Ariadne Paulino, Siyabulela Roshinamba, Kate Wolf EXECUTIVE SUMMARY December 2023 Question In a globally dispersed company, what are the most effective strategies for onboarding that result in new joiner assimilation and reduced turnover? Introduction In today’s dynamic work landscape, marked by the rise of remote work, geographically dispersed teams, and increased turnover, the onboarding process can play a strategic role in positioning new employees for organizational success and increasing their retention. Onboarding, the process of facilitating the adjustment of new employees to the social, performance, and technological aspects of their roles1, sets the foundation of the employee experience. Despite its importance, only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organizations excel in onboarding new hires.2 While onboarding has always prioritized personal contact with new employees, the shift to remote work and dispersed teams has intensified the need for effective virtual onboarding strategies. Indicators and Outcomes of New Employee Adjustment Upon joining an organization, a new employee undergoes a process of adjustment or organizational socialization, wherein newcomers transition from being organizational outsiders to insiders.3 An onboarding program is the opportunity for organizations to actively facilitate this assimilation process. Research has identified three key indicators of newcomer adjustment—self-efficacy, role clarity, and social integration—that influence outcomes in the areas of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, job performance, and intentions to remain or turnover.4 When onboarding facilitates higher levels of adjustment, they should see improved job attitudes and performance, increased intentions to remain, and reduced turnover.5 Role of People Leaders In Onboarding and Integration When managers face challenges in the onboarding process, these issues often trace back to two primary factors: a failure to cultivate crucial relationships with subordinates, particularly during remote onboarding, and a lack of alignment with the organization's prevailing culture.6 Building relationships between managers and subordinates begins early in the onboarding stages. Establishing a connection is vital for reinforcing trust and clearly outlining expectations. To ensure effective onboarding and alignment for new hires, people leaders must emphasize two key areas in onboarding: Basic Orientation and Accelerated Integration. Basic Orientation: This stage is pivotal in establishing standards and expectations for new hires during the onboarding process. People leaders must implement inclusive communication norms to foster psychological safety and a culture of belonging. During this phase, new hires will receive essential information about company policies, team evaluations, organizational structure, strategy, and business outcomes. It is imperative that people leaders ensure clarity by establishing open and informal channels for asking questions, facilitating casual yet intentional recognition of individual learning and contributions.7 Accelerated integration: Research reveals that 69% of new hires encounter challenges in understanding how the organization functions.8 To tackle this issue, people leaders should provide a well-organized introduction to key business areas, aiding new hires in comprehending the intricacies of business operations. Implementing periodic briefings and check-ins on performance and assessment data 1 is crucial. This approach establishes clear expectations, enhances performance confidence, and ensures a coherent alignment with organizational goals. Best Practices Researchers have proposed several models outlining the foundational elements of onboarding effectiveness. Whether based on the enduring Four C’s - Compliance, Clarification, Culture, and Connection9 - or the context-specific Three C’s for crisis scenarios - Create Structure, Connect People, and Continue Adapting10 - each model builds upon the indicators of newcomer adjustment11 and is applicable to the virtual onboarding process. Communication Channels - A recent study of virtual onboarding sentiments found a strong overarching theme: newcomers are seeking improved virtual communication channels between themselves, their managers, and their colleagues.12 Effective use of internal social networking and messaging technology can help socialize new hires through informal peer-to-peer communication.13 Research on virtual teams at Microsoft has found that more frequent team interactions strongly influences the effectiveness and pace of onboarding in virtual teams.14 Communication Norms - Teaching the cultural norms of communication within an organization and putting it into practice can be a helpful way of socializing new employees. For example, in their onboarding process, the fully remote company GitLab trains how and how often they communicate with each other by requiring every new hire to initiate five virtual coffee chats.15 By doing this, new hires learn that it’s normal to schedule meetings with colleagues to connect whether or not it’s for a work related purpose. Onboarding Buddy - Providing a new hire with a non-supervisory “onboarding buddy” helps the new hire acquire context, boost productivity, and improve job satisfaction. As an illustration, a study carried out at Microsoft found that new hires with assigned buddies were 23% more satisfied with their overall onboarding experience after the first week compared to those without buddies.16 This trend persisted, showing a 36% increase in satisfaction at the 90-day mark. Provide Feedback - Providing newcomers with feedback - Feedback serves as a mechanism for new employees to gauge their job performance, fostering self-efficacy and instilling confidence in their role. Organizations may enhance the onboarding process by providing early and frequent feedback to affirm their sense of being an organizational insider.17 Continue Adapting - As organizations transition to virtual onboarding, it is essential to periodically assess the effectiveness of the onboarding process. One avenue for doing this is by conducting onboarding feedback surveys which ask if the onboarding program is providing new hires with the knowledge, tools, and connection they need to be successful.18 Additional actions for continuous adaptation can be found in Appendix A. Conclusion Effective onboarding programs play a crucial role in the success of new hires, facilitating their organizational adjustment through self-efficacy, role clarity, and social integration. By implementing onboarding strategies that emphasize connection, clarification, and culture, organizations can cultivate a more engaged, productive, and loyal workforce. People leaders, in particular, hold the responsibility of ensuring seamless onboarding experiences, especially in virtual environments. As organizations navigate the evolving landscape of remote work, it is imperative to continuously evaluate and adapt onboarding practices to meet the needs of new hires. Establishing open communication channels, emphasizing cultural norms, assigning onboarding buddies, and providing early feedback can significantly enhance the integration and retention of new hires. 2 Cited References & Further Reading 1Bauer, T.N. (2010). Onboarding new employees: maximizing success. Society for Human Resources Management. 2Wigert, B. & Pendell, R. (2019, March 01). 7 Problems With Your Onboarding Program. Gallup. Newcomer Adjustment 3 Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D. M., & Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes and methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 707-721. 4 Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D. M., & Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes and methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 707-721. 5 Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D. M., & Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes and methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 707-721. 6 Maurer, R. (2021, July 7). How to build up your leaders with new-manager onboarding. Society for Human Resources Management. 7 Byford, M., Watkins, M. D., & Triantogiannis, L. (2017). Onboarding isn’t enough. Harvard Business Review, 95(3), 78-86. 8 Byford, M., Watkins, M. D., & Triantogiannis, L. (2017). Onboarding isn’t enough. Harvard Business Review, 95(3), 78-86. 9 Bauer, T.N. (2010). Onboarding new employees: maximizing success. Society for Human Resources Management. 10 Scott, C.P.R, Dieguez, T. A., Deepak, P., Gu, S., Wildman, J.L. (2022). Onboarding during COVID-19: Create structure, connect people, and continue adapting. Organizational Dynamics, 51(2). 11 Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D. M., & Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes and methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 707-721. 12 Yarbrough, J. W., & Ramos Salazar, L. (2023). Virtual onboarding and socialization, an exploration of employee discussions and experiences. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 28(5), 707–723. 13 Yarbrough, J. W., & Ramos Salazar, L. (2023). Virtual onboarding and socialization, an exploration of employee discussions and experiences. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 28(5), 707–723. 14 Hemphill, L. & Begel, A. (2011, April). Not Seen and Not Heard:Onboarding Challenges in Newly Virtual Teams. Microsoft Research. 15 Guggenberger, P., Maor, D., Park, M., and Simon, P. (2023, April 26). The State of Organizations 2023: Ten shifts transforming organizations. McKinsey & Company. 16 Klinghoffer, D., Young, C., & Haspas, D. (2019). Every New Employee Needs an Onboarding “Buddy.” Harvard Business Review Digital Articles, 2–5. 17 Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D. M., & Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes and methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 707-721. 18 Yarbrough, J. W., & Ramos Salazar, L. (2023). Virtual onboarding and socialization, an exploration of employee discussions and experiences. Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 28(5), 707–723. —----- Settle-Murphy, N. M. (2013). Leading effective virtual teams: overcoming time and distance to achieve exceptional results. Boca Raton: CRC Press. Petersen, N. B. (2022). Knowledge Communication in Global Organisations: making sense of virtual teams. Routledge. Rhymer, J. (2023). Location-Independent Organizations: Designing Collaboration Across Space and Time. Administrative Science Quarterly, 68(1), 1–43. 3 https://www.shrm.org/foundation/ourwork/initiatives/resources-from-past-initiatives/Documents/Onboarding%20New%20Employees.pdf https://www.gallup.com/workplace/247172/problems-onboarding-program.aspx https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-news/pages/how-to-build-up-your-leaders-with-new-manager-onboarding.aspx https://hbr.org/2017/05/onboarding-isnt-enough https://hbr.org/2017/05/onboarding-isnt-enough https://www.shrm.org/foundation/ourwork/initiatives/resources-from-past-initiatives/Documents/Onboarding%20New%20Employees.pdf https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2021.100828 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2021.100828 https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-12-2022-0158 https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-12-2022-0158 https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-12-2022-0158 https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-12-2022-0158 https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Not20Seen20and20Not20Heard20MSR-TR-2011-136.pdf https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Not20Seen20and20Not20Heard20MSR-TR-2011-136.pdf https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/business%20functions/people%20and%20organizational%20performance/our%20insights/the%20state%20of%20organizations%202023/the-state-of-organizations-2023.pdf https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/mckinsey/business%20functions/people%20and%20organizational%20performance/our%20insights/the%20state%20of%20organizations%202023/the-state-of-organizations-2023.pdf https://hbr.org/2019/06/every-new-employee-needs-an-onboarding-buddy https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.92.3.707 https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-12-2022-0158 https://doi.org/10.1108/CCIJ-12-2022-0158 https://www.routledge.com/Leading-Effective-Virtual-Teams-Overcoming-Time-and-Distance-to-Achieve/Settle-Murphy/p/book/9781466557864#:~:text=Written%20as%20a%20series%20of,geographically%20dispersed%20project%20team%20members. https://www.routledge.com/Leading-Effective-Virtual-Teams-Overcoming-Time-and-Distance-to-Achieve/Settle-Murphy/p/book/9781466557864#:~:text=Written%20as%20a%20series%20of,geographically%20dispersed%20project%20team%20members. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003015925 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003015925 https://doi-org.proxy.library.cornell.edu/10.1177/00018392221129175 https://doi-org.proxy.library.cornell.edu/10.1177/00018392221129175 Appendix A (Retrieved from, Scott et al., 2022) 4