Onboarding Woes: How Do You Tackle These Common Challenges in Your Organization?

I am currently a student at Christ University, pursuing a Master's in Psychology and Human Resource Development. I am conducting research on the topic of Onboarding and Induction in Organizations. These are some of the challenges I have come across, and I would like to get your opinions and perspectives on these issues mentioned.

Common Onboarding Challenges

- Lack of Role Clarity
- Challenges with Expectations and Results
- Managing Change
- Issues of Time Management
- Issues with the Manager
- Navigating the Culture
- Handling Personal Transition and Relocation
- Favouritism in the Team
- Lack of Appreciation and Motivation

Please let me know your thoughts on these challenges.

Onboarding Challenges in the Corporate World

There are many onboarding challenges in the corporate world, even apart from the points you mentioned.

Lack of Clarity on Roles and Responsibilities

Many small, medium, and unorganized organizations hire employees for particular positions without having clear roles and responsibilities. Even HR personnel may not have a clear idea of which position they are hiring for. They blindly call candidates for interviews for the particular post issued by the functional heads. They do not have a clear JD, Compliance Matrix, etc.

The effects are as follows:
- While explaining the JD, the functional heads might find that the candidate does not join.
- Even if the employee joins, while allotting the JD, the employee might not perform as expected, or there are chances of quitting the job.
- Huge hiring budget.

Challenges with Expectations and Results

It is too early to discuss the issue of induction and onboarding. Any organization will need some time to expect any results from the employee.

Managing Change

Change management can involve changes in the form of the reporting officer, top management, policies, processes, etc. These changes will be faced only after joining the organization and seeing the process.

However, there are some instances where employees will face changes between two organizations, such as:
- We might hire an employee for a particular process from a different company, and they might be in an entirely different process.
- Even though you hire an employee from a similar process from a different organization, there are still chances of changes in policy, procedure to achieve a particular task, etc.

Issues of Time Management

Nowadays, time management is a major concern in organizations. It can be solved using various options to motivate the employee, but the same cannot be followed in all industries. Before making any policy, you have to understand the risks and effects.

- Flexi-time policy (Employees can come late to the office and work late beyond the actual office timing).
- Work from home option once a week, etc.

Navigating the Culture

If any employee joins from a different organization, there are chances they need to adjust to the new organizational culture, including:
- Organizational Culture
- Dress code
- Behavioral changes between organizations

Handling Personal Transition and Relocation

There are chances you might hire a candidate from a different geographical location for various reasons. To overcome these issues, the company can offer some benefits to the employee, such as:
- Bearing the relocation charges.
- Sponsoring accommodation at a discounted price.
- Sponsoring other facilities, such as a company vehicle to travel to the office.

Favouritism in the Team

Issues with the Manager

Lack of Appreciation and Motivation

These issues may not be part of the onboarding process directly, but there are indirect effects. Due to the above issues, there are chances of higher attrition, and you may have to hire new candidates, leading to a frequent onboarding process.

Regards

Onboarding and induction are processes that can create a long-term impression on the new starter. Therefore, onboarding is one of the key factors where management should invest resources so that they can have a positive impact on a new starter.

Improving Onboarding and Training

Human Resources' primary responsibilities are to design the corporate induction program and associated documentation and regularly evaluate the induction program to ensure it is meeting organizational objectives. It is also the responsibility of HR to ensure managers have the necessary skills and training to identify new starter developmental needs and deliver induction effectively. Induction training may include communication skills, such as giving and receiving feedback.

Human Resources should also work in collaboration with managers and supervisors to ensure that adequate support and resources are provided to new starters who are from a diverse background.

Managers and supervisors "own" the onboarding process—they have a comprehensive understanding of the requirements and expectations of the new starter's role and can identify training and development needs. Managers and supervisors are also best placed to offer ongoing feedback and support to new starters.

Factors for Long-term Employee Success

Long-term employee success is usually determined by three factors: engagement in one's role, strong relationships with one's colleagues and clients, and performance of key functions. While new-hire training may focus on the tasks that employees must understand to be successful in their roles, such as how to use particular computer software, too often it is not hands-on or skill-specific.

Regardless of role, most companies agree that in addition to certain technical knowledge, long-term success is predicated on keen communication skills—mutually beneficial relationship building, the ability to present ideas clearly and concisely, managing conflict, and so forth.

Successful Onboarding Training

For onboarding training to be successful, it's important for department managers to work together with L&D to create a role audit to identify exactly what an employee in a given role needs to do to be successful. Then, work backward from the end of the onboarding period to day one to ensure that those skills, particularly in the area of interpersonal communication, are continuously developed.