shaping company culture.
Within this new way of thinking, the ideas published by Cable, Gino and Staat are now more likely to be adopted. This will pay long-term dividends. The researchers believe that “when newcomers feel they are using their signature strengths at work, many experience higher satisfaction, lower stress and less emotional burnout. As a result, they are likely to invest more personal energy into their work in hopes of advancing personal goals.”
In 2013, when the researchers carried out their research, companies could plan perhaps years in advance. They could encourage employees to adopt a fixed set of values and norms, from the moment they joined. Now that things are more unsettled, few companies can afford to be stuck in their ways. Only by encouraging people to bring more of themselves to work, from day one, are leaders likely to help them find the agility and creativity that a company’s future depends on.
Get our latest insights by subscribing to our newsletter. Each week you'll receive updates helping you to understand and respond to the challenges facing your organisation. We won't share your details with anyone and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Learn to tackle the day-to-day challenges faced by women in the workplace with confidence, control and conviction.
This fast-paced interactive talk delivered by our motivational keynote speakers provides insight on how women can communicate with more impact and how they can develop within a leadership role by enhancing their personal presence. Our women’s speakers aim to help you build the confidence to be included in meetings, and raise your visibility as an authentic and influential leader. This talk can be tailored to your business and any specific requirements you might have.
The founder and CEO of Working Voices, Nick Smallman has been at the top of his profession for 25 years. Advising global blue-chip clients on engagement, productivity, and retention, he counsels leaders on increasing revenue via simple cultural adjustments.
Overseeing the successful expansion of Working Voices across the UK, the US, Asia, and the Middle East, Nick supports the leadership and communication capabilities of clients in a wide range of sectors. In particular, he has advised companies such as JP Morgan, Barclays, Sony, Nomura, M&S, and Blackrock for more than 15 years.
Developing his reputation for thought leadership, in recent years Nick has been leading work on The Sustainable Human, the subject of his forthcoming book. A concept unique to Working Voices, The Sustainable Human offers a package of solutions focusing on leadership enablement, future skills, and cultural harmony.
Working closely with HR specialist Mercer, Nick has developed solutions to four key modern workplace challenges:
“I’m excited to share the conclusions of three years of research that, if implemented, can make an immediate practical difference to leaders and their organisations.”
All articles by Nick Smallman
Our motivating keynote speakers will help you to gain an understanding of how you present yourself to others and how they identify with you. You’ll also gain an understanding of how influence and the development of a personal brand can enhance your impact. In this enthusing talk our expert business speakers will explore the practicalities and techniques involved in developing a suitable personal brand and creating a strong personal impact.
Networking skills are important for achieving success in business. This talk delivered by our engaging keynote speakers will provide you with an insight into good networking etiquette. Our business speakers will focus on understanding the importance of networking, how to plan and prep before an event. You’ll learn some good tips for reading group body language and some essential icebreakers to get you started.
Parents all over the world are becoming increasingly worried about the effect of screen use on their children’s mental health. In addition to a lack of understanding as to what they are looking at there is the deeper issue of how online behaviour is shaping the way that children think and form relationships. We unpack the neuroscience behind the addictive nature of screen time and offer a blueprint to help parents coach their children towards a more fruitful relationship with the internet.
The internet is lauded as a giant leap for communication and a vehicle for mass connection in a busy world. What is also becoming clear is the opportunity for bad actors to manipulate important social, cultural and political conversations through the dissemination of misinformation and disinformation. We lay bare the methods that are used to inject confusion and grievance into the conversation and how we as consumers are not naturally wired to combat this. We will offer a framework to help protect you from fake news, distraction and getting sucked in to destructive communication
70% of people will experience a genuine fear of being exposed as not good enough, of being a fraud in their working lives; this talk will help you combat such feelings and deliver practical guidance that will help you feel confident and comfortable when taking on the next big challenge.
In a world dominated by showmen, charismatics and influencers it is becoming more and more difficult to find leaders that are intellectually credible as well as influential. The ability to think critically is being downgraded while the ability to attract attention is lauded. It is possible to do both and we will show how strong mental models can underpin a long-term leadership persona.
The self-help industry is an ever expanding and hugely popular vehicle for personal development. Humans have an innate desire to improve themselves and raise their status – what’s not to love? However, some of the ideas and tropes used in many of the self-help products available rely on flawed thinking to be successful. We explore 6 major themes, deconstruct their effectiveness and relevance in the modern world and provide an alternatives that are more effective.
“Your personal brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Jeff Bezos (Founder and Chairman of Amazon) that’s why it matters so much. It’s all about creating the right external impression, ensuring it is authentic and makes you stand out from the crowd. This inspirational talk by our expert keynote speakers will explore the methods, techniques and practises of developing an authentic personal brand that gets you noticed.
Presenting can be a daunting ordeal at the best of times but this highly interactive and fast paced talk will help build your confidence and improve your delivery with any audience. Our keynote speaker will take you through how best to prepare for your big moment, along with helping you look and sound the part as well.
TED Talks can be both informative and inspiring, but how do the best speakers deliver their message with such impact? In this talk, one of our inspiring keynote speakers will walk you through the TED method and help you deliver your very own idea with confidence and precision.
Emotional intelligence is about the ability to identify, assess and manage the emotions of yourself, of others and of groups. Having a high EQ will improve your ability to maintain good working relationships and communicate successfully. This highly interactive talk will give you a practical insight into how emotional intelligence works. Our expert keynote speakers will give you a concise overview of the emotional intelligence know-how and stratagems you need to interact commendably with clients and colleagues.
Making a good impression and having a strong personal presence is an important part of being successful in business and in life. Personal impact is about having presence and charisma. In this engaging talk our motivational keynote speakers will explore what both of these actually mean, what they look like and feel like. We will look at the practicalities of each and punctuate both topics with brief exercises to help you to become more aware of the way you interact with others. This is an exciting and interactive talk which our expert business speakers deliver in an inspirational style.
Successful people are super communicators – they think clearly and are expert at interacting with others. They understand themselves, other people and know that superior relationships are the cornerstone to a fulfilling life These characteristics are learned attributes. Now you can master these skills and behaviours and work towards becoming a super communicator yourself.
Improving your influencing skills is important in helping you to build better rapport and have positive relationships with your clients and colleagues. This fast-paced talk delivered by our expert business speakers helps you to explore and develop your existing influencing skills. Our inspiring keynote speakers will focus on maintaining mental and linguistic flexibility when interpreting and presenting information helping you to become an effective influential leader. Our keynote speakers can adapt this talk to your business needs and requirements if requested.
Our sentiments and feelings towards people are created by our own experiences but we’re not always aware of how those sentiments affect the way we act towards people and make decisions about them. Our engaging keynote speakers will bring to light your unconscious bias in this thought provoking talk: how it works, the affect this has on decision making and most importantly, what you can do about it; making sure you are the inclusive leader you wish to be.