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Great Onboarding Experiences Leads to Ongoing Employee Engagement
Posted Wednesday, October 4th, 2017 by
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How many surveys do you receive a day? Surveys, from product reviews to employee assessments to political opinions are part of our everyday life. Manufacturers and retailers survey consumers to get their opinions on the products they bought and the customer service they received. Employers survey their workforce to gauge how their employees feel about the company, the work environment and their jobs. These surveys, and how the results are analyzed, are becoming more important as companies shift focus to a positive candidate experience and continuous employee engagement.
Gallup’s 2016 State of the American Workplace survey found that only 33% of US employees were engaged or enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace. The majority of US workers (51%) are not engaged and haven’t been for quite a while. Engaged employees produce better business outcomes than other employees —across the industry, company size and nationality and in good economic times and bad. Gallup shared some eye-opening statistics about the impact of good employee engagement on an organization:
- Highly engaged business units realize a 41% reduction in absenteeism and 17% increase in productivity
- In high-turnover organizations, highly engaged business units achieve 24% lower turnover
- Companies with highly engaged employees experience a 28% reduction in shrinkage and 40% reduction in quality defects
- The behaviors of highly engaged businesses result in 21% greater profitability
What is Employee Engagement?
According to Engage for Success, employee engagement is a workplace approach resulting in the right conditions for all members of an organization to give of their best each day, committed to their organization’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organizational success, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being. The Gallup report further explains, “organizations have more success with engagement and improve business performance when they treat employees as stakeholders of their future and the company’s future. They put the focus on concrete performance management activities, such as clarifying work expectations, getting people what they need to do their work, providing development and promoting positive coworker relationships.”
Importance of Employee Engagement and the Employee Experience
Employee engagement continues to be a major trend for organizations throughout the world. Understanding and improving the employee experience is critical for companies operating in a global economy. Employee experience is a holistic view of life at the workplace which requires constant feedback, action and monitoring. According to Deloitte’s 2017 Global Human Capital Trends report, “In a digital world with increasing transparency and the growing influence of Millennials, employees expect a productive, engaging, enjoyable work experience. Rather than focus narrowly on employee engagement and culture, organizations are developing an integrated focus on the entire employee experience, bringing together all the workplace, HR and management practices that impact people on the job.”
All segments of the workforce from freelancers to full-time employees expect elements of the employee experience to be designed to attract and engage them. Deloitte found that “candidates assess future employers from the very start of the talent acquisition experience and make quick judgments about what life will be like for them in the organization, based on how they interact with the enterprise during the recruiting cycle.” Strong onboarding programs help your employees engage with one another and understand how their roles work together. This can lead to office friendships as a result, which have a very positive effect on productivity and overall satisfaction.
Great Onboarding Experiences Leads to Ongoing Employee Engagement
Onboarding is a critical part of creating a great candidate experience for new employees. Onboarding is the final stage in the hiring process. This stage includes sending the offer letter, providing employment background screening, onboarding paperwork and first day activities. Onboarding solutions have an immediate impact on candidate experience and overall organizational success. When onboarding goes well, the benefits from increased employee engagement directly impacts organizational success. When onboarding goes badly, employee morale and engagement is at risk.
Employee engagement starts before the new hire’s first day. Companies with highly engaged workers have higher rates of customer satisfaction and fewer errors. Because employees decide within their first year whether to stay with a company, it’s critical that onboarding be a positive experience. Learn how to transform onboarding from a cumbersome, paper-laden process to one that engages top talent from the get-go by downloading Sterling Talent Solutions’ eBook HR’s Guide to Onboarding: From Decision to Day One and Beyond.
This publication is for informational purposes only and nothing contained in it should be construed as legal advice. We expressly disclaim any warranty or responsibility for damages arising out this information. We encourage you to consult with legal counsel regarding your specific needs. We do not undertake any duty to update previously posted materials.