Innovative Employee Onboarding Practices: Enhancing Induction Experiences

Dear All,

We discuss a lot about creating an image of the organization in the minds of the employees. This can be done best when the employee is naive, and induction, of course, is the best way to make the employee come closer to the organization and become a part of it.

Joining kits, introductions, sharing important HR practices, job descriptions, providing infrastructure, etc., are all common practices.

Moreover, what innovative ideas can we implement for the new joiners?

For instance, at Birla Cellulosic, we have a practice of preparing "Know Your Department," a small booklet containing information about the departmental employees where the new joiner is going to be a part of. It includes the organogram of the department, the names of the employees, their designations, date of joining, total experience, along with photographs. This practice helps the new joiner to better relate to the department and aids in familiarization.

We would like to explore if there are any good practices in other industries that are practical to implement, replicable, and help in making the new joiner feel accommodated. These practices should have a minimal financial impact.

Regards,

Sudeep

Dear Sudeep,

There are plenty of innovative practices for induction to orient the employees towards a new culture.

Let's acknowledge what needs to remain constant:

- Information about the organization
- Presentation of HR policy and employee handbook
- Introducing to the teams and leaders.
- A walk-around to the layout of the building
- If it's a geographically located firm, then a video to offer a complete picture of the company.
- Un-conference or an open house to ensure networking

What can be done best to avoid monotony is to include certain quizzes and impromptu presentations by the attendees about how much they know about the organization and their vision with the new role.

A few ice-breakers that can inculcate culture would be asking the participants to present who they are and what they expect out of the program.

Arranging goodies including the welcome kit and a memento or any corporate gift as available would add to the experience.

A lunch with a senior leader offers them the option to connect in an informal environment.

As we consider these areas, we are assuming that their work station and email ID would be up and running to avoid any delay in getting started.

If transport or cafeteria policies are different for the new employees, it's best to share and remain transparent about it.

A few innovative experiences are being created by firms such as Sidlee, where they have a specific room with a chair and the Sidlee album for new joins. Here's what Twitter does on Day 1.

A firm where I worked used to email the content of the HR Policy and Employee handbook a day before the employee joined so that the employee can read it and clarify during the orientation program.

Let's hear from our members on how they are doing it differently.