Onboarding-Fact or FictionEngaging the Hearts and Minds of New

Queensland Health Employees

Tony WigginsA/Program Manager - Organisational Development

People and Culture Strategic Services, Queensland Health

1 March 2011

Overview

• Onboarding is ...• Onboarding and orientation - is there a difference?• The driver for onboarding • The Queensland Health Story• Spotlighting our successes• HR as a strategic business partner• Top Tips

Connecting the Pieces

• Queensland Health/other Australian state/territory hospital systems - faced with increasing talent shortages to met the increasing health outcomes

• Talent shortages poses challenges– shortage of qualified applicants (deliver health outcomes)– pending retirements by baby boomers– ageing workforce– rising demand for labour to provide health services

• Result = high turnover + wage inflation to attract and retain

• Queensland Health - looking at ways to attract, retain and engage employees

Connecting the Pieces

Attracting EmployeesAttracting Employees

Retaining EmployeesRetaining

Employees

TransitioningEmployees

TransitioningEmployees

OnboardingOnboarding

Talent Management

Talent Management

Definitions - Onboarding

“Onboarding of employees is a strategic, deliberate business process to enable, facilitate, and assure that each employee is successfully immersed into the company culture, quality, and operational systems” Director, USA Medical Device Company (2008 Aberdeen Group Onboarding Study)

“It’s a guided process which effectively delivers - to the prospective employee, their manager and the HR function - the necessary information, tasks and acknowledgements required to ensure a productive day-one start …with continued momentum during the critical period when a new employee decides to stay at the job” Enwisen

“The Onboarding process should increase the new hire’s excitement about joining the Fox Team and should be easy, fun and informative.” Fox Communications

Statistics and Reality

• > 4% employees will quit in as little as a day• 22% of new employee turnover occurs in the first 45

days of employment • 90% companies believe their employees make the

decision to stay within the first 6 months• 25% employees leave within 12 months• The cost of losing an employee in the first year is

estimated to be at least 3 times their annual salary• < 50% employers have structured onboarding

programme to help new recruits settle in

HR RoleWhich option best describes your responsibility with onboarding?

• HR Officer• Member of HR Team• Orientation/Onboarding Coordinator• Manager HR• HR Business Partner• Line Manager/Supervisor

PollWhich option best describes your organisation’s current onboarding program?

Slim to None - new hires regularly show up Day 1 and sit around because everyone forget and nothing is ready

We have a program in place but it could be a LOT better

Our program works pretty well, but could be improved some

Our onboarding program is an awesome experience for both the new hire AND the organisation

Don’t know/not sure

Activity

Difference - orientation + onboarding

Difference - orientation + onboardingOrientation

• An event held in the first week on the job and lasts for a few hours > few days.

• Operational focus

• Traditional - classroom style and more of a ‘one size fits all’.

• Information dump

• Administrative in nature and involves completing new employee paperwork

• 3 -6 months > 12 months

• Impacts on bottom-line results

• Blended learning approach

• Evolving and progressive

• Focuses on employee integration, adaptation to the culture, relationship building, providing ongoing feedback

• Consistent information, customised to the function and role

• Ensures employees - positive contributors to the business

• Learning and delivering work information in a structured plan - prepared by line manager and HR.

Onboarding

Onboarding: The First Line of Engagement

Best practice strategies• Engage employees early and often• Engage employees in your cultural values• Use technology to engage new hires• Get managers involved with employee

engagement• Create a strong internal social network• Establish clear performance expectations

Who is Queensland Health?

• > 75,000 staff• 3rd largest employer in Australia• 15 health service districts • 178 hospitals and healthcare facilities• Delivers a range of integrated health services:

– hospital inpatient, outpatient and emergency services 

– acute and community mental health services

– primary healthcare

– chronic disease management

– 398,724 admissions to emergency departments (2009/10)

– 922,790 admissions to hospitals (2009/10)

QH Onboarding Objectives

• Helping the employee to identify with Queensland Health

• Allowing the employee to understand the values

• Building an optimistic attitude towards the organisation• Avoiding misunderstandings• Helping the employee feel valued• Encouraging socialisation and creating a sense of belonging• Reducing new employee anxiety• Setting of performance expectations• Decreasing the learning curve• Feel they've made friends at work - start to build the

relationships they need, and employers can reduce new employee turnover.

Emotions we want to evoke in our new employees

“My talents will be valued and my new team seems happy I’m here”

“They’ve planned my orientation and I have the support I need from my new manager”

“My team can’t wait for me to help them in making a difference in the ward”.

Building The Onboarding Program

Spotlighting Success - Deputy Director General Human Resource Services

Core Elements - Executive Onboarding

The new onboarding process consisted of a series of activities delivered over a 3 month period. It was about building an onboarding roadmap.

Core Elements - Executive Onboarding

HR as a Strategic Partner

• Manages the mechanics of onboarding• Be an agent for change• Demonstrate business impact• Link with senior management on the strategic

parts of onboarding and line managers on the operational parts of onboarding.

Best QH Onboarding Tips

• Assign an organisation ambassador • Assign a buddy or mentor (professional and business)• Create a robust schedule • Schedule meetings - key team members/managers• Put out the welcome mat - celebratory lunch • Spread knowledge - special interest groups/activities• Open and frequent communication• Wall of New Faces• Web Savvy - send helpful links and web pages (pre-boarding)• Blended + multi layered onboarding - varying levels and

responsibilities of employees to match experiences and expectations.

Where to from here! Industry Trends

• Business cards

• Glossary - acronyms and terms

• E-Card

• Announcement - send the new employee a copy of the announcement of their employment with the agency/department.

• Podcast -consider doing a podcast that new employees may view at their leisure before they come to work.

• Anticipation - send a list of upcoming challenges/projects.

• Welcome Letter - Send a welcome letter from/on behalf of the CEO.

• Welcoming Gifts - first day or mail them to their home

• Training Schedule - pre-assess learning needs and set up a training schedule for the employee.

Final Thoughts

In the world of the shrinking talent pool, no organisation can afford slow productivity and/or high turnover of their new associates.

A relatively small investment of time and money in the first few months of a new employee’s tenure will provide high impact to the organisation through an engaged and productive work force.

Thankyou