4 Steps To Better Employee Onboarding In Home Health

According to research from Glassdoor, an effective new hire onboarding program can help boost retention of those hires by 82%. However, recent studies from Gallup show that nearly 88% of organizations don’t onboard well.

Many providers often use the terms 'orientation' and 'onboarding' interchangeably. However, it’s important to note that these two are not one in the same. While an orientation may include some onboarding activities, it is generally completed within a day or two. Onboarding, when done effectively, is typically done over the first 90 days of employment.

A limited onboarding program can negatively impact the impression new hires get from your organization, as well as increase the likelihood they’ll turn over well before they hit their three-month anniversary.

Here are four steps home health providers can take to ensure their onboarding program is effective.

1. Complete New Hire Paperwork Before Day One

New hire paperwork is important to both your organization and new hires themselves. It helps you maintain compliance and ensures your new employee is paid accordingly and receives any entitled benefits. However, no one wants to spend their first day on the job sitting in a room filling out paperwork.

Ensure that day one is more about your new hire and less about paperwork by having them complete any pre-hire paperwork prior to their first day on the job. Talent acquisition software like OnShift Employ provides automated prompts to candidates to complete this paperwork via your branded candidate portal before they start.

A talent acquisition software can also help ensure that any legally required and/or organization-specific paperwork is captured before an employee begins. To save your HR team from having to manually enter this information across various systems, integrate your software with your HRIS or payroll system.

2. Give A Warm Welcome

Giving new hires a warm welcome may look a little different than it used to. However, you can still help employees feel at home in their new role while maintaining social distancing best practices.

Start by sending them a small gift -- think a welcome note or a small box of candies -- to their home prior to day one. This shows you are thinking of them and are excited to have them join your team.

Then, on their first day, set up socially distanced one-on-ones with your leadership team and any other key members of your staff that your new hire should meet. These meetings can be done virtually or in person. Just make sure you are following any standards for social distancing set by your organization and/or state recommendations.

3. Help Facilitate Connections Beyond Day 1

Think about the last time you had a first day at a new job. You likely met a number of people and by the end of the day, you barely remembered anyone’s name or what their role was at the organization.

For a new hire, the number of new faces they meet on day one, whether in person or virtually, can be overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to help facilitate connections throughout a new hire's first 90 days.

Set up times for key members of your organization to meet with your new hire throughout their first three months of employment. Some of these team members could be folks your new hire met on their first day, but should regularly connect with as they get acclimated to their day-to-day. Others may be some of your top workers who can answer questions or provide guidance.

This type of in-organization networking can be particularly helpful to those who are new to the industry, but to veterans as well. In either case, it will help your new hire feel connected not only to your organization, but the people who comprise it.

4. Check In Regularly Throughout The First 90 Days

HR or hiring managers should establish key check-in points for new hires throughout the first 90 days. Start by checking in on a weekly basis throughout the first month. This can give your new hires a set opportunity to ask questions. It can also give you a chance to receive feedback on their onboarding experience thus far. Be sure to set a regular cadence, checking in 7, 14, 30, 60 and 90 days after their start date. 

As you can see, an effective onboarding process doesn't need to be complicated, but it should be easily replicated across all new hires.