How Employee Recognition Plays a Crucial Part in the Onboarding Process

Part 2 of 2

Whether you call it new employee orientation or the onboarding process, this time should be exciting for you and your new employees. Last month we discussed how to appreciate new employees with small orientation gifts and providing company orientation directed to all employees. You also need to appreciate your mentors and trainers, recognize the new employees at 90 days, and celebrate the first year anniversary and beyond.

Recognizing Your Mentors

A mentoring or training partner program strengthens employee teamwork and shows commitment to the new employee. Mentors ensure the new employee has someone to go to for continual training as well as answer all the little questions that come up during the first few months of employment. Give your mentors an appreciation gift as well that recognizes them for their efforts; they should be identified in the organization as someone who new employees can go to with questions or advice. Or give the mentor and new employee a unique gift set, such as personalized coffee mugs or an attractive paperweight that has the year and “Mentoring Partner” engraved for both parties. Again, it does not have to be extravagant, but something simple that can be a conversation piece and shows recognition to both parties—the mentor for going above and beyond his or her job duties and to the new employee for successfully completing the training period.

Checking in at 90 Days

Even though the training period may be over, the onboarding process should continue through the first year of employment. The onboarding process starts with education on the company history and culture, then a training period, and then the first few months in which new employees are working on their own.

It is helpful to check in with your employees after the first 90 days—sort of opposite of the “exit’ interview—this could be known as “new employee interview.” Have new employees sit down with you and answer specific, open-ended questions. Probe for honest answers. Questions you could ask include:

How did your training program prepare you for the tasks you are working on now?
Could anything have been improved?
What procedures or policies are working for you right now?
What are some challenges you are seeing in your department?
Were your job expectations communicated properly to you?
Are you making progress in the job?
How does your supervisor feel about your efforts to date and the progress you are making?
If you could change one thing about the company, big or small, what would it be?

Your new employees are absorbing the company for the first time, and can look at everything with unbiased, open eyes. Getting feedback after 90 days might help departments smooth out procedures or justify purchasing a new version of software. You might find out something important to the employee, like, “I noticed there’s no health club nearby. I have been leaving right at 5:00 to get to my gym class twice a week near my house. I know it may not be in the budget now, but I would love a gym in the building or perhaps one nearby that the company has worked out an arrangement with for a special membership. I would work longer hours knowing I could go downstairs or nearby anytime to workout.” Other employees might feel the same way, but never thought to speak up about it.

It is amazing what innovative ideas new employees bring to a company. If we take the time to listen, and accept open feedback, then we can learn them. If you just hire the employee, train them and then never bring them back in to review how things are going, you miss out on a lot of what the employee might bring to the table. New employees, especially Generation Y (entering the workforce after the year 2000), have different ways of working than Baby Boomers and Generation X, and may be dismissed as being lazy, when in fact they can multi-task, are very technology-savvy, and work very effectively. If we keep treating our new employees as we’ve done in the past, we miss the opportunity to really understand what is important and to gain great insight.

Celebrate the End of the First Year … and Beyond

Celebrating the end of your employee’s first year is very important. You should recognize this milestone and mark it as concluding the onboarding process. Giving employees a choice of gifts for the first year anniversary shows you recognize that different employees have different interests. First year gifts can be tailored to your budget and even be $25 or under per person if your budget is limited; items could include: coffee mugs, small electronics, desk items, decorative items, first year pins and wearable items. You could also show your appreciation with an unusual and impressive gift, such as personalized or logo-imprinted coffee mugs, beverage or wine glasses—a pair of glasses is easily under $25. What a perfect way for your employee to celebrate their first year employed by your company with a loved one or co-worker.

Continue to celebrate each anniversary with recognition, small gifts of appreciation, and certainly for milestone anniversaries (such as every five years) with company pins or different choices of more valued gifts.

Onboarding is a process that starts with familiarizing your new employees with your workplace, but doesn’t cultivate until the person has been there a year. Tangible recognitions should be part of the process, not only for Year one, but on-going as part of the company culture. Make sure you engage, train, listen, and show appreciation to your employees and in return your employees will continue to be loyal to your company and hopefully provide many years of valued service and contributions.

about the author
Randy Nobles is President of Eagle Recognition. Eagle Recognition offers turn-key solutions for length of service award programs.