Employee satisfaction begins with onboarding. In fact, Glassdoor found that organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire productivity by more than 70% and retention by 82%.
But according to Gallup, only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job of onboarding new hires.
While it’s easy to fall into the majority of companies underutilizing the onboarding process, there are several ways you can quickly and effectively step up your game.
Empower Your Employees
Onboarding is more than paperwork and tax documents. Employees want to feel excited about their role in your organization, and the onboarding process is a great opportunity to empower them while making them feel comfortable in their new space.
Creating an onboarding kit can meet that need. When done right, onboarding kits can even serve as one of your most powerful retention tools.
While paperwork, handbooks, and forms are necessary, it’s the branded swag that stands out. Consider assembling a welcome kit that include essentials—like uniforms or backpacks—as well as an assortment of practical and fun items.
Here are a few company favorites!
Backpacks & Messenger Bags
From laptops to lunches, employees often have a lot to carry. Help them haul workplace necessities with a branded bag. There are several choices available, including messenger and computer bags, but backpacks remain a top choice among businesses.
Customized backpacks are especially ideal for a mobile workforce. Durable and dependable, they make great gifts for the commuting employee. Plus, some backpacks include padded compartments for extra protection of your company’s devices.
Water bottles
Affordable and practical, water bottles are a great gift for your new hires. Not to mention, they’re a quick and easy way to get your brand noticed. According to the Advertising Specialty Institute, promotional drinkware generates 1,400 impressions throughout its lifetime. With an average lifespan of 12 months, it’s one of the more cost-effective additions to your onboarding kit.
Help your employees stay hydrated while subtly showing off their new career move.
Pens and Writing Instruments
Notebooks and journals are practical additions to any onboarding kit. From meetings to trainings, your new hires absorb a lot of information. Why not give them a tool to help navigate their new role?
For added wow-factor, you can add tip-in pages. These pages are inserted into the journal after creation and help you customize each piece to better fit your company’s onboarding needs. For example, consider adding a new employee checklist, mission statement, map, or important contact information.
And, don’t forget the pen! With impressions costing less than 1/10 of a cent, they’re an easy addition to your new hire swag bag.
Rely on Digital
Selecting material is the first step in creating an onboarding kit. But, how do you deliver those items to employees—especially with a remote workforce?
Digitizing your onboarding process allows your employees to select their products online and helps you maintain a positive brand impression. To communicate this online experience, consider sending a welcome email to each new hire.
The email should include your company’s branding, link to your customized company store, and a promotional code or voucher for purchasing products. It’s a golden opportunity to spotlight your organization’s culture and help new hires feel like part of the team from day one.
Protect Your Brand
First impressions matter. While you want your new hires to feel welcome and included, it’s also important to ensure your company’s values are protected.
The first contact a new employee has with your organization shapes their impression and impacts their view of your business. So, ensure your welcome email is properly branded and features a seamless ordering process.
After all, beginning the working relationship with a frustrating process isn’t likely to increase employee satisfaction or invoke brand confidence.
Automate Your Process
It’s clear that an onboarding email and company store voucher can certainly provide a positive onboarding experience. But, you may not have the time or resources to implement a cutting-edge process.
That’s where ROBYN can help.
Our custom solutions include the ability to send an immediate, automated email to each of your new hires. This means, employees receive a branded email in minutes, and you don’t have to touch a thing.
Plus, hosting your items in an Online Company Store means you don’t have to keep inventory on-site. And with a growing selection of products made on demand, you can control manufacturing costs and avoid surplus stock.
Enhance Your Onboarding
Research shows that employees who had a negative onboarding experience are twice as likely to look for different opportunities. With the significant costs associated with recruiting and hiring, many businesses can’t afford such turnover.
Don’t let your onboarding process go neglected. To learn how ROBYN can enhance your onboarding, contact us today.
