Our\nfast-paced world is presenting leaders with increased demands.\nRecruiting the best and brightest employees to help your organization respond\nto the challenges is still crucial, but you can\u2019t wait for new employees to\nfigure things out on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In today\u2019s\njob market, the most heavily recruited new hires are Millennials and Gen Z.\nMany Millennial job candidates were stymied by the great recession of 2008, and\nas the economy has recovered, these candidates are now ready to embark on the\n\u201cdream\u201d careers into which they have invested so much time and\nstudent loan debt. Gen Z comes to the workplace with similar expectations as\ntheir generational predecessors. So orienting Gen Y and Z within the company\ntakes even more non-traditional approaches and creative strategies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This\n80-million strong Millennial generation and 61-million Gen Z generation\nhave a few things in common that need to be leveraged in our onboarding programs\n– technological savvy, a \u201cwork to live\u201d high efficiency mentality, hunger for\nfeedback, collaborative approaches, a high level of self-confidence and\nphilanthropic outlook, to name a few.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may have\nbeen passable to gather new employees into a meeting room and\nbriefly relay onboarding information. Today, however, organizations thrive\nwhen they implement robust onboarding programs that quickly bring new employees\nup to speed as follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may seem\ncounter-intuitive to established employees, but one of the most effective\nways to fully engage younger employees is to involve them in planning\ntheir own onboarding. Give them options for acquiring information, let\nthem plan the order and sequence of their onboarding program, assign them\nto interview key existing employees or ask them to prepare a report\non a specific topic related to their onboarding experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The younger generation prefers to absorb information \u2013 and a lot\nof it \u2013 from technology and word pictures and graphics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Millennials and Gen Z prefer sending and receiving information\u00a0through\u00a0short text, sound bites and capsule summaries like Snapchat.\u00a0Keep presentations focused in small bites with flash and short videos in order to retain attention.\u00a0
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Whether the\ngoal is to introduce new employees to organizational structure\nand functions or to impart corporate culture, there are technologies that\ncan make the process easier and more effective. Consider using Facebook,\nTwitter, micro-learning apps, new employee blogs or chat rooms, online video\nconferences, facetime, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Younger\npeople are used to kinesthetic learning via hands-on activities and projects.\nThe more active and interactive your presentations are, the more impact\nthey will have including simulations, project assignments and virtual\nproblem-solving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Millennials and\nGen Z are accustomed to working in teams. Giving them learning projects to\ntackle as a team is a great way to engage and maximize their learning\nopportunities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
No\nmatter what the subject, information from company history to policies\nand procedures should be directly relevant. Make sure you help them\nmake the connection to their present jobs or to preparation for\nfuture ones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition\nto the above strategies, consider placing your new employees in brief,\ntemporary assignments within other departments. Cross-training and\norienting will both promote better understanding among new\nemployees and build a base for future teamwork and\ncollaboration. And don\u2019t forget about community involvement to build\nleadership and team skills in partnership with non-profit organizations in your\narea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It may also be useful to assign each new employee a transitional mentor to help him or her learn about the organization in a less formal environment. The transitional mentor can be a knowledgeable veteran employee, or even a\u00a0new\u00a0employee with enough experience in the company to fill the role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Extend the on-boarding process throughout the year and involve recent hires in the design and delivery of future on-boarding programs to capture lessons learned or things they wished they would have known. Employees who are onboarded the right way have longer staying power with your organization.\u00a0You are engaging them right from the start which should contribute to higher engagement scores in the longer term not to mention the increased productivity and satisfaction that you and they will gain as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jan is a seasoned consultant and President of KEYGroup, a 32-year Pittsburgh-based education leadership, teambuilding and employment testing organization with a focus on developing leadership skills. Jan has presented a variety of keynotes, workshops, personal coaching and career coaching programs to thousands of managers and employees in a diverse range of organizations across the globe. She provides guidance, wisdom and wit to leaders who are interested in finding unique solutions to unique people problems while providing a return on investment. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"