Games for Business

How to not lose any talent during the trial period and beyond Onboarding experience in a hybrid world20.03.2023

You have done a great job and recruited top talent. You may feel relieved, and think that the tricky part of the job is done. Yes, you can be thrilled, but in this phase, you cannot simply raise your hands and consider the job finished. IT IS TOO RISKY! You would risk losing a superstar whom you have just found. You don't want that, right?

The situation is even more complex if your new colleague will work remotely part or full-time. Put yourself in their place: you have the same apartment, the same room, the same desk, probably the same computer and the same routine - everything is the same - like yesterday, except one thing, the company who you work for is different. In that situation, all your company means to them is a new logo on their desktop. (Ouch!)

So what can you do to make both your company and your newly hired talent succeed? The answer must be familiar to you: ONBOARDING! A lot of companies are applying an onboarding process with more or less success.

NOW WE WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO DO IT RIGHT!

What does onboarding mean in 2023?

In short it means the combination of the right tools and support for your people at the very beginning of their job. In more detail, it encompasses everything that your newly hired colleagues need to start their job and thrive in their roles.

A great onboarding process helps new colleagues to:

• understand the company culture and values,
• socialize and build relationships with new colleagues,
• unfold the best version of themselves,
• build trust between them and the company,
• engage with their job and the organization,
• be aware of the resources and the programmes that the company uses,
• build essential skills,
• reduce the stress of messy and overwhelming tasks in an unfamiliar situation,
• and decrease time spent on the path to proficiency in the new position.

And onboarding helps the company to:

• retain talent
• take the burden off of managers’ shoulders
• reduce risks and costs,
• and evolve.

Onboarding vs. orientation: what's the difference?

Orientation is more like a one-time event in contrast to onboarding which is a series of training and events.

These two processes should go hand in hand, never separated. Orientation is like a welcome party: everybody is kind and welcoming, but without a sequel, it feels like you are left alone after the big entrance. It is a bad feeling, like cleaning up the mess after a party all by yourself.

So start your onboarding with socialization, agendas, company history, etc., BUT DON’T STOP HERE! After the "dating phase" invest as much energy as you can in your newly hired talent, which will pay off later.

Onboarding is of STRATEGIC importance for long-term fruitful cooperation.

How is onboarding different in a hybrid workplace?

The huge common mistake is that employers try to take what they did in person and do the same thing online or hybrid during remote onboarding.

Let's approach the problem from the new colleagues' point of view. What can go wrong online? What are they likely to have trouble with?

According to studies, newcomers struggle in digital contexts to find the right information, to be proactive and to receive immediate feedback to understand their tasks and their fit with the company.

Common challenges of newcomers that need attention during hybrid onboarding:

• Understanding the job:

If they ask for help, they are afraid of disturbing others and asking the wrong questions.

• Socializing with people and building great working relationships:

They may feel that they cannot trust people. Without "dating" how can you run a great relationship?

• Getting along well with their supervisor:

We probably forget to give feedback online or we only react when something goes wrong. New colleagues can feel that their request for help is a source of disturbance for others.

• Building relationship with the organization:

Remotely working colleagues don’t know the people who work outside of their group. They don’t feel particularly engaged with the company, they can't sniff the climate. It often follows that they’ll put themself back on the market without problem. No relationship = No loyalty

Our best onboarding practices

The Games for Business onboarding solutionis made to overcome our Clients' challenges and to get maximum value from their recruitment efforts.

Our gamified digital learning platform is designed to give a unique user experienceright from the moment you enter. The key to success during our onboarding projects is that our users ENJOY LEARNING! Can you imagine, that LEARNING CAN BE A FUN THING?

So how do we do it? We don't overwhelm new colleagues with an enormous amount of information, instead, we believe in the method of microlearning. Our learners can learn anytime and everywhere on any smart device. 5 minutes during a coffee break is more than enough to learn something new and necessary. Gamified elementslike badges, competitions, narratives, knowledge battles, etc. spice up the journey even more.

It is important that you set clear goals and a vision at the very beginning of your new employees' learning process, so they know where they are headed, and what you expect from them. Thanks to our system, goal-based trackingis a breeze through our admin surface.

Everybody likes to have a "working bestie" but it is a must if your employees are working remotely or in a hybrid area. Our system acts as a virtual mentorthat guides new employees through the initial period and provides all the information and knowledge that they need to be successful in their jobs.

So we take the burden off your shoulders in running a smooth onboarding process at your organization, all you have to do is give it a GO and contact us!

Shh! During your coffee break don't forget to call your new colleague and chit-chat as you would do at the office. The difference is, that you have to do it remotely.

The article was written by Laura Kecskés