Klick

In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, the rise of hybrid work environments demands a fresh perspective on how team members should be onboarded. The traditional one-size-fits-all approach is no longer sufficient to welcome and integrate new hires effectively. As organizational leaders, it’s imperative to reimagine onboarding as a transformative journey that can thrive in an ever-changing world.

By prioritizing connectedness, adaptability, and technology, talent development professionals can foster a sense of belonging and purpose among new hires, irrespective of their physical location, and help shorten the time to contribute.

To help transform your onboarding program in the hybrid work era, here are three proven strategies rooted in our experiences developing an award-winning onboarding program.

1. Put Yourself In Your New Team Members’ Shoes

Creating a successful onboarding program takes intentionality, commitment, and empathy. It’s critical that you start with an understanding of what your new team members are experiencing from all possible perspectives –in-person, hybrid, and/or remote alike.

At Klick, we take a user experience design approach by looking at ‘on-stage’ (touchpoints that include the new team member) and ‘backstage’ (things that happen behind the scenes) experiences, as well as empathy mapping to understand the various needs of all our new Klicksters. After all, a junior team member is going to have very different needs than a senior executive, and it’s essential to understand what those needs are.

Every touch point matters as they evoke emotions and collectively create an overall connection between our new hires and our organization. We prioritize the entire onboarding journey for our new Klicksters – from the moment they receive their offers and technology devices to meeting with their managers and peer buddies, especially over their first 90 days on the job.

As talent development professionals, we are in the business of people and need to ensure they are set up for success, which means that your new team members need to be at the heart of every decision you make.

Questions to Consider:

• What does onboarding success look like for your new team member(s) and organization?

• How do you want them to feel and respond?

• What impact do you want to have on your new team members?

• What’s the value your new team member(s) is receiving? And how is the experience providing value to your organization?

2. Use Technology As Your Friend!

Technology can be daunting, now more than ever, given AI is in the mix. Rather than looking at technology as a challenge, lean into it to unlock new opportunities for onboarding – especially if you operate within a hybrid or remote work model.

The critical thing we at Klick think about is how technology can support our new team members’ journeys and be part of their everyday workflow. Essentially, we want to elevate how new Klicksters immerse themselves into our company and how they integrate with their team(s). Our strategy is twofold - We use technology that can provide new team members with the people connection they need while speeding up the time to contribute in a hybrid work environment, and we use technology to make things simpler for them long-term and help increase engagement in daily activities.

As an organization that utilizes user-friendly technology like Zoom and Slack, we looked at how to turbocharge the platforms and enhance community and engagement. We also leverage apps such as Donut, mapping out workflows, embedding action items, and providing a space for new team members to connect with each other, even before stepping into the building. It has been a complete game-changer for everyone involved! We even adapted our Random Coffee program, where we match veteran Klicksters with new Klicksters so they can network and build relationships for the virtual world via Zoom.

There’s no doubt about it. We live in a time where technology should no longer be feared but instead embraced. Use it as a core element of your onboarding strategy and watch it help increase adoption, innovation, connection, and business success.

Questions To Consider:

• What current technology does your organization use that could benefit onboarding?

• How will the technology you have/need help the new team member and organization be successful?

• How can the technology you have/need build relationships and community?

• How can the technology integrate within your organization’s ecosystem/tech stack?

3. Build An Onboarding Community

Creating a successful onboarding program in this new era takes a village. After all, onboarding affects so many teams across an organization - talent acquisition and experience, payroll and benefits, facilities, the new hire’s team, office technology, vendors, people practices (HR), and L&D, and each of these teams has unique needs and processes to follow to help get your new team members operational. They all have a role to play and can help make achieving your objective a reality.

At Klick, we established an Onboarding SteerCo and working-level teams as a cross-functional group that has shared accountability for the success of our new team members, each other, and the company. As a larger group, we are able to identify efficiencies, remove duplication, and educate each other on our respective roles in the process.

By intentionally bringing a cross-functional team together, you will undoubtedly remove silos, build internal connections, and create champions for your onboarding program.

Questions To Consider:

• What teams are part of your onboarding process?

• What feedback have you heard from the new team member/ other teams?

• What can you do to set up a cross-functional team if you don’t already have one?

• How will that team work together and deliver an exceptional experience that fosters connection and shortens the time to contribute?

We’ve all heard that the only thing constant is change. Safe to say, the world of hybrid work will also constantly evolve and change. I see our roles as talent development professionals as change agents for our team members and organizations while keeping connectedness at the heart of what we do. By leveraging the three strategies listed above, you will have the building blocks you need to build a sense of connectedness in a hybrid work environment. But remember – it doesn’t stop there. Continually review the process, ask for feedback, and pivot based on the changing needs of your team members and organization. Like we say at Klick, ‘We’re always in beta!’