Published March 2020
The onboarding experience can make or break an employee’s relationship with your organization. Unfortunately, very few organizations hit the mark when it comes to onboarding. According to a recent Gallup survey, only 12% of employees think their organization does a great job of onboarding new employees. This can quickly lead to a lack of engagement and low retention rates.
It pays to take the time to improve how employees come on board, and to help them feel engaged both with company practices and culture and with the benefits that come along with their employment. In fact, the majority of employers in a recent Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) survey report that effective onboarding practices improve “retention rates (52%), time to productivity (60%) and overall customer satisfaction (53%).”
Ready to revamp your new-employee onboarding efforts? Here are 10 ways to make the benefits and onboarding process a more enjoyable, seamless experience:
1. Send Out Paperwork Prior to Day One:
The tax paperwork and various agreements that new full-time employees must complete can take up a sizable chunk of time, and may require personal information that the employee doesn’t have on hand at the office. Sending paperwork to new hires ahead of time allows them to complete it at their leisure with easy access to their personal records. Plus, it allows them to come to their onboarding session prepared with any questions they might have regarding the benefits package and other elements of the offer.
2. Preview What to Expect on the Job:
The first-day anticipation of starting a new job can cause anxiety. To make new hires more comfortable, reach out with as much information as possible about their first few days on the job. An itinerary is especially helpful.
3. Be Available to Explain the Benefits Package:
Switching health insurance carriers or opening up a retirement savings plan with a new plan provider can be overwhelming. Make time before the employee’s first day to discuss their questions, and ensure that they have all the necessary contact information so that they can reach out to their new health insurance carrier to discuss any concerns regarding their transition of coverage. A health benefits onboarding program like Harvard Pilgrim’s SmartStart may include additional guidance and support in choosing the right plan, such as MyHealthMath.
4. Outline Orientation With Clarity and Purpose:
It can take some time for a new employee to wrap their head around the organizational structure. Ensure that first-week orientation clearly outlines who to go to with which questions, the systems and technology they’ll use in their day-to-day roles, and the role of HR vs. management.
5. Schedule an End-of-Week Check-in With HR:
At the end of the new hire’s first week, set aside some time for them to meet with HR to ensure that they understand their benefits. This is a good time to make sure the new hire is taking action on the plan components that will best suit their needs. Have they enrolled in your company’s retirement savings plan, and successfully logged into the health insurance carrier’s online portal to confirm their health benefits? If not, have HR take a few minutes to show them how to access each.
Some insurance carriers, including Harvard Pilgrim, include digital support like a new member guide (which can be launched when the member first creates a login to the Harvard Pilgrim website) to help these efforts. Resources like these can walk new members step by step through setting up digital ID cards, and may connect them with care management staff for clinical transition concerns.
6. Set Goals and Discuss Expectations:
It’s important that new employees have a clear understanding from the start of how their work will be measured. In the first week of onboarding, encourage the new employee to set goals for their first 30, 60, and 90 days on the job. One good strategy is to ensure goals fit the SMART criteria, a mnemonic for specific, measurable, actionable, relevant, and time-bound goals.
7. Organize Meet-and-Greets:
A new employee may feel alienated in their first week, unsure of who everyone is. Organize 15-minute meetings for the new hire with every person they’ll be working with regularly. These meet-and-greets serve to put faces to names on the org charts from orientation, and to get the new team member comfortable with their colleagues. Taking time to open these lines of communication early will have a positive impact on the whole team.
8. Circle Back With HR:
A new hire will likely discover questions in their first few months that didn’t initially occur to them. Schedule regular check-ins with HR to give new hires a space to get the answers to questions that come up over time.
9. Consider a Mentorship Program:
To deepen employee engagement, launch a mentorship program. Pair a new hire with a mentor from a different department and encourage informal meetings, such as lunches or coffee runs. The mentorship program can become a forum to discuss and improve company culture, while providing leadership opportunities for mid-level employees.
10. Encourage Taking Full Advantage of Benefits:
Just understanding the basics of a new health insurance plan is time-consuming enough. A few months in, take some time to ensure that the new team member is using their benefits package to the fullest extent that they wish. For example, are they aware of the fitness benefit or mindfulness resources that are part of their health plan’s offering?
Onboarding can be a challenging process to pull off successfully. Putting in the extra time and effort it takes to make the process clear and thorough, however, will make employees more satisfied, HR’s jobs easier, and your business more productive.
Ready to get started with bolstering your onboarding efforts, but not sure what to prioritize first? As a partner to our employer customers, Harvard Pilgrim is here to help with an aspect of benefits onboarding and management. Our industry-leading Harvard Pilgrim SmartStart program will help alleviate some of the administrative burden that your HR team might feel when it comes to health benefits onboarding and management, and will ensure that your employees have a seamless experience as they transition to their Harvard Pilgrim coverage. Learn more about SmartStart today — it’s the start of a great partnership.
To confirm eligibility for any programs or services mentioned in this article as it relates to your specific health plan, please reach out to your account executive or HR benefits team. You may also speak to our member services team at (888)-333-4742 or by sending a secure email. And for plan details and other member resources, log in to the member portal.