International Journal of Human Resource Management and Research (IJHRMR) ISSN 2249-6874 Vol.

2, Issue 2 June 2012 102- 107 TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.,

A STUDY OF EMPLOYEE ONBOARDING (A STUDY OF PRECISION CAMSHAFT LTD, SOLAPUR, INDIA)

1

B S SAWANT & 2AVINASH DHAVAN

Director, Rayat Shikshan Sansthas Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil Institute of Management

2

Studies & Research, Satara. Dean of Management studies, Shivaji University, Kolhapur India. Coordinator of MBA (HR) Program and Faculty in Human Resources

Bharati Vidyapeeth Universitys , Abhijit Kadam Institute of Management and Social Sciences , Solapur - India.

ABSTRACT
A new concept in talent management is being introduced called as employee onboarding. This technique has being from quite some time and it used to be known as new employee orientation. But onboarding is more about retaining talent than getting people settled in their new office. Employee Onboarding is the process of handling new employees to obtain the best results from them. To handle this specific task the organization should be well prepared. In a generic usage onboarding can be defined as the process of acquiring, accommodating, assimilating and accelerating new users into a system, culture or methodology. Proponents have described the process as being more than orientation, and emphasize the importance of making the most of the "honeymoon" stage of a hire, a period which has been described as being 90 days or 100 days. Onboarding is a function and skill of HR manager. Effective onboarding of new employees can be one of the most important contributions any hiring manager, direct supervisor or human resources professional can make to long-term organizational success, as right onboarding can improve productivity, good corporate culture and also retain the talent in the organisation.

KEYWORDS: Employee on boarding, Talent Management, Camshaft Ltd. INTRODUCTION

Introduction: In the talent management, the new employee orientation and mainstreaming process is called as employee onboarding. Keeping in mind that first impression is the last impression, the organization should make sure that new hires are welcomed, valued, and prepared for what lies ahead during onboarding process. The employee onboarding period can be quite complex and uncertain. Consider the experience from the employees perspective, and then make an effort to make it fun, interesting, exciting, painless, and as simple as possible. If implemented properly, it will make your new team member feel valued, wanted, interested and excited. By engendering these positive emotions, you make the new employee want to do great work and add great value to your organization. All new employees should complete a new employment orientation program that is designed to assist them in adjusting to their jobs and work environment and to instill a positive work attitude and motivation at the onset. The most found reason why people change jobs is because they never feel

103

A Study of Employee Onboarding , (A Study of Precision Camshaft Ltd, Solapur, India)

affiliated towards the organization. The most important principle to convey during an onboarding process is your commitment to continuous improvement and continual learning. Thats way, new employees become comfortable with asking questions to obtain the information they need to learn, and problem solve and make decisions. A successful onboarding programme will reduce the rate of attrition and also the heavy cost incurred on recruitment and selection. Though the onboarding process consumes time, energy and commitment but, it pays off for the individual employee, the department, and the organization. To increase the success of an onboarding program, it is important for an organization to monitor how well their new hires are adjusting to their new roles, responsibilities, peers, supervisors, and the organization at large. Researchers have noted that role clarity, self-efficacy, social acceptance, and knowledge of organizational culture are particularly good indicators of well-adjusted new employees who have benefited from an effective onboarding system. One such example is Precision camshaft ltd, solapur success in its employee onboarding program. The new hires were treated as customers and their expectation and demands from the orientation programme. The feedback of orientation programme was also taken. All the doughts related to the organization were cleared. The demands from the feedback were fulfilled by the trainers Essentially, the orientation mix now includes the less exciting topics and various policies and procedures, but it also includes details that let the employee know something about the organization.

OBJECTIVES
The objectives of a good Onboarding program include: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. The new employees should know about their new employer. To create a positive attitude among the new hires. To create a sence of belonginess within the new employees. To avoid misunderstanding about the organization. To make aware the new employees about the companys priorities and values. To communicate the performance expectation to the new hires.

PROCESS
As the organization go through a long formalized hiring process that takes months with a heavy cost. Then too the new hires mostly decide within the first 6 months whether they are going to sustain in the same organisation or begin looking for new job. The hiring process is lengthened so as the best candidate is selected which is fit for the organization. It only makes sense to ensure that they can fit him into the organization and "ramp him up" as quickly as possible. The onboarding employee into the

104

B S Sawant & Avinash Dhavan

organization is also important as the new hire quickly becomes engaged and productive and the time for return on investment of that individual is greatly enhanced.

Onboarding Process Culture

Success Orientation

Learning

Expectations
CULTURE
What makes a leader in one organization may not work in another. Leadership is a unique combination of organizational values/ethics and deliverables. The other is onboarding. The success of retaining employees is ensured by conducting stay interviews. The stay interviews will give out the strengths of the organization and why people are motivated to stay and what works for them which can be added in onboarding programme. The success and failure of the HR department lies with the process of selection.The selection process is very crucial in nature as it has to identify the attitude and skills possessed by the candidate. The skills can be developed but the attitude cant be changed which is an important factor for the success of the organisation. LEARNING The new employees should brief with organizational goals, important processes, general hire information, etc., and each person should be assigned a mentor to help them with their transition. Here a

105

A Study of Employee Onboarding , (A Study of Precision Camshaft Ltd, Solapur, India)

care should be taken that the mentor must not be the direct supervisor of the new hire but a peer who is not in competition from the new hire. The mentor must introduce the new hire to people in the organization, perhaps even setting up lunches and meetings, as well as helping to coach him through the political terrain of the organization.

EXPECTATIONS
The role clarity of the new employees is to be done by the mentor.The expectations from the new hires are to be communicated. Here the role of the manager is very important. He should sit down with the new hire and spend time with them going over what they see their role as being within the team, what are their deliverables/measurements, and then work with them to create a 100 day plan. This plan should include description of roles and responsibilities as well as deliverables.

SUCCESS
A small task is to be assigned to the new hires which will engage them which will increase the belonginingness towards the organisation. The task will also build a selfconfidence among them. Most of the employees want to feel like they are important and have an impact on the organization and by setting them up for success right away, they will utilize their skills to the fullest extent possible to create more successes for them selves, their team and the organization.

CELEBRATE
The new hires are to be welcomed by providing a reception in the organisation with snacks and drinks and give people in the organization an opportunity to get to know them. It also states very clearly that you are glad that they are now part of the organization and an important part of the team. Benefits of Effective Onboarding 1. 2. 3. 4. It increases belongingness and productivity of the organization. Focus training, development and coaching efforts. Boost workforce engagement, morale and commitment. It can also be a retaining strategy.

OUTCOMES
The belongingness towards the organization of new employees will be seen within the first 30 days. The new employees will understand what role they have to play and their contribution towards the success of the organization. An interesting and interactive onboarding programme gives employees meaningful information to "hit the ground running" to do their jobs productively. A continuous feedback is obtained about the on-boarding process. This mechanism also let know employees that the organization care for them to make the necessary change to improve. It also

106

B S Sawant & Avinash Dhavan

creates employee pride and investment. Employees are given a company token that represents pride in the company and has contact with the appropriate management in the first 3 - 5 business days. It is clear what the short term deliverables are for the role. Agreed upon follow up meetings to be conducted, so that employees know where they stand and can ask relevant questions, etc.

CONCLUSIONS
As due to the open market the rate of attrition is increasing. A heavy cost is incurred in recruiting and training the employees which can be a drain on employers' time and resources. A biggest challenge faced by the corporate world is of retaining their employees. Now its the time to change the practice of new employee orientation with onboarding which will have a positive knock-on effect on morale, performance, attendance and output. You can also save the heavy cost which will be incurred on recruitment and training of employees by onboarding process.

REFERENCES
1. Ashforth, B. E., & Saks, A. M. (1996). Socialization tactics: Longitudinal effects on newcomer adjustment. Academy of Management Journal, 39, 149178. 2. Bill Brandon. (2009) Employee Engagement: A Roadmap for creating profits, optimizing performance, and increasing loyalty,www.learningsolutionsmag.com, September 14, 2009. 3. Clyde C. Lowstuter and Cammen B. Lowstuter (2007), In Search of the Perfect Job (McGrawHill,). 4. 5. Federman, Brad. (2009) Employee Engagement. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. George Bradt, et al., The New Leaders 100-Day Action Plan (J. Wiley and Sons, 2006, revised edition 2009) 6. 7. 8. Jena McGregor (2007) "How to Take the Reins at Top Speed", Business Week, February 5,. J. Leslie McKeown (2002), Retaining Top Employees, McGraw-Hill, p153 George Bradt and Mary Vonnegut, Onboarding: How To Get Your New Employees Up To Speed In Half The Time, (John Wiley & Sons, 2009) 9. Michael Watkins, First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels, Harvard Business Press Books, Publication date: Sep 18, 2003. 10. Max Messmer, Human Resources Kit for Dummies (2d. Ed.) (Wiley Publishing, Inc, 2007), 11. Michael O'Malley Creating Commitment: How to Attract and Retain Talented Employees by Building Relationships That Last John Wiley and Sons, 08-May-2000 - Business & Economics. 12. Mrudula E Employee Retention- Concepts And Experiences ICFAI University Press, 14-Jul2005.

107

A Study of Employee Onboarding , (A Study of Precision Camshaft Ltd, Solapur, India)

13. Nancy S. Ahlrichs Competing for Talent: Key Recruitment and Retention Strategies for Becoming an Employer of Choice, amazon.com. 14. Stephen Taylor, the Employee Retention Handbook: Jaico Publishing House 15. Sangeetha K Effective Employee Induction: An Introduction, Icfai University Press. 16. William J. Cusick, All Customers are Irrational: Understanding What They Think, What They Feel, and What Keeps Them Coming Back (American Management Association, 2009). 17. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onboarding. 18. www.google.com www.yahoo.com 19. www.employeeretentionstrategies.com 20. http://www.money-zine.com/Career-Development/Finding-a-Job/Employee 12. Onboarding/25-2-