Is your company's on-boarding working?

Does your company currently have an on-boarding process? If you answered "no", then this is a whole new issue that needs to be addressed! For those who answered "yes", do you feel your program is effective? On-boarding has a variety of definitions but the general idea is the same. It is intended to assist employees with the transition into a new organization. To evaluate how effective an on-boarding program is, I suggest considering the following questions:

1. Does the program help new associates learn the culture of the organization?


2. Do employees learn about the resources that are available to help them with their job?


3. Do employees feel welcomed (not just by their manager but by their team)?


4. Does the employee acquire the basic knowledge to be successful in his/her position?


5. Do the employees get the opportunity to build relationships with their team?


6. Do the employees learn about the mission and history of the company?


7. Are employees walking out of on-boarding with a clear understanding of company policy?

Think about these questions for a minute. What is your answer? What proof do you have to backup your answers? If you have none then it is time to develop a survey asking employees their opinions of the company's on-boarding. It should be done immediately after new hire orientation and after 3 months of working. By conducting the survey twice, both the on-boarding and learning curve can be evaluated.

If you do not have on-boarding, then maybe its time that you and I talk!