Onboarding: successfully integrating a new employee

You have advertised a position and your recruitment strategy has enabled you to find the ideal candidate; that is fantastic, but be careful, the recruitment process does not end when the contract is signed. Indeed, companies tend to focus the bulk of their efforts on recruitment, only to neglect the crucial phase that follows: integrating the employee.

Why integrate a company's new employees?

In an environment that is increasingly competitive when it comes to attracting and retaining talent, onboarding, that is to say the process of integrating new talent, holds a very particular place.

"You will never have a second chance to make a good first impression."

At Valeur Plus, we believe that a thoughtful, structured integration improves a new employee's engagement and performance. Conversely, neglecting the integration phase can be a strategic mistake that may lead to hasty departures and unwanted turnover.

What is the link between the employer brand and onboarding?

The employer brand is expressed through the interaction of three dimensions:

• Employer reputation: the perception or opinion that the public holds of the company

• Employer image: the representation of the company held by its employees

• Employer identity: the company's DNA (its mission, its managerial practices, its values and culture, its working environment)

Improving your employer brand brings many benefits, such as conveying a positive image and enhancing the company's reputation, ensuring a better match between candidates and companies, helping newcomers embrace the company's values and culture, and building loyalty and motivation among employees.

A carefully managed welcome and integration is one way of developing your employer brand. It is, in fact, the first test of alignment between the image conveyed by the company during the recruitment process and the image the new employee perceives once their contract is signed.

What are the key steps to a successful integration?

1. Preparing the new employee's integration

The integration process begins well before the new employee arrives. It is essential to communicate with and inform the entire team ahead of the newcomer's arrival.

Furthermore, preparing the logistical and practical aspects of the working environment should not be overlooked. Anticipating these elements avoids any needless waste of time once the new employee is present. These small details also show the new member that they are expected.

Finally, we feel it is important to involve the team's manager(s) and the HR department in order to define the role and place of each stakeholder in the integration process and to build a training plan to support the new employee's development of skills.

2. Taking care over the employee's first day at the company

The first day plays a very important role in the successful integration of a new employee. It is during this first day that they form a large part of their opinion of the company and their new role.

Here are a few actions we put in place at Valeur Plus to create a welcoming, warm atmosphere on a new team member's first day:

• Giving a tour of the company to present the premises

• Introducing the new employee in person to the various teams

• Arranging a meal with the manager and/or a team member

• Presenting and describing the company's values and culture

• Guiding the start in the role, with an explanation of how the IT tools work

• Presenting the training plan

3. Following up on the employee's integration

Integration does not happen in a single day; it takes several weeks or even several months. We are convinced that regular follow-up is the key to ensuring that both the start in the role and the integration go smoothly. Indeed, being available and checking in frequently with the new employee allows them to express themselves, ask questions and share how they feel about the period that has passed.

This period is also very well suited to giving the new employee regular feedback in order to provide constructive input on their work and their skills. The aim of this feedback is to encourage the employee to keep up their momentum, increase their performance, or indeed adjust certain actions or behaviours. We cannot say it often enough, but feedback is a very powerful tool for motivating an employee, engaging them and helping them to progress and perform.

How do you know if onboarding has been a success?

The moments of exchange and feedback during the integration period are already good indicators for assessing the compatibility between employee and employer. But the ideal is to hold an end-of-probation interview.

In principle, in an end-of-probation interview, there should be no major revelations or significant misunderstandings. Indeed, regular communication between the two parties throughout the probationary period helps to avoid surprises at the time of the interview.

This interview makes it possible both to take stock of and to look ahead at the recent collaboration, from the manager's perspective but also from the employee's point of view. In short, it is an important opportunity to clarify the employee's integration and to check that everyone's expectations are aligned. This meeting also makes it possible to renew both parties' wish to work together and to look ahead to the future with confidence by agreeing on stimulating objectives.

Would you like to develop your recruitment and onboarding strategy?

Do not hesitate to call on the expertise of Valeur Plus. Our experience and our expertise in the HR field will ensure you receive high-quality support throughout this process.

Written by Cassandra Kunkel, marketing and training projects manager