How We Onboard New Team Members

According to SHRM, one in five new hires leaves within the first 45 days of starting a job. This means that the success of each new team member is determined within the first two months.

“When companies do it well, onboarding builds connections between new employees and helps them feel a sense of belonging in a new community.” ( Bonusly)

We designed our onboarding to embrace new hires and help them feel a strong sense of clarity, confidence, and connection. It works for us, and we’re excited to share it with other HR leaders. I hope you can use this to create transformational onboarding programs within your organization.

We designed these four programs that have been transformational for our culture. Without further ado, here they are:

ONE: Two Week Calendar, Day One

It is stressful to start a new job and not know how to use your time. We work to provide each new team member with a full calendar for their first two weeks so they never have awkward moments. We also schedule coffee and lunch so they can get to know their coworkers in other departments.

TWO: Values Deep Dive

A lot of organizations have values, but they are rarely lived or understood. I sit down with all new members of the team and talk values one-on-one for an hour in their first week. We define what the values mean to me, them, and their role. When employees look back on their first week at Imperative, many say this meeting helped them feel more connected to the organization

THREE: 90-Day Goals

When you don’t have clear goals at the start of a job, it’s impossible to know how the organization defines your success. We provide a draft of 90-day goals on the first day and partner with the new member of the team to refine them so they fit.

FOUR: Peer Coaching

New team members are matched with three colleagues for peer coaching conversations using our platform. The conversations explore how to discover, activate, and lead with purpose as a member of team Imperative. This is the most powerful way to build connection during onboarding. New team members get to see who their colleagues are at their core and learn about how they work. In return, the new member feels seen, celebrated, and empowered.

We’ve found our onboarding process to be transformational for new hires in the first days, weeks, and months of their career at Imperative.

If you would like to learn more about transformational onboarding, join our webinar next week! You will:

• Learn current trends in onboarding,
• Identify opportunities in your current program to support new employees with learning about what drives them in their day-to-day work, how to advocate for their own career development, and
• Explore peer coaching as a way to create meaningful relationships and instill a sense of belonging in the first 90 days.