The considerable time and effort invested by organizations in recruiting top talent can all go to waste if the new recruits do not feel happy and satisfied in their new work environment. It is the awareness of this fact that leads companies to have a well-thought-of onboarding program in place for their new employees. The primary objective of this program is to make the new joinees feel comfortable and part of the team from day one. To ensure the success of these programs, the top recruitment firms in India advice their clients to steer clear of the below discussed five things during the onboarding process.
Delay The Commencement Of Onboarding Formalities Most companies start the documentation of onboarding process only on the day of joining of these new employees. However, this delayed commencement of formalities can result in delaying the process of getting the employees acquainted with the organization, its culture, and its processes. This might make them feel out of place in a relatively foreign environment and create a sense of alienation quite early on in their tenure. The best way to avoid this situation is to start the onboarding documentation process before the day of joining through a personalized outreach. Loads Of Extensive Paperwork Even though paperwork forms an essential aspect of any new recruitment, it should be restricted to a minimum. Loads of extensive paperwork often makes the new joinees feel confused and demotivated. Moreover, it makes them feel delusional about the technological capabilities of the organizations they have chosen to be a part of. Hence, the executive search consultants advise their clients to adopt digitization and automation of processes to minimize the paperwork and maximize the convenience and innovation for the new joinees. Lack Of Buddy System One of the best ways to ensure the success of an onboarding program and make the new employees feel comfortable in their new environment is to assign an onboarding partner or buddy to them. This strategy makes it easier for the employees to get settled in their new job and feel connected to their immediate teams as well as the organization as a whole. Furthermore, the buddy can help them to better understand the policies and procedures of the company more rapidly and efficiently. Overload Of Information Most companies still make the common mistake of overloading their new employees with too much information immediately after their joining. This, according to the experts from the leading recruitment firms in India, results in poor comprehension of their employer's mission, vision, core values, and business objectives. This situation can be avoided by prioritizing topics that need to be covered and then educating the new employees about the same at an appropriate pace. Lack Of Effective Communication One of the key issues faced by new joinees is the lack of proper communication from their peers and superiors. This results in a reduction in engagement and a sense of connectivity amongst the employees and makes it more difficult for them to settle in their new environment. It is important for organizations to ensure that the supervisors and co-workers hold informal communication sessions with fresh recruits to make them feel valued.
1 Comment
The growing competition between business organizations with respect to attracting and recruiting top-talent has made it mandatory for companies to focus on creating a strong employer brand. Organizations with a strong employer brand identity tend to naturally attract the best candidates suited for various available job positions. This is because such companies are perceived to fulfill the diverse professional needs and expectation of the deserving candidates in the most satisfactory manner. However, building a strong employer brand is not a task that can be accomplished overnight. Rather it needs to be done with proper planning and the right approach. Discussed below are four critical factors as identified by leading recruitment firms in India that organizations need to consider for developing an effective employer branding strategy.
Use Their Current Employees As Brand Advocates In order to build a strong employer brand identity, organizations need to convince prospective candidates about their various positive aspects. The best people to handle this task are the current employees of the organization as these are people that the prospective candidates can easily relate to. Moreover, a majority of the existing workforce within each organization has extensive online reach through their numerous followers across various social media channels. This makes it easier for them to spread the word about their employer brand within the online community. Coming from someone, who is already working for the organization in question, such publicity is generally considered quite authentic and finds many buyers. Develop And Implement Employee-Centric Policies It is important for business organizations to first work towards ensuring greater employee engagement and satisfaction. For this, they need to develop and implement employee-centric policies that are aimed at fulfilling the needs and expectation of the members of the workforce in the best possible manner. Ensuring gender equality, health benefits, flexible timings, and other similar benefits can go a long way in improving employee satisfaction levels and ensuring high retention rates. According to the top recruitment firms in India, such employer branding initiatives help in enhancing the performance and efficiency of the current employees and making them willing participants of the employee advocacy campaigns. Use Social Media To Create A Strong Online Presence The phenomenal growth and popularity of social media have turned it into a valuable marketing tool. Business organizations should make use of this tool to create a strong online presence and establish their brand identity amongst prospective candidates. The various social media channels can be used to create a positive image of the company as a preferred employer. They can also be utilized for sharing information about the various benefits and growth opportunities that candidates joining the organization are likely to get. Develop A Positive And Growth-Oriented Work Culture The experts from retained executive search firms in India are of the opinion that developing a positive and growth-oriented work culture is the most critical aspect of creating an effective employer branding strategy. Most professionals today are eager to work in a friendly and engaging environment, where they feel valued. Hence, organizations providing such an environment do not have to make much effort to attract the best candidates or even to retain them for a long time. Indeed, losing an employee turns out to be an enormously expensive activity. As per the researchers, the cost of replacing an employee is approximately the 15% of the salary of the employee. Apart from the financial cost, losing any employee also create cost in terms of trust factor which was built with the employee and the experience he/she has gained in the particular domain.
In such situation, the stay interviews conducted by the top recruitment firms in India turns out to be a tool for keeping the turnover figure at a lower level. But, making the stay interviews an effective exercise is all dependent upon the type of question being asked. Indeed, you are required to cover a great set of topics; so broke down the questions into categories and then ask. Here are some of the vital questions that can make the stay interview really effective: What Do You Like? This is often the first and the foremost question put forth by the leading recruitment firms in India in order to uncover the positive as well as negative aspects of the job. Asking the employee what they enjoy the least is as important as asking them what they enjoy the most. This will give an insight into what motivates the employee, what kind of role he would like to essay and how job improvements can be done in order to make him stay. What Self-Improvement Opportunities Would You Like To Have? After being aware about the motivating and de-motivating factors for the employee, it is time to learn about his views on career growth and learning curve. This question will give an idea how the employee should be helped in moving up the organizational ladder. What Are The Factors Of Retention? This question helps in unveiling the factors which make the employee remain with the current organization. This question covers a wide spectrum of factors right from salary to other benefits offered to the employee. The retained executive search firms in India believe that this question helps the employee in opening up for a frank discussion on what factors have made him remained glued to the organization and what are the factors that may compel him to leave the organization. Have You Thought Of Leaving The Organization In The Past? This is a crucial question for the stay interview and requires a frank communication from both the sides of the table. The employee as well as the interviewer should be blunt enough to discuss the current and future status of the employee in relation to the organization. This way, the employee can bring in open the grievances with any aspect of job or employment that he may have harbored for long in his heart and might be one of the reasons for the employee to consider quitting the job. The key while asking questions in the stay interview is to keep the question limited to the important ones and take the genuine feedback of the employees. When you have the feedback in your hand, it becomes easier to chart the way forward and aid the employee in meeting the goals and objectives of the organization. Leadership is indeed an exercise which builds the culture of the organization and culture is the adhesive which keeps the organization together. Executive onboarding is one process that can impact the leadership in both positive and negative manner. If the executive onboarding, turns out to be a failure, the chances of the organization heading towards failure can never be ruled out. This is the biggest reason, organizations these days hire the services of the job evaluation consultants in India in order to ensure that the best of the executive onboarding services are being implemented in their organization.
So, what are the basics of a smooth and successful executive onboarding process? Have a look at the essentials: Personal Connections In case you wish to head for success, always remember that the thumb rule is that leadership is all about personal connects. It is your message, your behavior, your actions and reactions that will unlock personal connections with the people out there. The connections will turn stronger if there is a greater congruence between the preferences across values, attitudes, behavior and culture. Acceptance Leaders are always watched by the people who enter the organization. What leader says, what he doesn’t say, what he do and what he doesn’t do gives powerful signals to the new hires. So, think of a jump-start approach to keep the process smooth. If the leader keeps things under control, the process of accepting and adjusting to the new environment and work culture won’t be a difficult transition. Day One Is The Make Or Break Day Each and every one of us remembers the first impression we had of someone and the last interaction we had with someone. As per research done by a number of manufacturing consultants India, the information presented at the first and at the last slot is always remembered. The impressions formed at the first meet will remain forever. Although, the last interaction may be updated, but the first impression can’t be changed. So, make sure that day one is always under your control in terms of forming an impression and engaging in interactions. Alignment Around Business Matters The successful leaders believe that getting the people aligned around the values and the vision of the organization is the best way to inculcate the sense of belongingness in the organization. It should be ensured that the people remain focused on the business matters, which is, however, a difficult thing to do in the first few months of the new job. Once, this is done, converging into team and then achieving higher goals will never be a problem. Manage Them As A Team The great leaders are the ones who inspires and give others the opportunities to do their best in order to realize a shared purpose. So, instead of managing them down, start interacting with them to know who is doing what, when and how. Although, the above mentioned pointers are just about common sense, still people forget to implement these. These are the very basics of leadership and organizational culture. In case, you are in the process of onboarding people, always remember that a successful onboarding process is underpinned in these basics. Organizations are increasingly becoming aware of the importance of having a positive company culture for driving growth. Positively strong company culture helps in building a team of self-motivated and dedicated professionals capable of taking a business to new heights of success. In fact, the top recruitment firms in India consider positive company culture as a key aspect for attracting top talent. However, building such a culture is not a simple exercise or one that can be accomplished in a rush. While there is no magic formula for creating a positive company culture, it can be established by following the below-discussed effective tips.
Be Clear About How The Workforce Should Feel The first step in the direction of establishing a positive company culture is for the managers to have a clear understanding of how they want their teams to feel. This might require them to interact extensively with the individual team members to understand their perception of positive work culture. They can them assemble the right individuals and the best strategies to help realize this vision. Establish The Ground Rules At The Very Start Most business organization operate in a target-based environment, which makes it essential for business organizations to establish some basic work rules for the teams to operate. The organizations should establish well-defined boundaries with respect to the expected behavior and outlook of the team members. These boundaries combined with the value systems of the business form the core of the company culture. The leading recruitment firms in India are of the opinion that these rules should be more than a list of agreed tasks posted on the company walls. Rather they should be the codes that every individual member of the workforce believes in and follows. Setting The Right Vision Having established the ground rules, the next step for the managers is to set a common vision and purpose that their teams work to achieve in a collective manner. This helps in creating the right environment for peer-to-peer communication and coordination which form the basis of positive company culture. In addition, it helps in enhancing the team working capabilities and skills of the members of the workforce. Define Individual Roles And Accountabilities Of Every Team Member The managers need to clearly define the role of every individual member of the team to avoid any confusion. It is also important to establish the accountability of every individual with respect to their level of skill and experience. This is essential to ensure that every individual member of the team has realistic and appropriate expectations with respect to his/her responsibility and accountability. They are thus able to optimize their performance accordingly and contribute towards the success of the team. Be Sure To Align The Goals And Achievements The managers should be able to work out the correct goals and targets for individual team members. The experts from the retained executive search firms in India also advice the managers to provide the requisite support and training to help the team members achieve these goals and target. This is especially true in the case of new recruits, who might have no previous experience of working with the managers or the organization. It is a well established fact that the culture of a company plays an important role in attracting and retaining top talent. It not only helps in ensuring greater happiness and satisfaction level of the employees but also improves their overall performance efficiency. However, while most organizations focus on developing a great company culture, only a few already having such a culture in place pay attention to maintaining it. This often results in the gradual deterioration of the company culture and the resulting consequences in terms of increased employee turnover and lower performance. In this context the leading recruitment firms in India advise their clients to keep an eye out for the below discussed signs are indicative of bad company culture.
New Recruits Feel Unwelcome A great company culture makes the new members of the workforce feel wanted and welcome. This is evident from the high level of excitement that the new recruits display even several days after their joining the organization. However, in case the new recruits seem to lack the excitement and the enthusiasm of working with a fresh team, then something is definitely wrong. In case they complain about feeling uncomfortable and unwelcome even a couple of weeks after their joining, the organizations need to consider reviewing their company culture. Increase In Clashes And Conflicts At Workplace Every organization faces its share of conflicts and clashes between employees and this is even expected to certain limit. However, if there is a gradual increase in the number of these conflicts and clashes, the business organization should take it as an indication of troubled culture. They should especially feel warned if every small issue evolves into a major conflagration and leaves a majority of the workforce distressed and de-motivated. Lack Of Camaraderie Amongst Members Of Workforce One of the biggest indicators of great company culture is the feeling of happiness and satisfaction in the persona of the employees. So, a lack of these vital aspects naturally means that the employees are not finding the company culture pleasant or appealing. The experts from the top recruitment firms in India suggest that the employers should closely observe their employees to assess the level of camaraderie they share with each other. In case they reflect a sense of grumpiness or suppressed anger and tend to remain quite serious and silent during the work hours, then it is time to review and revamp the company culture for better. Zero Socialization Outside Workplace Good personal relationships between the employees outside the workplace often form the basis of a great company culture. However, if the members of the workforce do not socialize outside their workplace, they are not likely to bond strongly with each other in the work environment as well. The organizations can help by providing opportunities for socialization outside the professional and stressful atmosphere of the workplace. Lack Of Values And Trust Every organization should establish some basic values for its operation and the members of the workforce should be made aware of the same. Lack of such values often leads to lack of mutual trust and this definitely results in the evolution of a bad company culture. The use of traditional methods of recruitment, no longer seem relevant in terms of providing the desired results in the modern times. This has naturally led the leading recruitment firms in India to seek newer and better methods of recruitment to fulfil the hiring demands of their clients. In this context, social media has come to play a vital role in helping the recruiters to overcome the shortcomings of the age old methods of attracting and hiring the right candidates. However, in order to exploit the complete benefits of using social media for efficient recruitment, it is important to first learn how these platforms have influenced the recruitment process. Discussed below are the 6 most important ways in which social media has been influencing and even changing the game of recruitment.
It Has Helped Modify The Communication Model Social media channels have completely revolutionized the methods of both personal and professional communication. This has in turn helped the recruiters by opening up new avenues of finding prospective candidates besides providing them with a fresh perspective on attracting them towards the client organization. This new method of communication has also uplifted the methods of finding relevant content, enhancing social outreach and using the right measuring tools for finding better candidates. It Has Created A Technological Shift With the rapid advances in technology, the recruitment experts are under extreme pressure to make their hiring processes mobile focused. This trend has further been promoted by the fact that the means of using and viewing technology are becoming increasingly smaller in size and portable. The social media channels make it easier for the recruiters to exploit the benefits of this technological shift. In this context, they need to work towards creating mobile- centric recruitment ads that have a rich visual appeal. It Has Enabled Quick Connection With New Prospects In the modern times, social media has emerged as one of the easiest and most effective ways of connecting with prospective candidates in various fields. The ease of connectivity on social media makes finding the right talent relatively effortless and hassle free. In addition, the recruiters can use the social media channels for establishing strong and personal relationships with prospective candidates, which in turn can help expand their talent pool. The wide variety of audience available on the different social media channels has also helped in improving the overall quality and quantity of prospective candidates. It Has Helped Create A Platform For Learning One of the biggest influences that social media has had on the recruitment process is that it had provided both recruiters and candidates with a platform for interaction and learning. Both the recruiters and candidates can use these platforms to interact with one another, express their opnions about various recruitment issues and even discuss prospective job opportunities. This enables the candidates to become a part of the hiring process more quickly while making the whole process quite effortless for the recruiters. It Helps Identify Recruitment Problems And Provides Solution As mentioned before, social media make it possible for the candidates to express their opinion about various recruitment issues. This helps the recruiters to identify the key recruitment problems and also find the most effective solutions to these problems through comprehensive discussions with the candidates. In fact the providers of leadership consulting services have confirmed using social media to analyze the potential threats and challenges. It Helps Overcome The Limitations Of Geographical Boundary Another major influence of the use of social media has been to help the recruitment teams to overcome the restrictions imposed by geographical boundaries. In fact these sites can be used to reach out to potential candidates located even in the remotest corners of the world in a more personal and discreet manner. It is a well known fact that most business organizations today need to partner with a good recruitment firm to fulfil their talent needs. However, not many people are aware of the fact that the responsibilities of these firms are not just restricted to helping their clients find the right candidates for various job posts. In fact most of the leading recruitment firms in India shoulder various other responsibilities for their clients. The nature and type of these responsibilities depends on the contract of services that has been established between the two parties involved. Discussed below are some of the key responsibilities that the recruitment firms ought to shoulder for each of their clients.
Play The Role Of A Strategic Partner The recruitment firms should work in close coordination with their clients to establish the best hiring strategies that are in accordance with the changing needs of the organization. In addition, these firms need to offer reliable advice and requisite support to the clients in terms of updating these strategies for ensuring better growth and profitability of the business. The recruitment firms should offer their clients the strategic support for ensuring the expected business achievements. Offer Training Support For New Recruits Most modern business organizations have well designed training programs in place for their new employees. However, in some cases, the new joinees might have special training needs in which case they might seek the help and support of their recruitment partners. The recruitment firms can make use of their extensive networks to provide the necessary help and support to their clients in such times of need. Provide Help And Guidance About Employee Development Employee development is an ongoing process that the business organizations need to invest in to ensure their consistent growth. In fact, the professionals offering leadership consulting services are of the opinion that investing in employee development can help organizations to overcome the challenge of finding the right leadership professionals. It is the responsibility of the recruitment firms to provide the necessary guidance and support to their clients about ensuring proper employee development. These firms can help the client organizations to identify the employees with the promise of great potential and prepare them for handling more responsible positions in the future. Help Resolve Employer- Employee Conflicts Conflicts are a common occurrence within a workplace environment and a professional recruitment firm fulfils it responsibility of resolving such issues between the employers and the employees. The best recruitment firms offer the necessary means to mediate between the parties involved and also provide a feasible solution to the problem. These professionals should possess the knack to hear out the issues without being judgemental and should keep the best interests of both their clients and their employees in mind. They should make every effort to provide a lasting solution to the problem without impacting the overall work environment negatively. When it comes to planning the future of the business, most organizations tend to focus on the defining the goal and objectives to be attained within a specific tome period. In fact, only a handful of companies spare a thought about preparing the business to overcome the potential leadership challenges that they might face in the near future. Such oversight in leadership hiring and planning often puts organizations in a fix situation. Given below are some useful tips that can help business organizations to overcome the prospective leadership challenges for a more secure future.
Invest In A Succession Plan Most organizations invest a considerable time and money in hiring the best professionals for current leadership positions. However, they fail to pay much attention towards assessing the long term strategic leadership needs of the organization. Investing in a good succession plan helps in minimizing the talent gaps between the existing capabilities and the future needs of the organization. This in turn helps the organizations to develop potential candidates internally as well as tapping talent externally and avoiding any catastrophic leadership issues in the future. Provide The Right Exposure To Senior Managers The constantly changing business environment of the modern times has created a huge demand for professionals with a wide range of cultural exposure and international experience. Given that the trend is likely to continue into the foreseeable future, it is important for business organizations to ensure that their potential leadership candidates receive the right kind of exposure. The companies need to work in close co-ordination with their partners across the globe to help their senior managers develop these critical abilities across different regions and cultures. Establish A Digital Work Culture Despite the extensive digitization of businesses across the globe, many organizations in India have still not adapted this culture. However, such organizations can no longer afford to put off the implementation of a digital work culture within their companies. Any further delays in this respect can not only adversely affect their engagement with the customers but will also hinder the development of competent leaders for tomorrow having the right digital expertise. This can be ensured by educating the senior managers about the language and skills essential for such transformation. Even though implementing an enterprise-wide digital transformation is not something that can be accomplished overnight, the companies need to fast track the process. Creating such a work culture is also essential to build a diverse, multi-generational workforce that shares a common organizational vision. Create A Compelling Brand Image According to the leading executive search firms in India, business organizations looking to avoid any leadership challenges in the future need to work towards creating a compelling brand image. This can play a critical role in attracting the most successful and professional candidates for potential leadership roles. In addition, it will also motivate the existing members of the workforce and make them competitive enough to fill the talent gaps within the organization internally. Most importantly, by building a compelling brand image, business organizations can inspire greater efficiency and loyalty within its current workforce. This is because most professionals prefer to be associated with a great brand even at a moderate position. When it comes to attracting and hiring quality candidates, most business organizations are not getting the desired by using traditional hiring strategies. In fact managing open positions and filling them in a timely manner using just these methods is becoming increasingly difficult. Hence, it comes as no surprise that business organizations as well as leading recruitment firms in India are turning to social media and levering its various tools to find and hire the best candidate.
Companies offering leadership consulting services are well aware of the importance of companies having an impressive online profile. This helps in attracting the right clients towards the company and also helps in enhancing its goodwill and reach across social media. The recruiters should focus on creating a company profile that matches the expectations of prospective candidates. A good profile also makes it easier for the recruiters to connect with industry leaders and passive candidates in a highly competitive niche. Guidelines For Organizations Looking To Build A Successful Social Recruiting Strategy |
AuthorCornerstone India is a leading player in CXO Search, Board Search for Independent Directors and Leadership Advisory services. Archives
July 2023
Categories
All
|