The document discusses strategies for onboarding new employees to ensure their success in new roles. It emphasizes the importance of the period between a job offer being made and the employee's first day. Suggested strategies include inviting new hires to team meetings and events before their start date to help them feel involved from the beginning. It also stresses allocating mentors, providing development feedback, and helping new employees build professional networks to help them integrate and perform well during the crucial first 90 days.

1. Onboarding Onboarding
“It is key that the
HR function makes
the best use of the
key time between
offer and
arrival”
Barney Ely,
Director,
Hays Human
Resources
Succeeding in a new role
How can HR ensure a new hire will succeed in
their role?
I
n his book, ‘The First 90 Days’ Michael Watkins hires by allocating a mentor or ‘buddy’ – someone they they receive an invite to a closed LinkedIn group, where The HR team at CERN reviewed the induction programme
says that your first three months in a new job will can go to for advice at any time. By setting up meetings they will have the opportunity to look at the profiles in 2010, under a new slogan ‘first impressions count’.
largely determine whether you succeed or fail. for new starters and helping them to form connections of all the individuals who work in the leadership team. James Purvis, CERN’s Head of Recruitment, describes
The pressures of starting a new role can be intense. For with the company, new recruits develop networks and “For executive leaders there’s a lot more pressure on the programme as “world-class”. Cécile Granier, a CERN
external appointments, not knowing the organisation, can often learn the organisation’s culture much faster. them to perform and a lot of preconceived ideas,” adds HR Advisor, was the project leader for the programme’s
the people and the surroundings, can all be daunting. For Andy Hill, Vice President, Talent & Resourcing at Invensys, Hill. “You’re often paying a disproportionate amount review, to promote employee engagement.
internal hires, moving up to a job with more responsibility actively encourages engaging with new employees before of money in terms of salary or search fees, so it’s really “Our main concern is to make integration at CERN as
can be equally stressful. But how much can HR do to their first day at work. “The time between the candidate important that you follow up and give them the best smooth as possible,” says Granier. “We also want new
alleviate the pressures of starting a new role and make accepting the job and during their notice period is when possible opportunity for them to be successful.” employees to develop their network at CERN. We do
those first 90 days successful? the new employer should be getting them involved with Jane Kirk, Director at Armstrong Craven, holds a similar more than arrange a meeting and provide them with
“Despite the immense time, effort and cost that can go the organisation,” says Hill. view. She says: “I think it’s really important for HR to help presentation information - we organise a few ice breakers.
into identifying and landing the right appointment, most Hill advises that as well as sending the new employee people go up that learning curve very quickly. Give them We really want them to discuss and exchange their cards
employers take very few steps to ensure that employees information on the organisation’s strategy and structure, the information, help them know which relationships and names to develop their network and to communicate
stay the course,” says Barney Ely, Director at Hays Human the employer should invite them to team meetings, offer they need to build quicker than others and help them as much as possible. In one hour sessions, we give them
Resources. “Therefore, it is key that the HR function makes to meet up for a coffee and ask if there are questions navigate the culture.” the opportunity to interact with CERN’s management.”
the best use of the key time between offer and arrival.” they wish to ask. “Their first day isn’t always their first The induction programme varies according to the profile
day,” Hill adds. First impressions count of the person and is staggered over the first 12 months
“Their first day isn’t always their first day” As well as providing new employees with company Creating a network is vital for employees starting a new in the job. It consists of one half day session per month
Making sure a new hire feels part of the organisation from information, allowing them to network with their new job and this is something that the European Organization and one full day session every three months, where the
the day a job offer is made can help them feel at ease colleagues is another opportunity for them to get to know for Nuclear Research, CERN, emphasises during the whole line management up to and including the Director-
for their first day of work. Often organisations help new people before their first day. When someone joins Invensys induction process, which has recently been redesigned. General is involved. Indeed, as mentioned by the
42 askGrapevine HR | September 2012 September 2012 | askGrapevine HR 43

2. Onboarding
What makes a good
induction process?
“Having someone who has
informed you they’re going
to help you do everything
really helps, and before the
CERN Director-General in the CERN Code of Conduct, the “We all spend an awful lot of time and money on person joins HR can help the
organisation values the contribution of everyone as part recruiting people,” says Hill. “What we get through that person do their homework.
of a collective endeavour. process is a huge amount of data on skills gaps. What But why can’t the company
Granier emphasises that the programme creates a we don’t do enough of is taking that information and give them literature, telling
feeling of belonging for the employees, giving them not helping them build their development plan straight away.” them about how the com-
only the chance to “take part” but also to become part Hill also highlights that employers often give more pany operates to help them
of the organisation. CERN also encourages supervisors development feedback to the unsuccessful candidates, become more familiar? Why
to join the induction sessions so that they know what while simply congratulating the successful candidates can’t there be a first meet-
is expected of them throughout the induction process. and telling them why they got the job. ing with the boss to help
Each session is also rated by the participants so that the
HR team can constantly improve the process. “Generally
our feedback is extremely positive,” says Granier. “I’ve
“No one is 100% perfect for any role,” Richard MacKinnon,
Head of Learning & Development at Talent Q admits. “So
something that should fall out of a good selection process
understand the expectations
and set the scene? If they
have been chosen well, they
Does your succession plan
include a pipeline of future leaders?
realised that what we’re doing in terms of welcoming is feedback - feedback that focuses on both strengths will have a sign-poster who
people is still quite exceptional.” and development needs. You can do something about is helping them to learn the
those development needs and factor those in to the new key relationships they need
“No one is 100% perfect for any role” starters’ experience. to make to be successful.
Ensuring that new recruits have a development plan in “If you’ve invested the time with us to go through our But the individual still has to
place as soon as they arrive at an organisation is important assessment process, the very least we can do is give look for the quick wins and To perform strongly in the future, organisations need to understand where the
for their success in a new role. But Hill believes that you quality feedback to enlighten you as to how you learn to take early decisions next generation of leaders will come from.
many organisations are failing to identify employees’ performed,” MacKinnon adds. to make sure they make the
SHL can help you spot leadership potential among your people, benchmark
development needs as soon as they are recruited. Most impact.”
against competitor talent and identify talent shortages to avoid succession risk. 0870 070 8000
often, this occurs at the interview process, where the Graduate success
employer is most likely to identify the candidate’s Hotel chain Accor is about to employ a further 3,500 Jane Kirk, Director, For more information contact succession.planning@shl.com shlsuccession.com
strengths and weaknesses. people to hit its growth target of reaching 300 hotels Armstrong Craven
44 askGrapevine HR | September 2012

3. EG2013
Ea ket pte AT
Onboarding
tic Se +
30 £4
rly s u mb
th 95
bi ntil er
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The askGrapevine HR & Talent Management Conference
WEDNESDAY 20TH MARCH 2013
The Brewery, City of London
Session 1 Conference
partners
Strategic HR
Philip Addison, Accor’s HR Director
A truly strategic HR function should imbed its people policies and
Accor Hotels Induction
procedures within long-term business priorities. HR strategies should be
integrated vertically with the business strategy and horizontally with one
another. Has this led to HR enabling or restricting business functions?
by 2015. This high intake of people will require a strong
onboarding process to ensure these employees succeed in
to work with undergraduates to introduce them to the
industry at the earliest possible occasion. We provide
Session 2
their new roles. But Accor doesn’t only recruit externally; each of the students with a real opportunity to gain new
many of its senior employees have worked their way up skills in the work place, learning on the job as part of our Talent Management
through the company. 75% of general managers were team, giving them a chance to experience what it is like
promoted from within and each year 15% of employees to work at Accor. The hope is that we can recruit high
Talent Management – it’s been a priority for almost 15 years. How are we
are promoted, either within the same hotel, from one potential candidates directly into the business once they doing? What’s working well? What needs a rethink? With the UK currently
hotel to another, between brands or even across countries. have completed their final year.” experiencing a shortage of leadership talent, how do we need to refine
Despite having good retention levels, Philip Addison, Accor has set a challenge of employing over one hundred and improve our talent strategies?
Accor’s HR Director (pictured above), found that retention placement students each year. “If people have a year to
levels are not as high for graduates. At a graduate level, try it out they can decide whether hospitality and Accor
Session 3
people are often still forming their idea of what work is is for them. We hope to encourage young people to join
and where they want to go in their career. Addison has the industry, so that we can train and support them to a
since decided to adapt Accor’s recruitment channels for high standard, providing a pool of talent for the future
graduates. Accor’s graduate programme has run since of the hospitality industry,” Addison adds.
2003, with 14 former graduates now holding general or
senior managerial roles. But Addison has discovered that
Whether it’s giving graduates a taster of the job before
starting, redesigning induction programmes or simply
Organisational Development
organisations can often invest a lot of money in recruiting making a new hire feel involved from the day they accept OD is an organisation-wide effort, planned and designed by senior
graduates who later decide that the job is not for them. the job, all of these can make a significant impact on the leadership to increase organisational health and effectiveness. How can
“We want to take more people from UK hospitality employee’s success in their new role. Of course though,
HR ensure that what is designed gets implemented?
courses onto a one-year sandwich programme to offer it shouldn’t just rely on HR. Line managers must help to
them the opportunity of gaining valuable experience of engage and look for development opportunities with
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the industry from a global leader such as Accor,” says that employee, and the new hire themselves has to take
Addison. “University is still an incredibly valuable route to responsibility to succeed. If all these areas work together,
business and as fees rise and employment continues to a new hire is sure to be on their way to success in their
get increasingly competitive it is important for employers new job.
Or for more info call 01707 351 451 or visit www.askgrapevine.com/events
46 askGrapevine HR | September 2012