30-Apr-2025
75% or more Indian businesses in 2025 plan to hire freshers in the first half of the year, based on a report by the Economic Times. It indicates an increase in jobs, giving candidates more options to choose from. However, it does mean problems ahead for companies, especially those who don't think much about the employee onboarding process and experience. Small points like these make the biggest impact, and failure to customise it can lead to rejection. Firms must acknowledge the importance of the onboarding experience to correct and optimise it.
This blog details how to improve the pre, post, and onboarding process to ensure engagement of new hires throughout.
Keeping Candidate Engaged Before Onboarding
Nothing is more important than a welcoming pre-onboarding phase. Companies must go out of their way to make the candidate feel part of the company as soon as they accept the offer.
Communicating with candidates who receive offers is mandatory and a step that keeps them engaged. If you want to keep them excited about their new career step, these points will help you accomplish it.
- Customise Your Welcome Message
The new hire onboarding experience has become one of the points candidates remember. A good experience will brighten the staff's perceptions, and a warm welcome is the way to deliver it.
This message will detail the job title, first-day instructions, and team details. It may also have a point of contact and answers to a new joiner's questions. This custom welcome will create a stage for a pleasant onboarding experience.
Creating a detailed onboarding checklist prepares your new hire for future events. Ensure it has a list of documents to provide, company policy links, and expectations for the first week. These will reduce the new joiner's stress and clear any confusion.
Before the candidate steps into the office, they should know the company's story, ethics, and long-term objectives.
Also, share webinars or training videos to prepare the candidate for day one. These steps will contribute to employee engagement strategies and keep staff engaged from before they start.
Winning Strategies for Onboarding Engagement
Most of the top recruitment firms in India know that strong onboarding leads to better retention and output. The best way to improve the onboarding program is to make it last weeks, not one day!
A warm welcome from the whole team is always a reassuring way to start a new job. Companies can provide a welcome kit to make the day extra special. Before initiating the process, be sure to take them through the onboarding process steps so they know what's coming.
- Showcasing Company Culture
New hires yet to start must feel like they fit into the workspace or confidence and output take a hit. Throughout the time, telling stories and sharing rituals will help them understand the firm and help them connect to it.
- Create a Buddy or Mentor System
When considering what onboarding best practices to implement, firms shouldn't look past a mentor system. It ensures the new employee can ask questions and be guided through tasks, allowing them to settle down quickly.
- Offer Training & Working Clarity
Each induction procedure must have role-specific learning sessions. Outline some goals and timelines, helping your new employees understand where they should be in time. Clarity of job tasks enables staff to progress and feel confident in their knowledge and skills.
Top Mistakes Employers Make: Before & After
The best firms can lose talent due to missteps in the onboarding process. Exploring and correcting these mistakes will prevent errors from undoing hiring work.
1. Delayed Communications
Many candidates can confirm that a lack of communication before or after accepting an offer letter can make them feel unsure. Firms should continue communicating with the candidate before, during, and after offer letters. A weekly check-in is ideal for building trust and delivering vital updates.
2. Poor Onboarding Experience
Rushing through the employee onboarding plan can leave new hires feeling less confident. It can also diminish their trust in the company, impacting employee branding. Staff who lack a friendly team, resources, and clarity are less likely to engage and feel welcomed.
3. Ignoring or Providing Poor Induction Processes
Ignoring the induction stage is a massive error firms continue to commit. The induction process is vital, and cutting corners in this process is an avoidable mistake. HR teams must figure out how to create an unforgettable experience, so candidates stay.
4. Assuming Candidates Are Already Staff
Candidates remain so until the day they step into your office! Countless companies are left stunned when candidates pull out at the last moment, wasting HR efforts.
Firms can correct this by treating all candidates as future teammates, not current staff. That said, avoid overworking new staff and allow them to settle before building them into the firm.
5. Failing to Acknowledge Competition
The Indian market gives top talent countless work opportunities. It means you can't ignore the possibility of candidates dropping out at the final step for something better.
During the preboarding stage, firms can remind candidates why their workplace makes the best option and what separates it from the other. Highlight appealing points like growth, perks, and the connection between staff.
Post-Onboarding Engagement Tips
The need to connect with and keep new hires engaged doesn't end after onboarding. The first months matter, and new staff need support, training, and growth because, without it, they'll leave.
To create and maintain employee engagement after onboarding, follow these tips:
1. Constant Check-Ins
Setting up a regular (weekly or bi-weekly) meeting with new joiners can help. It will offer them help and guide their efforts, showing the firm cares about how well the new staff fit into their new environment.
2. Offering Insightful Feedback
Feedback is a golden opportunity for new employees to understand and optimise their performance. This positive feedback must offer constructive points that help staff grow and improve.
3. Completing Training
A firm onboarding program isn't only about orientation and settling in. It's about ensuring new staff have the right skills to occupy the role. An ideal window for learning the necessary skills is 60 to 90 days from onboarding.
4. Aiding Staff in Difficult Situations
If management or team leaders see new staff struggling, they should offer support. Small steps like coaching or guidance are welcome and build connections.
5. Celebrate Successes & Small Milestones
Acknowledging the wins, however small, is a significant step that keeps new hires engaged and motivated to work harder! So, offer congratulations when they finish a project or get client praise.
Conclusion
Keeping candidates engaged throughout the pre and post onboarding process is a necessary step these days. It's not only the HR's task to build trust, connections, and loyalty at each step. It is a step that the whole workforce has to work towards to engage new hires.
Strategic preboarding exercises and welcoming onboard steps will make every moment memorable. Using top staffing services in India and job portals is pointless without an effective employee engagement strategy.
If you are struggling to build a strong onboarding experience and find top contract staffing, contact us for solutions to both.
FAQs
How does strong onboarding improve employee retention rates?
A positive experience can be enough to earn the trust of new staff and build their confidence. However, it isn't enough, and firms must follow up with a good post-onboarding experience.
What tools or platforms can assist with onboarding new hires?
HRs can make use of HRIS software to track and facilitate the onboarding process and its later stages. New hires can also use it to submit documents and learn about company policies.
What is the ideal path to prepare a new hire for their first day?
Ideally, there should be a pre-induction process where the firm shares resources with the candidate. Then, a reassuring onboarding and induction should follow, introducing new staff to the team and company culture. Afterwards, mentors should continue to back up and support new employees.
Why is constant and early engagement vital for new hires?
It helps the new staff gain the support and confidence needed to perform well and grow into their roles in the firm. Without this engagement, they could leave to find it elsewhere.
What mistakes should companies avoid after offering an offer letter to a candidate?
Companies shouldn't make the mistake of taking the candidate as a current employee. They still receive offers from other firms and could opt to drop out of their current offer.