How a new employee transitions to the workplace matters to the entire organization.

Onboarding successfully for a new position is far more complicated than activating an ID card and setting up passwords for company Zoom and email accounts.

Whether you are a new graduate in an entry level position, mid-career, or changing C-suites, successfully transitioning into a new organization involves finesse and establishing proven strategies and steps.

Surprise, it is also viewed as a different process by men and women.

For one new journalism job decades ago, my onboarding was limited to a long lunch with my supervisor and another new hire—a man—where he punctuated his lunch with two martinis. I had iced tea. The male supervisor did not blink or take note, but I sure did.

At another position years later, the person—also a man-- who hired me offered no materials or resources as I was shifting from teaching a graduate course to teaching a freshman undergraduate course. “Teach the same things, only slower,” he said.

A new report from Exploding Topics, shows 36% of employers don’t have a structured onboarding process with only 12% of U.S. employees saying their organization has a good onboarding process.

“New from @ExplodingTopics:36% of employers don’t have structured onboarding process. Only 12% of U.S. employees say org has good onboarding process. #newhire #leadership #bestpractices”

While the trend today is to offer extensive materials in a hybrid model of digital and in-person orientations over several weeks and up to three months, it is costly. The average onboarding price is $1,830 per person at a company and could yield varying results.

A Glean study shows, “81% of new hires say they feel overwhelmed with information throughout the onboarding process.”

Yes, the goal is to offer solid introductions, and transparent, honest indoctrination into the company culture. If done well, organizations with “strong employee onboarding can increase retention by 82%, with 79% of employees say onboarding programs help them integrate and understand company culture,” Exploding Topics reports.

“New Study @Glean: 81% of new hires say they feel overwhelmed with information throughout the onboarding process. #strategies #onboarding #successful #leadership @takeleadwomen”

Generationally, those starting new jobs receive and react to the onboarding differently by gender. Biz Journals reports that a new national survey by SoftwareFinder.com of 508 Gen Z employees found, “Men were more likely than women to walk away before Day 1 (22% versus 18%), suggesting that poor onboarding materials can derail hiring before it even begins.”

Additionally, “More than 20% of Gen Z workers said they considered quitting early because of a bad onboarding process, and 8% actually did quit within the first three months. Men again led the exodus: 11% reported leaving their jobs within 90 days compared to 6% of women.”

Hebba Youssef, Chief People Officer at Workweek, is creator of the I Hate it Here podcast and newsletter, with 156,000 subscribers. Diving into HR best and worst practices, Youssef writes recently, “The labor market is weird right now, soft for some, brutal for others, but the truth remains: top talent will always have options, and they will be poached. Retention has become a defining force this year and will be next because leaders are finally facing reality: People don’t stay because they’re engaged. They stay because they see a future.”

So make the orientation and onboarding matter, make it positive and worthwhile, beneficial to all parties. So that people stay longer in their positions.

Gloria Feldt, co-founder and president of Take The Lead, says policies and processes of inclusion introduced at onboarding and carried throughout the workplace at all times helps retention.

“Gloria Feldt, co-founder, president @TakeLeadwomen says policies and processes of #inclusion introduced at #onboarding and carried throughout the workplace at all times helps #retention. #leadership #success”

Leaders need to “intentionally work to structure meetings so that all voices are heard, and all people feel their voices will be heard. The result will be more and better ideas, more innovation, and more profits for the company, and greater satisfaction for all of the female employees who will then be more inclined to stay,” Feldt says. “That, in turn, reduces the high cost of turnover recruitment and onboarding, while it builds employee loyalty.”

During the orientation process, Biz Journals reports, “Women are more focused on transparency, values and psychological safety. Eighteen percent said they felt uncomfortable asking cultural or ethical questions during onboarding compared to 13% of men. Women also place far greater emphasis on companies addressing sensitive workplace issues immediately.”

“@BizJournals: “Women are more focused on transparency, values and psychological safety in onboarding. Women also place far greater emphasis on companies addressing sensitive workplace issues immediately.” #genderequity #workplace #values #onboarding ”

What women are looking forward in their onboarding to a new workplace culture are the company values and how those are incorporated into policy and practice. Biz Journals reports. The report shows, “62% of women said diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments should be covered on Day 1 compared to 42% of men. And 62% of women also want mental health policies discussed upfront compared with 56% of men.”

Leadership needs to recognize these interpretive differences, and present all information clearly to everyone, regardless of how they prioritize the information.

According to a recent McKinsey report on women CEOs, “Women tend to score higher on people orientation than their male counterparts, who tend to be more outcome oriented. This relational leadership style can be a superpower if it’s harnessed productively to serve the broader organization.”

What this means is when women are new to a C suite slot, they concentrate on relationships and connecting to mission and employees. When that bias of “soft skills” is not upheld, they are scrutinized more closely and severely.

“When women are new to a C suite slot, they concentrate on relationships and connecting to mission and employees. When that bias of “soft skills” is not upheld, they are scrutinized more closely and severely. #gender #leadership #onboarding @takeleadwomen”

For instance, recently Yahoo Finance reports, “Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser, one of Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women—and the top female executive on Wall Street—is pushing ahead with about 1,000 job cuts .as part of a multiyear overhaul that could ultimately eliminate up to 20,000 jobs.”

It’s A Fit: Onboarding Strategies From Early to Mid to C-Suite For Best Outcomes

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