On-Boarding
How does on-boarding coaching help new employees become more productive?
On-boarding coaching is about making new employees reach breakeven point more quickly. That means the point when they contribute as much to an organisation as they consume from it. When 210 company CEOs were asked for their best estimates of the time it takes a typical midlevel manager in their organizations to reach the breakeven point, the average of their responses was 6.2 months. The purpose of on-boarding (sometimes called transition) coaching is to reach this breakeven point quicker. The coach will help the new employee to align his/her objectives with that of the new organisation and help them to remove any obstacles to achieving their early objectives.
More research has shown that the higher the initial applicant expectations in a new role, the greater the reality shock and the lower their job satisfaction and commitment. Often issues that start in the early months of an employment contract can build up into frustrations that cause the eventual departure of a potentially great employee. (And another move on that person's CV that could have been avoided).
We are trained in facilitating conversations between new staff and their managers. Once the selection process has finished, the real work begins. Our role is to ensure that the new employee understands exactly what is expected of them. We manage expectations on both sides to ensure a smooth transition into a new role and a quicker break-even point. What difference would it make in your organisation if your new employees were productive one month earlier?
The On-Boarding Programme
This will consist of three monthly 1.5 hour sessions (either face-to-face or telephone) designed to support the employee as they develop a successful strategy to join and quickly integrate with your business.
A typical on-boarding process consists of:
- The new employee, their manager and the coach reach agreement on confidentiality, desired outcomes and measurement. Objectives for the first three months of employment are clarified and agreed.
- Job demands, cultural issues, skills and alignment issues are diagnosed.
- The employee sets their own goals based on the diagnostic results and the feedback from the manager on the main challenges they will face.
- The coaching sessions then create an action plan, examine obstacles to achieving actions, increase self awareness and skill practice, provide feedback, follow-up and encouragement. The employee is encouraged to stay on task and focused.
- Goals are reset and evaluated against progress. Mid-course corrections are made as needed and action plans updated.
- A strategy for sustained success is developed, incorporating feedback, at the end of the three month’s programme.
The tangible results from the process are quicker integration of the new employee into the business and the acceleration of their impact on results. In addition, on-boarding is an investment into employee retention and morale.
References: Mabey (1986) and Watkins (2003).
"After being newly promoted into my first international sales management role I took part in a number of one on one career coaching sessions with Zena. We quickly highlighted my sales and people management objectives and I was able to focus on these as soon as the first session was complete. My time spent with Zena enabled me to gain more confidence in my role and taught me valuable job relevant skills." — Emma Davies, MacMillan Publishing