Did you know that 46% of new hires fail and leave a company within the first 3-6 months on the job? And not only that but 89% of the time when new hires leave it’s an issue of “attitude” or “cultural fit,” rather than skills.
Onboarding is a journey – a foundational part of your employee experience. It’s about fulfilling the promises you made during recruitment and preparing employees to be high performers. When it goes well, your employees will feel a sense of belonging and learn what defines their success.
Onboarding is the first chance organizations (e.g. golf clubs) have to demonstrate their real culture. Hence give them opportunities to observe how current employees live the culture and see how it plays out in organizational decisions and values.
Golf clubs that achieve world-class onboarding programs have a competitive differentiator. These are the main benefits of exceptional onboarding programs:
- Higher job satisfaction.
- Higher performance.
- Lower turnover.
- Less stress.
Nonetheless, Gallup says only 12% of U.S. employees say their company does a good job of onboarding. What’s at stake are outcomes like performance and new-hire turnover.
Just like in other industries, golf club employees who had exceptional onboarding process are more likely to outperform and stay longer with you.
The three most important aspects of the onboarding process:
- People – This is the most important element of the onboarding experience. Hence, we should create the opportunity for starting meaningful relationships. As a result, they will be less likely to leave. Make them feel supported, included, and respected.
- Learning – opportunities for learning and development are one of the key drivers of employee engagement.
- Processes – Employees want clear expectations for training and orientation, a well-defined onboarding structure, and a pace of learning that makes them feel well-prepared.
Smartphones – onboarding – employee experience
Mobile devices are now a fixture of modern life. Mobile is now enabling consumers all over the world to not only communicate more effectively, but pay bills, shop, and even remotely control devices in their homes and cars.
Annual worldwide mobile application downloads grew by 45% between 2016-2019. I dare to say mobile is our go-to device where we spend on average 4 hours a day. Source: App Annie, State of Mobile 2020.
We don’t have to wait long until our smartphones become our primary interface with the world. If so, why not use smartphones to ease and speed up the onboarding process?
When discussing hyperconnectivity, most people immediately picture an employee glued to their desktop. For front-line workers (e.g. greenkeepers, pro-shop workers, etc.) it has got a totally different meaning. For them, timely access to information and an open line of communication with their colleagues has the power to increase efficiency and boost productivity in the workplace.
Such access to information is very crucial also to new hires who do not understand your golf club’s/resort’s processes, customs, etc., even if they are joining from another golf club/resort.
An onboarding example
Imagine your new employees spend just 30 minutes on their first day browsing through your employee app, seeing club accomplishments, guest feedback, peer recognition – they can get a lot of information about the culture of the place before they even meet the rest of the team.
A good onboarding software (e.g. Beekeeper) enhances the employee onboarding and orientation processes by creating a fast, streamlined, and valuable experience for both you and your new hires.
Today, when your teams are stretched, who is really available to take the time and onboard the new employees?
Technology can complement the people interaction and make sure that all new hires consistently receive the information and the welcome that will set them up for success with your organization.
If you need any further help, then please contact me: mikibreitner@gmail.com / +36 30 279 0054
This article is brought to you by Beekeeper.