Onboarding new hires is a time-consuming task, but it is also one of the most critical aspects of new hire engagement and satisfaction.
“New hires will decide whether to stay or leave a company within the first 30-90 days, and we realized that onboarding is one of the few moments in the employee life cycle where we could make a disproportionate impact – quickly,” says Jennifer Jones, director of national recruiting for Mariani Premier Group, headquartered in Lake Bluff, Illinois.
Carly Haugen, CPO for Prescription Landscape, based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, says they restructured their onboarding after she found in their data on employee turnover rates and exit interviews that they were having problems during the first 30 to 45 days of employment.
“I determined that the handoff from HR to production is where a lot of communication breakdown occurred, so I decided to streamline our processes across managers and each of our branch locations,” Haugen says.
Shantel Perez, employee success specialist with K&D Landscaping, Inc., based in Watsonville, California, says it became apparent they needed to improve their onboarding experience when she noticed many new hires were asking the same types of questions in their first few weeks, such as how things worked, who to go to, and what their opportunities were with the company.
“That showed me that even with a solid, traditional foundation, we were missing some early clarity and connection,” Perez says. “That was my cue to redesign onboarding to be more human and clearer from day one.”
Streamline the Paperwork Process
One of the time-intensive aspects of the traditional onboarding process is handling the necessary paperwork. Standardizing and digitizing this experience allows orientation to focus more on the human aspect of onboarding.
Haugen says they’ve switched entirely to paperless in their human resources information system and send a link to new hires to complete all their paperwork prior to their orientation day.
“Typically, when a new hire comes in, they have completed their paperwork or have communicated that they need some help getting this done,” Haugen says. “We collect their I-9 documents, review their job descriptions, and then go through some history about the company, our core values, mission, and vision statements, and how they relate to their specific role.”
In the past, when new hires came to the office to fill out their paperwork, Haugen would show them around, then they’d meet with the operations manager before going out with the crews the next day. Now, on the first day they’re introduced to team members and trained to use the HRIS and Aspire.
“We found that having the employee come in and complete their paperwork as part of the orientation was not only boring for all involved, but it also created an environment where our recruiter or other HR employee sat and watched the new hire complete their paperwork rather than creating an opportunity for engagement,” Haugen says. “Unless a new hire needs assistance completing this paperwork, we want them to complete it at home so we can make the process more conversational when they are in person.”
Jones says they’ve integrated their benefits, payroll, recruiting and onboarding to Workday, which has allowed them to manage the employee experience all from one place. Previously, the onboarding process varied among their partner companies.
“We collaborated with our HR departments to evaluate all onboarding processes and selected those we felt would drive the best candidate experience,” Jones says. “We implemented best practices by creating an onboarding playbook for each hire scenario: rehire, promotion, new hire hourly or salary, intern. This was a big starting point for us to ensure candidates receive the right onboarding and training support for their role.”
Jones adds that standardizing has allowed them to minimize their paper and manual processes, going from nearly 100% manual in the beginning to almost 100% digital today.
“We have seen significant improvements in our month-over-month turnover as well as a decrease in the time required to onboard a new employee,” Jones says.
Create Connections for New Hires
Perez says their previous onboarding process covered the essentials and served as a strong foundation, but now it is more people-focused.
“It includes a genuine get to know you questionnaire, introduction to our culture and 30 fundamentals, team introductions, system trainings, ride-alongs, scheduled check-ins,” Perez says. “It’s no longer ‘sign your paperwork and good luck’ it’s a guided and supported experience.”
Perez says they’ve seen stronger retention past the 90-day mark, a decrease in turnover and higher confidence among their new hires, who feel supported rather than thrown into the fire.
Haugen says that spending time with the new hires and getting to know them during the orientation process has had the greatest impact on their employee retention.
“When you hire 50 or more new people in a season, it can be challenging to make sure you remember everyone and something about them, but it truly makes a difference,” Haugen says.
Prescription Landscape’s managers reach out to new hires on the first day with a welcome message as well as their contact information so they know who to contact when they are done with their training.
Jones says it’s extremely important for managers to be engaged in the onboarding process.
“Onboarding is not just about HR, videos, benefits, and checklists; it is about manager connection and role clarity,” Jones says. “Employees often leave a company because they do not feel connected to their manager or job. Managers should have regular check-ins, provide feedback, set clear job expectations and first 30-day goals, and celebrate early progress. It is important for HR to collaborate with managers to set expectations and provide training.”
Perez says they pair their new hires with strong team members, encourage open communication and conduct regular check-ins.
Mariani Premier Group also helps new hires feel connected by partnering them with a buddy.
“As a new hire, people do not always feel comfortable going to their manager with small questions, and a peer mentor can be a great resource for new employees,” Jones says. “It also reduces isolation, creates personal connection, and can lead to faster ramp up.”
Additionally, new hires with Mariani Premier Group can access their intranet site, which includes links to Mariani University, company blogs, podcasts, and NALP membership. They can also explore peer groups like plant buyers or design round tables, so they feel more connected.
Balance Culture and Technical Training
Another aspect that should be fine-tuned with your onboarding is striking the right balance between providing the necessary technical training and helping new hires understand your company culture.
“We introduce technology and software systems, like Greenius, right alongside our core values and 30 Fundamentals,” Perez says. “From day one, we also talk about growth programs and training opportunities. We want new hires to understand that we work hard here but we value our people just as much. Skills can be taught. Culture comes first.”
Jones agrees that culture should be introduced early on.
“It is important for new hires to understand the legacy of Frank Mariani and how we are all sitting here today,” Jones says. “It is also equally important to understand the journey we are on and the leaders and associates that are making this possible. Employees, more than ever, need to feel a deeper connection beyond their job. We have an extraordinary story to share at The Mariani Premier Group.”
Mariani Premier Group’s new hires start learning their technical skills within the first week. Jones says they utilize short videos and reference guides to help expedite learning, while they hold larger training sessions for labor roles on safety and proper equipment operation.
Haugen says because they want their new hires to love working at Prescription Landscape as much as they do, they strive to avoid information overload on the first day and break things down into smaller sessions.
“Rather than having the new team member go out with the crews the next day, we assign them paid safety training modules that must be completed before they come back,” Haugen says.
Haugen says the new hire completes these models at home via Greenius modules and contacts their supervisor once they are finished.
“The supervisor then schedules time with the new hire to come in and complete field checklists on the training they just completed online,” Haugen says. “This ensures that the new team member is comfortable operating our specific equipment and following safety standards specific to Prescription Landscape.”
By having the employee complete the modules first, Haugen says they learn more about the employee and how they learn best.
“Not everyone learns from module-based trainings, so some people need more hands-on training than others,” Haugen says. “By making the process tailored to the individual, we can make sure that each employee gets what they need during their first few days with us.”
This article was published in the March/April/May issue of the magazine. To read more stories from The Edge magazine, click here to subscribe to the digital edition.
