ATD Blog
Multiple New Hires? Consider Batch Onboarding NOW
Mon Nov 10 2014
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Onboarding groups of people together has efficiency and effectiveness advantages. Batch onboarding makes better use of the time of all those involved in onboarding. Cohorts can help and push each other along the way.
Onboarding groups of people together has efficiency and effectiveness advantages. Batch onboarding makes better use of the time of all those involved in onboarding. Cohorts can help and push each other along the way.
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Time management
Time management
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Time management is a strategic exercise. It’s about allocating your own and your organization’s scarce resource, time, to the right place in the right way at the right time over time. The core skill is saying no when something should be done:
Time management is a strategic exercise. It’s about allocating your own and your organization’s scarce resource, time, to the right place in the right way at the right time over time. The core skill is saying no when something should be done:
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not ever (because it has no value)
not ever (because it has no value)
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not now (because it has more value later)
not now (because it has more value later)
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not by me (because others could/should do it instead)
not by me (because others could/should do it instead)
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not alone (because of the advantages of leverage)
not alone (because of the advantages of leverage)
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not live (because a phone call or video will work)
not live (because a phone call or video will work)
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not again (because re-work is inherently wasteful)
not again (because re-work is inherently wasteful)
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not well (because vaguely right is good enough).
not well (because vaguely right is good enough).
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This frees you and your organization up to spend your time on the thing that you should do NOW (Next, Once, Well).
This frees you and your organization up to spend your time on the thing that you should do NOW (Next, Once, Well).
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Onboarding
Onboarding
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Onboarding others and supporting those onboarding others involves aligning, acquiring, accommodating, assimilating and accelerating new team members, whether they come from outside or inside the organization.
Onboarding others and supporting those onboarding others involves aligning, acquiring, accommodating, assimilating and accelerating new team members, whether they come from outside or inside the organization.
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Align : Make sure your organization agrees on the need for a new team member and the delineation of the role you seek to fill.
Align: Make sure your organization agrees on the need for a new team member and the delineation of the role you seek to fill.
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Acquire : Identify, recruit, select and get people to join the team.
Acquire: Identify, recruit, select and get people to join the team.
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Accommodate : Give new team members the tools they need to do work.
Accommodate: Give new team members the tools they need to do work.
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Assimilate : Help them join with others so they can do work together.
Assimilate: Help them join with others so they can do work together.
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Accelerate : Help them and their teams deliver better results faster.
Accelerate: Help them and their teams deliver better results faster.
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Train, develop, and encourage new employees’ direct supervisors to take the lead on aligning others around the need for their new team members. Those direct supervisors should own the critical acquisitions, though others can manage the process. Make sure there is a system in place to get new team members the tools they need. Inspire and enable new team members to accelerate progress. That leaves assimilation, which is ripe with time management opportunities.
Train, develop, and encourage new employees’ direct supervisors to take the lead on aligning others around the need for their new team members. Those direct supervisors should own the critical acquisitions, though others can manage the process. Make sure there is a system in place to get new team members the tools they need. Inspire and enable new team members to accelerate progress. That leaves assimilation, which is ripe with time management opportunities.
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Lesson.ly’s Mitch Causey shared his team training software organization’s thinking about the efficiency of onboarding in groups around repetition, benchmarking, healthy competition and cohorts.
Lesson.ly’s Mitch Causey shared his team training software organization’s thinking about the efficiency of onboarding in groups around repetition, benchmarking, healthy competition and cohorts.
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Less repetition
Less repetition
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Lesson.ly has its new outbound sales people start in a group all on the same day so they can go through onboarding together. As Causey told me, “Repeating yourself is probably the most inefficient waste of time on the planet. By onboarding in a group, you can convey the same information to multiple people while only saying it once. It’s the quintessential “kill two birds with one stone” example.”
Lesson.ly has its new outbound sales people start in a group all on the same day so they can go through onboarding together. As Causey told me, “Repeating yourself is probably the most inefficient waste of time on the planet. By onboarding in a group, you can convey the same information to multiple people while only saying it once. It’s the quintessential “kill two birds with one stone” example.”
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Even if you can’t do this, think about running periodic group orientation sessions. This way you and senior leaders can share their perspective with new hires without repeating themselves to each individual.
Even if you can’t do this, think about running periodic group orientation sessions. This way you and senior leaders can share their perspective with new hires without repeating themselves to each individual.
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Benchmarking
Benchmarking
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It’s easier to benchmark people against each other if they have the same time in position. Causey explained that having people in the same role start on the same day “takes away excuses.” In particular it takes away the excuse that someone has been here longer than someone else. This allows you to dig into the real causes of differences in performance, dialing up what works and compensating for what’s working less well.
It’s easier to benchmark people against each other if they have the same time in position. Causey explained that having people in the same role start on the same day “takes away excuses.” In particular it takes away the excuse that someone has been here longer than someone else. This allows you to dig into the real causes of differences in performance, dialing up what works and compensating for what’s working less well.
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Healthy competition
Healthy competition
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The corollary to benchmarking is healthy competition. New employees in the same roles will naturally compare themselves to each other. Managed right, this helps everyone ratchet up their performance together.
The corollary to benchmarking is healthy competition. New employees in the same roles will naturally compare themselves to each other. Managed right, this helps everyone ratchet up their performance together.
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As Causey explained, “The key word here is healthy. This is where cultures can go very wrong, very fast. If you’re not using benchmarking and competition to improve your employees on both a group and individual level, you will most likely start to see unhealthy levels of turnover.”
As Causey explained, “The key word here is healthy. This is where cultures can go very wrong, very fast. If you’re not using benchmarking and competition to improve your employees on both a group and individual level, you will most likely start to see unhealthy levels of turnover.”
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Cohorts
Cohorts
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People hunt in pairs. We’re more comfortable when others are going through experiences with us. Onboarding people in groups gives them a natural cohort. As Causey puts it, it makes people think: “It’s okay. I’m going to make it, because all of these other people around me are with me.”
People hunt in pairs. We’re more comfortable when others are going through experiences with us. Onboarding people in groups gives them a natural cohort. As Causey puts it, it makes people think: “It’s okay. I’m going to make it, because all of these other people around me are with me.”
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Onboarding is a crucible of leadership for all involved. Batching new hires may help you and your organization apply the right resources to onboarding at the right time, once, well.
Onboarding is a crucible of leadership for all involved. Batching new hires may help you and your organization apply the right resources to onboarding at the right time, once, well.