Canadian HR Reporter

CANADIAN HR REPORTER MAY 2018 26 FEATURES RECRUITMENT 'Preboarding' enhances engagement between job offer and start date Radio silence could cause candidates to rethink their decision By Leonard Brienza E mployers invest a lot of time and effort into find- ing the right candidate. But once the job posting, screen- ing, interviewing and negotiat- ing are done and an offer is ac- cepted, the recruitment process is not yet complete. New hires are particularly con- cerned with how their new em- ployer communicates with them. And there may be a disconnect — while 78 per cent of employers feel they're doing well when it comes to communicating and setting expectations, only 47 per cent of candidates agree, according to a 2017 CareerBuilder survey. In fact, 40 per cent of candidates say they've experienced a lack of communication between the time when they accept a job and their first day of work, found the sur- vey of 5,016 candidates from the United States and Canada, as well as 1,500 U.S. hiring managers. Perhaps that's because only 47 per cent of employers have a for- mal process in place for commu- nication and interactions between the time of hire and the start date — despite 71 per cent agreeing that onboarding and "preboard- ing" are essential to the overall employee experience. It's a risky scenario. e radio silence can cause some candidates to rethink their decision to change jobs, particularly if they're facing pressure from family (especially if the new role requires relocation) or colleagues, or they're feeling self-doubt or excluded because of the lack of communication. For others, the gap between ac- cepting a job offer and the start date is seen as an opportunity to bargain — either with the cur- rent employer or another orga- nization where they have been interviewing. An employer really can't afford to go back to square one because a promising candidate got cold feet after weeks of zero communica- tion from the hiring organization. e average cost-per-hire can range from at least $43,000 for an executive to $3,300 for clerical or support workers, along with weeks of effort, according to a 2002 report from the Conference Board of Canada. Of course, that doesn't take into account stress, frustration and po- tential harm to team morale. Preboarding reduces risk Although a relatively new con- cept, preboarding is an incredibly valuable process. For one thing, it can help en- sure a new recruit doesn't back out at the last minute. And it empowers her to arrive on her first day already engaged and in- formed, ready to hit the ground running. Preboarding activities can in- crease first-year employee reten- tion considerably, while involving current employees in onboarding also increases their engagement and "ownership" of new hires. Preboarding should not be con- fused with the more traditional onboarding process. Preboarding begins and ends before an employee's first day, and here are a few things it can accomplish: Get a jump-start on administration • Use the preboarding phase to have a new hire complete required forms for payroll, benefits and other programs. • Share the employee handbook and any other policies or procedures he'll need to know about. • Provide login information to cloud-based platforms such as email, internal social media platforms and network tools so she can poke around and become familiar with them in advance. • Set up access to any mandatory training or orientation videos or platforms. Answer common questions Joining a new organization is a lot like being the new kid at school. It can be incredibly nerve- wracking. Providing important information — such as when to arrive, how to check in, dress code and a schedule of activities — can help ease first-day jitters for the new hire, while also allowing him an opportunity to ask any ques- tions not yet considered. Provide a warm welcome • Introduce the new hire to the team with a group email. • Encourage everyone to extend their own welcome and provide some information about themselves and their role. • Assign the incoming team member a mentor, and encourage them to connect before the big day. • Plan a team activity, such as a welcome lunch or other informal social event. • Send a swag bag of branded items. • Provide an office tour or facility orientation. All of these activities can help reinforce the person's decision to join the organization. By having some dialogue with her new team before starting, she will feel more familiar when she walks in the door on day one. It will also demonstrate parts of the company culture beyond claims made during the inter- viewing process. Simplify process with ATS All this constant communication may sound like a lot of extra work, but it doesn't have to be. e employer can use an ap- plicant tracking system (ATS) to manage the preboarding process similarly to how it manages re- cruiting. It can set up automa- tion to have new hires complete paperwork or view orientation videos through their personalized candidate page. In fact, once the preboarding process and content are in place, large parts of the automation can be replicated for each new hire, freeing up time for more per- sonalized touchpoints such as phone calls, office tours or social gatherings. Using an ATS will also allow HR to track participation and task completion to ensure a new hire is actually engaging with the material. e moment a recruit seems inactive, the employer can reach out to find out why and address any potential problems before it leads to the person walking away from the job. Enhance the experience After all the time, energy and expense of the hiring process, it makes no sense to risk losing a great candidate at the last min- ute over something as simple as communication. Simple and automated pre- boarding programs can help re- solve any doubts new hires may have, and reinforce their desire to come onboard. e programs can equip them to come in on their first day with all their administra- tion taken care of, to the sight of a familiar face or two, and feel a sense of belonging. at leads to an engaged, pro- ductive, confident employee — right off the bat. Leonard Brienza is director of consult- ing at CGI in Toronto, offering consult- ing, systems integration, IT outsourc- ing and business process services. He can be reached at leonard.brienza@ cgi.com or, for more information, visit www.cgi.com. Only 47 per cent of employers have a formal process in place for communication and interactions between time of hire and start date. Order your copy today. Visit www.store.thomsonreuters.ca or call 1-800-387-5164 for a 30-day, no risk evaluation ONTARIO LAWYER'S PHONE BOOK 2018 Ontario Lawyer's Phone Book is your best connection to legal services in Ontario with more than 1,400 pages of essential legal references. You can depend on the accuracy of this trusted directory that includes the most up-to-date names, phone numbers, mailing addresses and emails so you don't have to search anywhere else. 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