If there’s any activity that varies widely in companies its onboarding. Onboarding has been around since the 1970s and generally refers to the way new employees become socialized to their jobs and the organization. The literature suggests positive outcomes, such as reduced turnover, higher productivity, and greater job satisfaction, when onboarding is taken seriously.
In practice, onboarding is often the responsibility of HR staff who deliver orientation programs, provide the IT user and security protocols, and share other information of a practical nature. Less prevalent nowadays is having managers become directly involved, which seems like a missed socialization opportunity.
SiTUATE, a digital platform for structured on-the-job training, includes an onboarding template, based on the principle that new employees should know which tasks and work processes they will be responsible for upfront, and that the best person to deliver this information is someone from the employee’s work area. Here’s how it works:
When a job analysis is conducted using SiTUATE, the list of tasks are prefilled into the proprietary onboarding template, which allows the manager to fill-in more information about each task and the expected standards. In addition, the template also provides a simple way to document the steps of the work processes the employee will be involved in, the employee's role, and others involved. SiTUATE formats this information into a user-friendly training guide, ready for a manager as trainer to deliver to the employee, remotely or in person. The training guide includes a performance check at the end, to ensure the employee understands the information, and this rating is linked to the employee’s training plan. SiTUATE makes it easy because all its components are integrated.
The SiTUATE approach complements other onboarding activities, which may be more general or administrative in nature. Simply put, SiTUATE ensures employees understand their future job expectations.
We hope this approach appeals to readers of this blog, especially those concerned about retaining employees. Keeping good new employees has become a strategic necessity.
By the way, do you want to learn more about job analysis and work process analysis? We invite you to attend a free workshop, February 18, that will introduce these topics, based on my 2019 book on work analysis. Register today.
I’d be pleased to share more information about SiTUATE and its various features, including the unique onboarding approach. Contact us today.
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