The Halo Effect and On-Boarding (Employee Engagement Insights from a Successful Job Search II)

The Halo Effect and On-Boarding (Employee Engagement Insights from a Successful Job Search II)
The Real Role of On-Boarding in Employee Engagement

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By all measures, my new company did a stellar job welcoming me to my new position last week. I knew where to go and when; my badge, computer and system access worked, and I received an informative and concise orientation. I learned about corporate values and strategy, and my team's objectives, and even met my country manager on day two.

But what really made the difference was the personal, handwritten welcome note a team member had waiting on my desk, saying how pleased she was we'd be working together. That, and the personal attention my local office-mates gave me, ensured I felt part of the team.

Throughout my career, I have several times participated in the development and implementation of on-boarding programs, and in recent years there has been a big push to standardize messaging and automate learning activities through online platforms. I am a big advocate for consistent messaging and efficiency: both are how work gets done as organizations scale for growth. Further, in most employee surveys, new employees who have been with the company less than a year are the most engaged. It's what I term the halo effect: at the start of the new employment relationship, optimism and trust -- two correlates of employee engagement -- abound.

I had concluded, perhaps incorrectly (which is why even experts need to keep doing research), that all of this meant that on-boarding would have a moderating relationship to employee engagement. What I mean by this is that done poorly, on-boarding will work against engagement - and we've all heard horror stories where it has. On the other hand, I believed, people are so happy coming into a new job that good on-boarding isn't likely to increase engagement levels very much. As such, on-boarding should be optimized for efficiency, rather than invested in for differentiation.

So my experience at my new company, where one little touch made a real impact, got me thinking: what really is the role of on-boarding in facilitating employee engagement?

To partially answer this question, I referenced my research: if one defines employee engagement as an attitude regarding one's work in one's organization comprising vigor, dedication and absorption; empowerment and motivation to contribute within and beyond one's role in the service of the organization's goals, several conclusions about optimizing on-boarding for engagement and efficeincy can be inferred:

1. On-boarding activities that emphasize education about corporate mission, strategy and goals promote engagement by helping employees align their motivation to contribute for impact. The aspect of this which is about education can be standardized, but it's important for managers to translate these into individual goals and objectives.
2. Ensuring that systems work properly and necessary training is scheduled on day one helps eliminate barriers to contribution and promotes empowerment. Many companies document these tasks and assign owners by location or department to improve efficeincy and consistency, and some even procure technology systems that partially automate tasks and/or reminders.
3. As I've described above, the personal touch matters. I believe this comes down to solidifying trust at the individual and organizational levels, resulting from a concrete demonstration of personal consideration. Almost by definition, this is the sort of activity that cannot be automated -- but it can be streamlines with a consistent approach and clear accountabilities.

What are some of the best "personal touches" that you have seen as part of on-boarding that are resource-friendly and effective?