6 reasons to prioritize employee onboarding in your organization

Table of contents

1. What is employee onboarding?
2. Advantages of employee onboarding
3. Easy LMS and employee onboarding

What is employee onboarding?

Employee onboarding is the process of integrating new hires into a company. It also includes teaching them the skills and information they need to be a happy and productive team member. Nowadays, it’s also become a bit of a buzzword.

Onboarding is not the same as orientation

It is important to note that onboarding is not the same as orientation. Orientation mainly consists of welcoming new employees to the team, completing paperwork, and introducing them to the company, which is also important. However, onboarding goes much more in-depth and should continue for weeks to months.

Advantages of employee onboarding

In our opinion, employee onboarding is more than just a buzzword. Employee onboarding lays the foundation for the new hire to become an engaged and productive member of your team! This process, of course, brings many benefits to both the company and its employees.

For the company:

1. Increased employee retention
   Keeping the skills and knowledge of your new employees at your company begins from day one. Around 31% of new employees leave their job within the first six months [1]! What’s a main contributing factor for their departure? A bad onboarding process! If you give new employees clear expectations and the tools they need to flourish in their new position, they will be encouraged to stay. In fact, Glassdoor found that companies with a strong onboarding program increased their new hire retention by 82% [2]! 
2. Improved employee engagement
   Onboarding is closely related to your new hire’s level of engagement [3]. Everyone wants to both feel good about their work and be valued for it. Investing in new employees’ development and success from the start shows that you are committed to them. In turn, they are more likely to return this commitment and feel a connection to your company and its goals.
3. Increased productivity
   The better and more effective the onboarding, the sooner a new employee can start delivering results. Onboarding does not only provide them with all of the information they need to start performing their duties. A strong onboarding process also helps new hires understand the company's culture, values, place in the world, and where they fit in the puzzle. The effect of a good onboarding program is huge; it can increase new employee productivity by over 70% [2]!

Onboarding gets new hires feeling connected to other members of the organization

For the employee:

1. Greater job satisfaction
   The onboarding program's strength is positively related to new hires’ levels of job satisfaction [4]. A few contributing factors to job satisfaction include engagement, social connection, and clarity surrounding their role. A strong onboarding program will provide these elements. It is like a warm welcome and helps employees feel valued, respected, and connected to their colleagues and company.
2. Reduced stress
   A comprehensive onboarding program removes uncertainty from the process. It provides new employees with all the necessary information and skills to do their job, which sets clear expectations. Learning the company culture, rules, and policies makes it easier to adapt to their new work environment.
3. Strong support network
   Onboarding gets new hires feeling connected to other members of the organization. This helps reduce any anxiety about asking questions. New employees can quickly feel comfortable asking for help, know where to look, and who to ask when they need information.

Onboarding is just the start! Read also about the advantages of employee training in general and how to onboard new employees.

Easy LMS and employee onboarding

New hires will appreciate an LMS

An online LMS is an inexpensive, fast way to implement employee onboarding. It will help you organize all of the materials in one place. New hires will also appreciate it. They will be able to learn independently at their own pace.

With Easy LMS, you can create Courses for onboarding that combine text, video, images, document attachments, and audio files. You can add various tests and practice questions to help them check their understanding. Make sure they learned the essentials with Exams. Or, help the new hire learn about themselves with Assessments. Altogether, your Courses are sure to make your new employees feel knowledgeable, welcomed, and engaged.

The Academy provides you with a central place to keep all your tests and training materials. You can separate your content and employees by department or job title. It will give your employees a personalized library where they can keep track of their progress! 

Start benefiting from onboarding with Easy LMS today!

Useful resources

1. BambooHR
2. Glassdoor
3. Forbes
4. The Predictive Index

Frequently Asked Questions