Onboarding and Offboarding
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What Is Onboarding?
Onboarding is a human resources industry term referring to the process of introducing a newly hired employee into an organization. Also known as organizational socialization, onboarding is an important part of helping employees understand their new
How Long Does Onboarding Take?
Onboarding may last anywhere from a few weeks to a year, but the most effective onboarding usually lasts at least a few months. Ideally, employees will feel confident and competent when the onboarding process is complete.
While there's no strict rule about how long onboarding a new employee should take, it’s important to be thorough in this process. Many companies have an onboarding process that lasts only a month or a few weeks, which risks new employees feeling overwhelmed with their new responsibilities and not connecting with the rest of the company.
Many HR professionals recommend that an onboarding process should last about 90 days, while some professionals recommend extending the process for as long as a year. This ensures employees have the resources they need to get to know the company, internalize their training, and feel comfortable doing their job as expected.
» Read More: How Long Does Onboarding Take? 10 Ways to Improve Employee Experience
What Are Onboarding Activities?
Onboarding consists of multiple individual processes; however, it has no official definition and opinions still vary as to which processes fall under the umbrella of onboarding.
To name a few common onboarding activities, onboarding can include:
- Job offers
- Salary negotiation
- New hire paperwork
- Policy and culture training
- Job training
- Employee handbook training
- Benefits paperwork
- Benefits education
- Facility tours
- Executive introductions
- Team introductions
What Is the Onboarding Process for a New Employee?
One thing HR professionals generally agree on is that onboarding begins the moment a candidate accepts a job offer and ends when a new employee is fully integrated and performing as expected. Whether or not an organization provides all of the onboarding elements in the list, it’s a wise investment to provide all new employees with a thorough, efficient, and consistent introduction to their new organization.
In a survey of U.S. employees, we found that the quality of onboarding experienced by new employees dramatically impacts
What Is Offboarding?
The definition of offboarding is the process of formally separating an employee from the organization they work for, as a result of the employee’s resignation, termination, or retirement.
The purpose of offboarding is to protect the interests of both the employer and departing employee while smoothing the transition.
A thorough offboarding process has many steps. It includes all of the policies and procedures that need to be followed so there are no loose ends after the employee leaves.
engagement, performance, and longevity, among other factors. The best onboarding processes will include relational onboarding, which includes:
- Setting expectations
- Building relationships with other employees
- Creating confidence and trust
- Creating a clear definition of roles and boundaries
Starting a new job can be overwhelming, and onboarding is most effective when it is spread out over time. This allows employees to better retain information by giving them time to process everything and ask questions as needed.
What Are the Benefits of Offboarding?
A well-designed offboarding process helps employers in several ways, including:
- Preventing legal and security issues
- Preserving essential knowledge from departing employees
- Identifying needed improvements based on feedback from employee exit interviews
- Maintaining positive relationships with former employees that may encourage them to return in the future
For employees, the benefits of good offboarding center on their employer providing information and assistance about such things as:
- Paid time off balance
- Final payment
- Unemployment benefits
- Company retirement account
- Health insurance coverage options
- Recommendations and letters of reference
When an employee is leaving on good terms, the employer should include offboarding steps that help the departing worker feel appreciated for their contribution to the company’s success. For example, sincere recognition from the employee’s leaders and coworkers can go a long way toward fostering the positive continuing relationship mentioned above.
How Should You Conduct Offboarding?
Here is a step-by-step list of common offboarding procedures for managers and HR to follow. Some steps may not be relevant to your organization, so make adjustments as needed.
- Tell the rest of your staff who is leaving and who will take over their responsibilities.
- Document the employee’s exit with a letter of resignation or termination.
- Have the departing worker give you a list of their projects and deadlines.
- Make sure they train their replacement or other employees who will assume their duties (have them do it in writing if they can’t do it in person).
- Collect all of their company equipment, such as a phone, laptop, and security badge.
- Change your company passwords or revoke their access to systems and accounts they use.
- Discuss any binding contracts, such as non-compete and non-disclosure agreements.
- Arrange their final paycheck and any severance pay, and then remove them from the payroll.
- Provide information about their benefits, such as a 401(k) retirement account or COBRA health insurance coverage.
- Provide a letter of reference to the employee if they request it and if it is permitted by company policy.
- Conduct an exit interview.
Well-designed offboarding software can help you through the process, saving time and effort while ensuring compliance and that all the details are taken care of.
Remember, the better the offboarding experience is for your employees, the better their final impression of your company will be. That’s important since they will probably share their feelings about your organization on employer-review websites and by word of mouth.