Designing An Onboarding Learner Experience Journey
Effective onboarding training is becoming more critical to the bottom line. Correspondingly, what was previously treated as a transactional, one-time event, is increasingly designed as a progressive, multistep journey that begins at preboarding and may extend far beyond the day, week, or month conventionally allocated. Onboarding is now valued as a significant contributor to and a shaper of the overall employee experience. This reimagining of the onboarding learner experience (LX) as an extended journey can be characterized as a shift in both objectives and expectations. And this is true for both organizations and learners. These needs cannot be met with check-the-box or in-the-conference-room-down-the-hall learning.
A Shift In Onboarding Strategy
If your onboarding program's focus is still on the employee handbook or the org chart, it's unlikely that next-level objectives such as ensuring well-integrated, supported, and prepared employees are even on your radar. But new hires, especially remote and hybrid workers, need stronger connections with their team members. They also need experiences to build their readiness for the role and confidence that they've made the right decision. Given the seeming efficiency of a one-size-fits-all model, onboarding has traditionally been centralized and managed by HR. It was not uncommon for HR to take responsibility for the new hire for the period of onboarding and then hand them off unceremoniously to their new supervisor. These awkward and insufficient handoffs are deservedly becoming a thing of the past.
Instead, we need to nurture a collaborative partnership between HR, L&D, and business unit leadership. It's key to the design and development of practical, relevant, and comprehensive learning experiences. This type of collaboration, where each party's unique expertise is leveraged, allows for the early integration of new hires with their business unit, helping them understand their roles and form connections. Practices such as relying primarily on HR departments, neglecting to measure effectiveness, or treating remote and hybrid workers the same as in-office employees all hinder the successful integration and training of new hires.
Addressing The Gaps In Onboarding
Research shows that only 29% of employees feel prepared and supported in their new role, and a disappointing 12% of employees feel their company did a great job with onboarding, according to a Gallup poll. [1] Given the current state of onboarding, it's unsurprising that retention is low. Employees who do feel a good match quality with the role and the organization have the resilience to weather the inevitable bumps in the employee experience.
To address these gaps, it's important to do an upfront analysis before laying out a new design for an onboarding LX journey. An analysis of desired performance and of the experiences most critical to new hire success can provide valuable insights and priorities. Those insights are then used to design an effective onboarding LX journey.
A Journey With Multiple Paths
Effective LX onboarding incorporates a distinct learner path with flexible sequences of learning experiences that build on each other to gradually create the behaviors needed for success in the new role. These customized LX journeys may extend onboarding to three, six, or even twelve months from the hire date. Spacing these learning experiences increases their effectiveness. Designing a long-term LX journey that includes ongoing formal, informal, and experiential learning experiences can scaffold new hires as they develop competency in their new role.
The onboarding journey can be either greatly enabled or obstructed by the organization's learning tech ecosystem. When the onboarding program is well-integrated across platforms, it provides the means for interactive and personalized learning, progress tracking, and communication. Tools like onboarding apps and virtual learning environments help create a seamless and efficient onboarding process. As noted by McKinsey, integrating learning technology can significantly enhance the onboarding experience by providing just-in-time resources and continuous learning opportunities that are personalized to the employee. [2]
Engage Learners And Measure Their Experience
Boring lectures and dull onboarding methods can induce frequent yawning. A learner-centric approach focuses on creating engaging and interactive experiences, like the web-based training AllenComm built for BD to fit into the schedules of busy nurses or the pairing up of new hires with a peer or cohort. Like drinking from a firehose, traditional onboarding often floods new hires with too much information from the start of their training. Not only does this slow down the time to competency, but it can also quickly discourage and confuse learners. A well-sequenced journey spreads the information over time and incorporates a practice and feedback process that addresses skill gaps.
Given the various formats and modalities of these learning experiences, it's important to measure the impact of each. Use surveys, performance assessments, and regular feedback cycles to gather data and make informed adjustments. Measuring the effectiveness of onboarding programs is crucial for continuous improvement and recalibration for alignment with business goals.
Creating Meaningful Learning Experiences
What makes an experience? For starters, we need relevance and context. Rather than disconnecting HR policies from on-the-job realities, onboarding is an opportunity to illustrate those connections. This may entail cohort learning, project-based learning, cross-functional team experiences, and more. Consider the real-world scenarios included in the onboarding training AllenComm built for Delta Air Lines, or the mix of virtual environments, animation, and case studies created for ADM. It helped them realize a 90% improvement in engagement during the first 30 days of onboarding. Strive to create onboarding experiences that balance the necessary company information new hires need with engaging activities that inspire creativity to avoid overwhelming them.
A comprehensive LX training that spans the entire onboarding experience and beyond can include interactive elements, real-world applications, and continuous learning opportunities. Address the specific needs of new hires, their teams, and the entire organization. This results in powerful outcomes like improved retention, reduced time to competency, and increased efficiency. By prioritizing the new hire's needs and providing them with the necessary tools, knowledge, and support, this approach enhances job satisfaction and performance.
Conclusion
Effective onboarding training impacts business outcomes by reducing time to competency and increasing employee engagement. Engaged employees are more productive and less likely to leave, saving the company time and resources associated with turnover. This evolution meets the demand for experiential learning, scaffolding new hires to be well-integrated, supported, and prepared to contribute to business objectives. Especially for remote and hybrid workers, onboarding now emphasizes stronger team connections, quicker ramp-up to competency, and enhanced job satisfaction that will improve retention.
References:
[1] Why the Onboarding Experience Is Key for Retention
[2] When failure is an option: Fostering organizational innovation and learning
