Last week, ServiceRocket held its 4th webinar in our series focused on the #futureofwork. It’s no secret that the Pandemic has forever changed the way organizations recruit and onboard new employees. Our lovely hosts were Rodrigo Luna, Head of Culture Experience and Sam Astorga, Senior HR Manager, both seasoned Rocketeers at ServiceRocket. Between the two of them, they bring years of experience in new employee onboarding, improving the employee experience as well as culture and team building. This webinar gave effective strategies when onboarding remote employees.
The agenda of this webinar focused on 3 main takeaways our hosts discussed at length:
The biggest challenge ServiceRocket faced when first going the remote route was keeping the onboarding experience consistent, especially for our new remote hires. Even though Rocketeers were spread all over the world in different locations, consistency was the goal, they wanted to keep that local taste, local flavour., local colour that would transcend all locations. New hires were so used to the physical onboarding processes at ServiceRocket.. Conversations actually started pre pandemic about ways to take a more consistent onboarding approach and experience across borders.
Fast forward to 2020. Using a tool like Workplace was amazing in terms of communication, scope and a positive approach to people. Workplace gave leaders the option to provide an unforgettable and tailored onboarding experience, that was human and one that allows leaders to onboard in their own style. Leaders were able to add their own flair (perhaps taking the new hire to lunch or giving an office tour). ServiceRocket knew it was important to keep the company culture intact and to enhance it.
In the end, onboarding is about people, it's about connecting and informing. It's about retaining successful individuals from day one. First impressions are everything. At ServiceRocket, we have regular weekly check-ins with our managers. These are really important for managers and new hires alike. We also provide the option to attend some meetings or to go back and watch pre-recorded videos, to make sure that they have the proper tools to feel confident about the job and to help set expectations.
If you have a really good onboarding experience, you will increase retention by 82%. To reduce turnover, an employee satisfaction survey can help. It starts with onboarding. It is really important to understand that it's not just the orientation. If you address development and career planning during the onboarding, the employee will most likely be more engaged and motivated.
One of the things we do here at ServiceRocket is ask the hiring manager to be part of the offer call. We want the candidate to know why we are inviting them to work with us. We want them to know about the opportunities, not only during onboarding but after the offer process as well. Our managers are part of the entire recruitment process, from interviewing, to presenting an offer.
Company culture is one of the most powerful reasons for an employee to join and to stay at a company. It’s about everything from a company’s values, behaviours and beliefs. That makes it important to address those topics during the onboarding process. Make the new hires (remote or not) feel as though they are a part of your shared vision, so their job will also have meaning. Here at ServiceRocket we do everything with a purpose. This is key.
Onboarding also has a direct impact on revenue, budgets, and many other financial aspects of a company. Sometimes these expenses aren’t always apparent, but it's important to recognize the costs of filling and refilling positions. In our case at ServiceRocket, as a global organization, we adhere to local laws and jurisdictions, which can involve greater costs. Organizations with successful onboarding practices can enjoy a 60% year over year improvement in revenue. Beyond that, we see our purpose and goal is to help people be happy in the workplace, doing whatever they do.
Build a good experience in a remote environment. We use Livestream and different Rooms options to allow everyone to participate when they can. A company like ours has the challenge of dealing with different time zones with offices spread out globally. Using LiveStream has allowed us to have part of that live interaction for the people and teams that are spread out. They can go back to the recording later and watch it and still feel part of that process of onboarding.
Learning Models in Workplace is a tab you can use in every group on Workplace. What use it to post content related to our services, business, guides, demos or information on employee benefits. This is a great example of the features that Workplace offers that are both scalable and also sustainable, and great for fast-growing environments.
What are the things employees need access to most? Is it access to the company’s benefits portal? Email account access or payroll information? At ServiceRocket, we work across multidisciplinary areas, from marketing to finance to IT, to ensure that everyone has access to the accounts and tools they will need. That means our new hires have all the tools and resources they need in just one single place, regardless of location; their onboarding includes direct paths to where they need to go.
When it comes to recreational time, remember that everybody can create a chat group on any topic on Workplace – it doesn't need to be just about business. It's also about shared and social interests. With Workplace, we are also able to provide meal vouchers to create a shared meal experience.
There's a lot of anxiety, a lot of stress that can happen for some people in a remote work environment. People want to create a great first impression. It can be overwhelming. At ServiceRocket, we have a group where we have live shared content with mindfulness coaches and wellness experts that people in the onboarding process can use and reference for tips around how to deal with stressful situations.
Onboarding is about more than having access to information, it's also about making sure that your new hires feel appreciated. It is equally important for new hires to understand how recognition works in the company. At ServiceRocket, we have a fully dedicated group that posts employee recognition and shoutouts to our fellow Rocketeers. They are part of our business, our vision, our behaviours. We recognize how our Rocketeers live and breathe our values.
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