Onboarding Programs Essential but Underused

In a recent poll of 2,100 IT professionals and 1,500 IT leaders, leading IT staffing solutions provider TEKsystems found that both feel that onboarding programs are extremely important but not given the attention that they deserve. Of IT leaders, 62 percent felt that onboarding programs are critical for establishing the ability of a new hire and 53 percent said that such programs show a new hires level of team cohesion; the numbers for IT pros were 49 percent and 45 percent, respectively. The main reason onboarding programs are said to be so important is because they facilitate the development of a first impression between new hire and employer and helps both parties determine if the job is a good fit.

“Given the questions onboarding programs help answer, it is not surprising to see both IT leaders and IT professionals in strong agreement about the role onboarding plays in building a successful employee/employer relationship,” says TEKsystems Director, Rachel Russell. “Companies that build their onboarding programs strategically can help their new hires understand expectations clearly, reach productivity faster and feel more connected to the organization – all keys to long-term employee engagement and retention.”

Despite the agreement between IT leaders and professionals alike that onboarding programs are extremely important, most report that they are not a priority within their organization. Of IT professionals, 57 percent said that they had a form onboarding plan less than 20 percent of the time while 18 percent said sufficient attention was given to developing a strong strategy. Over one-third reported that onboarding programs have little to no significance within their organizations.

“Unfortunately, organizations can become so focused on tasks, they forget that people – their most critical resources – need to be prioritized and taken care of if their tasks are to be accomplished successfully. It’s clear that not enough attention is placed on developing comprehensive, strategic onboarding programs in most organizations. For an onboarding program to achieve its potential and offer return to an organization’s investment in a new hire, organizational commitment is required,” comments Russell. “When employers do not put the appropriate time and effort into designing and implementing onboarding, time, money and resources go to waste.”