The Lambda Solutions eLearning Blog

Make a Great First Impression with a Solid New Hire Onboarding Program

Written by Lambda Solutions | May 28, 2019

- 3 MIN READ - 

Surveys show that 20% of turnovers happen within 45 days of hiring. That's reason enough to know that your onboarding program will shape a new hire's first impression of your organization. Therefore, you need to deliver a program that immediately engages new hires and prepares them to complete their tasks to reduce turnover. Often, that means making an excellent first impression.

Starting a new job can be challenging for anyone, so make sure those employees can ease into their role and quickly connect with your organization’s values and mission. A great onboarding program helps them navigate their first few months.

Common Onboarding Challenges

Identify challenges so you can improve onboarding:

  • It should help new hires reach productivity and quality goals as quickly as possible. The longest programs see new employees reach full proficiency 34% faster.
  • Develop a program that immediately connects them with their mission and provides concrete training to boost confidence and performance.
  • Use goals, milestones and assessments to track progress.

How to Create a Successful and Compliant eLearning Program

Use feedback from employees who have completed the program to assess how well it prepared them. Also, keep track of quality and performance outcomes and use them to assess how well your program meets its goals.

Make sure the new hire onboarding process is infused with your values, and don't hesitate to tell stories about your organization. Engage new hires right away to make them feel welcome and excited about their new job.

Digital platforms are convenient ways to deliver content. Use digital content so they can train remotely and check it for quick refreshers on how to perform tasks.

Although eLearning is a convenient and effective way to deliver a great onboarding experience, your program should include a social element. Have an HR employee check in with them a few days after their start date, and consider job-shadowing or team-building activities to add a social dimension.

Compliance training is important because the requirements and best practices can be a lot to take in. Break it into smaller modules and make sure they have access to the information at any time in case they need a refresher. Test their knowledge regularly and encourage them to repeat the modules so they stay fresh in their minds.

WATCH: How to Make Compliance Simple Yet Effective for more best practices and in-depth examples


Key Elements and Strategies for Your eLearning Program

An onboarding program should engage new hires right away:

  • Use a goals-based approach so they can track their progress with milestones.
  • Foster confidence by teaching concrete skills they will use.
  • Encourage ownership of quality and compliance.
  • Break information into short modules that are easy to navigate.
  • Create a bridge between your program and further training opportunities.
  • Make sure they have access to support, through a manager or online community.
  • Gamification is great for making boarding more fun and exciting.

WATCH: Gamification 101 – What It Is and How to Get Started


Using a learning management system (LMS) is the most viable option for developing a flexible and engaging onboarding program.

Our eLearning experts here at Lambda Solutions specialize in streamlining eLearning experiences, helping companies implement an LMS for their learning and development programs, and optimize the entire process through data analysis. We’d love to help you implement a new onboarding program, professional development initiatives, or any other eLearning solution your organization needs.

Contact us today and to learn more about what we can do for you.

 

Related Resources to help you build a better onboarding program:
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