HR Insights Blog

After hiring the perfect candidate, you want him (or her) to quickly become a loyal and productive colleague. Remember that a new hire will make up his mind about your organization in his first months. And … decide to leave you, or not. Therefore, a solid on-boarding strategy is key. Allow me to share with you some best practices from our Belgian community of Top Employers.

Topics: On-boarding

Surely, we all have met at least one person who has recently joined the company and has little to no idea of what his/her job is and what exactly they should be doing. Is it because the rookie is incompetent? Let’s disagree on that one. The time has shown that the number one culprit is the employer. Or let’s say their philosophy on on-boarding. On-boarding is now slowly becoming a ‘process’ rather than a ‘one day event’, as we speak. It is fair to say that many of the global organisations, mainly the top performing firms agree to this fact and are revisiting their on-boarding programs and strategies.

Topics: On-boarding

Yes, expectations have been exceeded. A few years ago it was glimpsed that technology was going to be important in talent managing, but that sight is short: technology is revolutionising the social and organised environment, and, as it couldn’t be any other way, this revolution has exploded too in the managing and development of the talent, and it’s already a reality in the best practices of the most advanced companies. 

Topics: On-boarding

The integration of new colleagues is one of the most important tasks of the HR-work. Outstanding employers use more and more intelligent software solutions for smooth on-boarding.

Topics: On-boarding

As On-boarding processes evolve, it is increasingly important to track key metrics and measure the impact and effectiveness of the programme, particularly if the aim is to assimilate new employees quickly, smoothly and effectively, helping them become productive and aligned with business values and goals.

Topics: On-boarding

In common with many other HR processes, we are now seeing technology assume a central role in the formatting and streamlining of On-boarding. It provides a quick and easy way to ensure that all the traditional paperwork is completed through ‘new joiners’ portals, particularly as systems now have the capacity for documents to be digitally signed. This is an added bonus for hard-pressed HR teams as the amount of manual work, and risk of potential errors, is reduced in the formal processing of new employees. 

Topics: On-boarding

One reason why On-boarding may not have been previously given priority in many organisations stems from a lack of clarity over who has responsibility for owning and managing the process. Historically, HR organised orientation days, ensuring that new employees were fully versed in company policies and procedures. 

Topics: On-boarding

First impressions are important. We saw in the previous trend (see full report) that the On-boarding process now starts much earlier, already during the recruitment phase. The first impressions new hires gain may well shape the way they feel about their new employer in the longer term. 

Topics: On-boarding

Historically, On-boarding has been an event that usually lasts a maximum of 2-3 days after a new employee joins the business. In a classic orientation programme the curriculum often centres on company HR policies and an understanding of the role, whilst there is usually much paperwork to be completed.

Topics: On-boarding

The attraction and retention of talent remains an increasing priority for HR and Business leaders. For hiring managers it is important that their new recruits settle in and become productive quickly. Meanwhile job seekers are looking for a potential employer that will offer them scope to develop and succeed. On-boarding is the process through which employees adjust to their new surroundings, and learn the skills that will help them succeed, and it is crucial that it runs smoothly and effectively. 

Topics: On-boarding

After comprehensive analysis of the 63 enterprises certified as Top Employer Spain 2015 and nearly 1,000 enterprises worldwide, we detected a number of HR trends and innovations that will set the performance of Human Resources departments locally as well as globally during this year.

With our new Top Employers Best Practices Survey that is developed by 50 experts worldwide and adapted to the realities of each country, we have evaluated nearly 600 best practices in nine different fields.The Certification Programme l is only for enterprises with the highest standards of Human Resources, which has also allowed us to capture the main trends in HR management.

Topics: Performance Management, Leadership Development, Compensation & Benefits, Career & Succession management, On-boarding

Since 1991, the Top Employers Institute certifies excellence in the conditions that companies create for their people. The introduction of a Top Employers Global Certification programme is a logical next step in view of the global trend in harmonisation of employee conditions. The first Global Certifications will be announced during the Global Certification Dinner on March 5, at the Hermitage Amsterdam Museum.

Topics: Performance Management, Leadership Development, Compensation & Benefits, Career & Succession management, Workforce planning & Talent strategy, On-boarding

Graduates follow comprehensive integration process: Now that the graduates make their first moves towards the labor market, companies are launching several initiatives to integrate new joiners into the organization as soon as possible. This onboarding traditionally consists of a tour of the company or an introductory course on the values and mission of the company. Some companies go the extra mile. They assign a mentor, organize special events or launch special programs so that new joiners know everything about the company.

Topics: On-boarding

A research conducted by the Top Employers Institute on more than 500 companies across Europe shows that Dutch companies have a very extensive application process. Dutch employers, in half of the cases use IQ tests and role playing during the interview, while in the rest of Europe this occurs less often.

Topics: Workforce planning & Talent strategy, On-boarding, Culture

Some years ago I joined a new employer. And as these things go, I had an initial interview process, meeting various directors and the CEO. We mutually agreed that there was a fit and agreed to enter the actual negotiation process.

Topics: On-boarding

Last year at Top Employers we certified 750 companies around the world. Each of these organisations has made the decision that participating with us will benefit them as an organisation, and that decision is made through a number of meetings with us both on the phone and in person. Each company that enters has their own reason for wanting to gain the certification, and one of the reasons why many companies are motivated to participate is because they know they have great working conditions in place for their employees, but their employees don’t always agree. During these meetings a light bulb often goes off and we hear the line “we’re not good enough about telling employees what we have in place for them”.

Topics: On-boarding

“People are our most important asset” is a favorite of CEOs expressing the appreciation of their people. Top Employers from around the world are actually putting this into practice with some great examples of caring for their staff. And this goes way beyond the workplace. Some examples of wonderful working conditions from around the world: Some employers are currently offering Parenting Skills Training. Recognizing that personal and family worries are carried into the workplace (and vice versa) is at the start of these programs and more companies are taking this into consideration. Programs that are also offered in this field are: self-development workshops, work-life balance programs, healthy food and habits courses, first aid courses for infants and encouraging employees to find a hobby (painting, design, etc). And how about tutorial help for school-going children, marriage counseling and a special office for parent-child issues?

Topics: On-boarding