Learning shouldn’t end at onboarding. It shouldn’t ever end. Instead, we should shift learning from onboarding to everboarding. About 80 percent of employees rank professional development and continuous learning as high priorities when job hunting. And 94 percent of employees say if an employer invested more in learning and development, they would stay longer at an organization.
Typically, onboarding occurs during an employee’s first 90 days. Having a well-planned onboarding process helps new employees integrate into the organization and feel comfortable during their early days.
Onboarding prepares the new hire for success. But what happens after 90 days? Learning should not stop; it should evolve. Everboarding is a continuation of onboarding. Because a one-time exposure to information is rarely enough, everboarding is an approach for business training that focuses on knowledge retention instead of completion. Everboarding recognizes that learning is constant and transforms training from a one-and-done event to a continuous process.
Everboarding Is Crucial for Your Team
Things change quickly in the business world, so job responsibilities must evolve. If companies evolve their strategy and expect employees to expand their skill sets, offering a team continuous learning will help prevent them from falling behind.Jen Scopo, an instructional design manager at WorkRamp says, “The only way for a company to truly grow is for everyone to always be their sharpest and to always be willing to get better. The only way to achieve that goal is for your company to be completely invested in learning both in action and time.”
Everboarding is beneficial for your organization, especially for your employees.
- Your employees are happier and more engaged, so they stay with you longer.
- Your employees can keep working on personal growth while still helping the team.
- Your workforce is better prepared for changes because they are more skilled.
- Your company will experience faster growth because your team is always looking for something new and innovative to try.
Implement Everboarding After 90 Days
Once team members begin to feel comfortable in their new roles and understand their responsibilities, company messaging, goals, and who’s who in the organization, as a manager, you can then set goals for the next 90 days and beyond.Creating an ongoing system that supports employees’ learning and development—whether through online courses, in the flow of work, reading material, or mentorship—will help your employees evolve their skill sets, feel supported, and build confidence in their roles. It will also help them develop a career path. Here are some steps you can take to support continuous learning:
- Create documentation that anticipates and solves roadblocks.
- House help documents in a self-directed learning platform.
- Tell your employees who they can talk to if they need more assistance.
- Provide resources and materials to help them achieve success.
Continue Everboarding With One-On-One Meetings
Managers should schedule regular one-on-one meetings with each team member to discuss progress toward their goals. Managers should also stay in tune with their team members’ larger career goals and how they align with the company’s talent needs so they can make any necessary adjustments to the team members’ development plan.Maile Timon, a content strategist at WorkRamp says, “Recurring one-on-one meetings have helped me continuously learn and improve, and stay focused on my professional aspirations. My manager understands my goals and my skill set, but also knows my areas for improvement. Our one-on-one meetings are an informal way to problem-solve for any challenges or pain points, share resources to promote learning, and provide constructive feedback to help me grow, evolve, and never settle for less than my best.”
Providing a road map for what goals to achieve and what skills to learn by specific deadlines keeps both parties on the same page. Two-way communication builds transparency, honesty, and a strong working relationship.
