The 6 C's of Onboarding - 2024

Onboarding, the process for engaging new hires, is a critical success factor in revenue growth and profit margin. In fact, the study "From Capability to Profitability: Realizing the Value of People Management" conducted by leading consulting firm BCG and the World Federation of People Management Associations (WFPMA) shows that the onboarding of new hires is the second biggest contributor to a company's success.
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This means that one of the biggest factors in long-term success for new employees happens before they even start working. That's why organizations must invest in a strong and organized onboarding program so that new hires enter the company with a good understanding of their job, the organization, the business culture, and how they can effectively contribute to the organization.
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You Don't Get Another Chance at a First Impression

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First impressions count, and no hire wants to arrive on that first day with a stack of paperwork to complete and without the necessary equipment or orientation. If your onboarding process is not efficient and implemented effectively, new hires will think that the company is disorganized. This is not the first impression you want your new hires to have.

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Instead, you should have a process in place that quickly introduces your new hire to the team, the company, the culture, and makes them immediately feel like an integral part of the business.

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Improved Employee Engagement

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Engagement is an essential tool in the success of any organization. Most companies invest heavily in good engagement to improve employee productivity and reduce turnover. If employees are not engaged in their work, they may not feel their importance, be disinterested in their tasks, and overall lackluster at their job.
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An engaged team member, on the other hand, is more invested in the business, inspires their teammates, and helps push the company forward. These types of workers help a company succeed, produce skilled professionals, and hit the oftentimes elusive bottom line.

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Engagement must start at the very beginning for every new employee and can be instilled in the first few days that the company brings them in with a successful onboarding process. It's the perfect way to get started on the right foot.

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‍Efficient Employee Onboarding Programs Reduce Turnover

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‍The companies with the best and most effective onboarding programs enable new employees to begin contributing to the organization quickly, reduce employee turnover, and increase retention. Research conducted by Glassdoor shows that a strong onboarding program can help increase retention by as much as 82% and improve productivity by up to 70% .

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This is mostly due to quickly establishing relationships with new team members from day one. This approach ensures employees feel valued and connected from the start, become invested in their work, and establish good connections with the rest of the team. It also sets the precedent for higher employee satisfaction.
In a fast-paced industry where investing in good talent and teaching employees takes time and effort, ensuring strong retention can drastically improve an organization's success rate at retaining the talent they've invested in recruiting and training.
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The Essentials of 6C Onboarding for New Employees

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‍Now that we've established that proper onboarding is one of the industry's best practices and will provide the best start for any new employee, let's take a closer look at the six C's that make up good onboarding. Over a decade ago, Dr. Talya Bauer from the SHRM Foundation identified the following 4 C's to create a successful onboarding program:

• Compliance - Compliance is the lowest level and includes explaining basic legal and policy-related rules and regulations relevant to the business.
• Clarification - Clarification refers to ensuring that new employees understand their new jobs and all related expectations and deliverables within the company.
• Culture - Culture is a broad category that includes providing all new employees with a sense of organizational norms— both formal and informal.
• Connection - Connection refers to the vital interpersonal relationships and information networks that new employees must establish to learn more about the company and best practices.
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Since then, she added a fifth C (Confidence) and most recently a sixth C (Checkback) to make up the comprehensive employee onboarding process.

• Confidence - Confidence refers to a state of mind where employees feel that they are doing well at their job and are confident in their ability to take on new challenges.
• Checkback - Checkback refers to the process of asking for and receiving feedback from employees to ensure that your onboarding process is successful.

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In summary, the 6 C’s of the employee onboarding process are:
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1. Compliance
2. Clarification
3. Confidence
4. Connection
5. Culture
6. Checkback

How Qualee's technology can help you accomplish the 6 C's of employee onboarding

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• Compliance: The first step is enabling new hires to access and complete company and government documents online via our comprehensive forms engine. This engine includes the ability to digitally sign with a fingertip. HR can then easily monitor compliance such as document completion, ensure documents are only accessible to those who require access, and import documents for appropriate retention.
• Clarification: By providing access to key organizational information, you can give employees all of the relevant HR-related information they need to complete the onboarding process and learn more about their job. You can also provide information related to first-day FAQs. New hires will be able to access this multimedia knowledge base for more information throughout the employee lifecycle.
• Culture: You can brand the onboarding journey for all new employees within Qualee's mobile application. This can be tailored to reflect your corporate identity. In this way, employees are immersed in company culture before their first day on the job. Company mission and value statements, as well as welcome videos and images, can also be included in the curated mobile application employee journey.
• Connection: It is important to also include a way for team members to easily communicate and connect with human resource management. Qualee's messaging chat features allow for secure communication. If an employee has a question or request, he or she can chat directly with the responsible HR manager.
• Confidence: To ensure employees are confident in their abilities, it is important to equip them with all the necessary resources needed for their role. The Qualee Library allows team members to access important information in multiple formats (video, PDF, audio) on the go, from their mobile devices.
• Checkback: Obtaining vital feedback from employees is seamless with Qualee’s confidential messaging feature, offering instant translations for over 130 languages, guaranteeing that everyone is understood and productivity is optimized.
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By using Qualee's proprietary technology to drive your employee onboarding program, your company can greatly improve the new hire experience and build a foundation for sustainable employee success.
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You might be interested in the following resources:
Calculate onboarding ROI using our Onboarding Cost Calculator
‍Learn about our Employee Engagement Platform
‍Trial our Employee Onboarding App
Our Recommended Exit Interview Questions for an Effective Offboarding Experience
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#6Cs #onboarding #employee #Culture #Clarification #Connection #Compliance

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