A new job, as in any new start, is accompanied by excitement as well as fears. The first days are largely spent being a side observer while learning the concepts and processes and meeting new people.

 

Research shows that this period of time is so significant to the point where the way we experience this initial period at work may affect productivity, motivation and desire to remain there over time. Many companies have therefore created an Onboarding process designed to help every new employee orient themselves in the company in the best possible manner.

 

Gone are the days in which employees would receive a folder with ‘Overlap’ written in giant letters, leaving them to try and decipher the job and position on their own. Instead. An Onboarding process helps employees better understand the organization in which they arrived, its culture, and the various sections of the Company.

 

This process also helps employees feel that they are not alone, that they have someone they can turn to and from whom to learn. How does one create an optimal orientation process for new employees in a company? How do we make sure that this initial period of employees in an organization helps them connect to the organizational culture? 

 

What are the advantages of the Onboarding process

 

“The issue of entering an organization is, I believe, extremely significant for several reasons” says Oshrat Binyamin, VP of Human Resources at monday, “First and foremost, it gives the employee a sense of strong connection with the place they are entering.

 

Ultimately, every company has a different culture, work processes, people and managers, and the onboarding process can also create a sense of basic orientation in the new job, as well as provide employees with the tools they need to succeed in their new position”.

 

“Studies show that employees who undergo onboarding will be 70% more effective” says Rinat Livni, leader in the field of Learning and Development in monday. “I believe that this is an extremely meaningful experience for employees. First of all, it can help them feel that they made the right choice in joining the company.

 

This is one of the first encounters with the company, and I believe that this advances a very sensitive aspect of entering a new place. It is important to us to increase the confidence of acceptance by incorporating you and understanding what you need, as well as helping you become familiar with the organization and even its language, the small ceremonies that are performed in the company”.

 

“When I arrive at a new place and receive help to increase my understanding, it clears the way for me to begin to focus on my work that I have. Employees who quickly gain a sense of confidence in the new organization, so that they faster understand the organizational culture and how things work, to feel that they have real engagement with the organization – these are employees who can make a faster, more real impact”.

“I also see this as an opportunity for the organization” says Oshrat. “These people who are now entering the company bring new perspectives. They frequently place a mirror on how we are operating, on where we as a company are strong but where we may need to take some action. I look at the onboarding process as one in which it is clear that the company is ostensibly the stronger side in terms of its resources but has what to learn from its new employees, and it can, with their help, gain perspective on its work processes itself”.

How does the Onboarding process work in monday? “We divide the process into three stages” says Rinat.

 

Pre-onboarding

 

“The first stage is one that occurs far before our employee arrives. On the day of the signing, the employees receive a link to the pre-onboarding site, and in this site, there is a process that discusses the organization, monday, where they are heading, the aim being to provide them with an understanding of our culture and values. There is even a movie that depicts the office atmosphere”.

“In addition, there is a page that provides context and explanations of every team. Every team page is open to everyone. Every employee can enter every team and learn who are its members and what they do. But this is not just a description of the people on every team – the new employees can broaden and learn what every team does and what the special jargon it uses. Additionally, this site includes a description of how the first week of the company will be, with an organized timetable. The aim is to allow employees to lead and not be led”.

 

The First Week

 

“The first week is largely organizational onboarding, where we dedicate time primarily to learning the organization, its culture, and how our values are reflected in each of our business units. During this week, the new employees will meet the various department heads, who will provide them with an explanation of what their department does, how it is related to the monday product, what challenges they face and how they measure their success.

The employees not only receive a series of lectures, on site, we encourage them to conduct genuine discussions with the various managers, to ask them questions and to take interest.

Our goal is for the new employees to reach the end of the week understanding how each of the departments joins together and creates an entire picture of the product known as monday”.

 

The Professional Outboarding

 

“The first week is followed by the stage in which employees are allowed for the first time to make an impact. This is an extremely significant part, takes much longer and I believe that if I divided it into stages, then the first and second stage are about confidence, about initial introduction, ability to feel at home and to become familiar with the environment – all this so that I can reach the third stage and truly make an impact.

 

What does impact mean? It means that already in the first week, the employee receives an assignment that they need to do, which is an assignment that leaves its stamp on the company, that can make a change”.

 

I can give an example from the R&D Department, in which the first assignment given is to build a feature, allowing the employee to make a real impact on the product. This is something that gives a great deal of confidence and a sense of independence. The employee can see that we trust them”.

 

On Chapter 101 of the podcast, we discussed in detail how the orientation of new employees can facilitate their success. You can listen to the full chapter here.