3 Benefits of a Positive Employee Onboarding Experience

Employee Onboarding Experience 101

In the latest HR Hangout post, I interviewed Motus Director of Infrastructure Technology, Sudeep Unhale to explore how technology can continuously improve the employee onboarding experience. We collectively found that if employees have an ideal onboarding experience, specifically with the help of technology, then they’re more likely to succeed and help grow your business. But this idea transcends much further beyond just technology. At the end of the day, a positive employee onboarding experience, as a whole, is critically important for both your employees and your business.

To delve a bit deeper into this idea, I figured it would be a great opportunity to have a Q&A discussion with Caroline Manghan, People Operations Coordinator at Motus. Caroline is one of the newest members of the People Team here at Motus. In her day-to-day, she’s responsible for coordinating our recruiting efforts, benefits administration and the onboarding process for new hires. Here are the key takeaways from our conversation:

Jessica: Why do you think a great employee experience is so important?

Caroline: Onboarding is an employee’s first introduction as a Motus team member. So we want it to be a great one! We want our newest team members to be psyched about the work they’ll do and the team they’re joining. We’ve designed the onboarding experience to set our employees up for success in their time at Motus. By the end of the process, the new hire will have met people across the organization and have a deeper understanding of our product.

Jessica: Agreed! Building off of those thoughts, what would you say are the top three benefits of a positive employee onboarding experience?

Caroline:  First and foremost, meeting everyone on the team is huge for our new hires. At Motus, we encourage team members to break out of their shell and meet as many people as possible! As part of our onboarding process, we introduce the new hires to team members in all departments and at all different levels of the organization. Our teams all work very closely in everything we do, so we want to develop cross-functional relationships.

Secondly, learning the company from the ground-up is beneficial for new hires. We want our newest employees to have a holistic understanding of our company and product, so every new hire will have an orientation to each team with a key stakeholder in that area. Whether the new hire is in sales, technology, or customer success, they’ll learn a little about every team.

Finally, having a positive employee onboarding experience is important for talent retention. We’re excited about every new hire that joins the team, and we want to make a great first impression. We want our new hires to engage in our culture from their very first day and to quickly ramp up in their roles. We’re lucky to have so many experts in our field here at Motus, and we hope onboarding sets a positive tone for a long career with us. 

Jessica: Does a positive employee onboarding experience lead to company-wide and team success?

Caroline: I’d say so, absolutely. A positive employee experience is essential for the success of the employee and the company. Onboarding gears a new employee up to hit the ground running and excel in their new role. Typically, we find our new hires are able to jump right in and start leading exciting and innovative projects.

Jessica: Since you’ve joined our team, how have you helped contribute to a positive employee onboarding experience in your role?

Caroline: Since joining the team, I’ve helped ensure the onboarding process is well organized and runs smoothly. Starting a new job can be overwhelming, so we try to make the process as seamless as possible. I’m currently working to leverage technology to make this process even easier and provide an enhanced experience for new hires. 

Jessica: And what have you learned in the process?

Caroline: I’ve learned the importance of staying as organized as possible before the new hire’s start date, but to also expect last minute schedule changes. I always have a contingency plan, so that any changes don’t affect the new hire experience. 

This blog post only scratches the surface when it comes to how beneficial a tried and true employee onboarding experience is for your business as a whole. If you already have an employee onboarding experience that works, think of the ways you can continue to hone it. If you don’t, there’s no better time than the present to implement one!

To get more tips for today’s HR leaders, stay tuned for the next installment of the HR Hangout!

Take me to the HR Hangout

The HR Hangout is a recurring series on the Motus blog featuring advice from Jessica Chronchio, Director of People Operations at Motus. A proven Human Resources leader, Jessica has her master’s degree in Human Resources Management and is an active member of SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management). The topics covered range from empowering HR in the boardroom, best practices around people management, insights on industry trends, and advice for today’s HR leader.