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Are you looking for a good onboarding program example? Stop looking and take an example from bol.com and AWL's onboarding programs.
You are looking for a successful onboarding program example. And we are happy about that! That means that you understand the importance of a warm welcome. Now that you know what onboarding is and why it's so important, it's logical that you also want to have an idea of it.
First, read the article about onboarding new employees for more background information about onboarding.
So, what does the onboarding program of other companies look like? To provide you with a good answer to this question, we interviewed bol.com and AWL. In this blog, we hope to inspire you!
Good news, from now on you can click on the button the Onboarding Checklist download.
This document contains a number of crucial points that are part of a new colleague's induction period. This way, you won't forget anything and you can get started right away!
AWL is a global partner for automated connection solutions. From robotic welding machines for the automotive industry to the logistical processing of fencing. AWL also has onboarding an important topic.
”AWL has 750 employees and operates in a labor market with great scarcity. Good onboarding is therefore essential” says Mark Voortman, personnel officer at AWL.
On the first day, new employees will see a presentation about AWL. It contains practical information to help the first working weeks run smoothly. The first day is the official start of the 100-day induction program. After that, the new employees go to their workplace. There, they are welcomed by the team leader, given a tour and have a cup of coffee to get to know each other better.
In addition, for the first weeks, the new employee will receive a induction schedule. This is an overview of activities and actions to be taken that must be achieved within the time frame of the onboarding process. After two months, an evaluation interview will take place.
Within AWL, PLC engineers are extremely important, but there is a huge shortage of them. As a result, onboarding for PLC juniors is mainly focused on training, so that they learn how to program AWL machines. The goal is that someone can program a machine according to the AWL standard within 100 days. After 100 days, the new colleague is actually put on a project.
The first 100 days are really an investment in the employee.
Did you know that? microlearning is a very good way of transferring knowledge, especially during the first weeks of someone's employment? That very first period can be quite hectic and overwhelming for someone, so it's not recommended to flood your new colleague with information. Microlearning offers the solution!
Onboarding results
”New employees know much more about AWL than when we weren't using this onboarding program yet. Moreover, they know how to find the right people more quickly. The new employees who are trained in this way are very enthusiastic about the onboarding and have more 'feeling' with AWL!”
Of course, nowadays, as much as possible goes online, but that does not mean that personal contact is impossible. Pair one new employee for example to a buddy!
Make sure the first 10 days go really well. After all, these are crucial for retaining your employees.
Who are the key stakeholders? Keep this in mind when onboarding.
A warm welcome remains incredibly important. So don't forget this.
Also with bol.com a lot of value is attached to the onboarding new employees. To learn more about this, we spoke to Joep van Malsen, Learning & Development specialist at bol.com.
At bol.com, it starts with pre-boarding.
”At bol.com, we don't just start onboarding on the first day of work. No, this starts the moment someone signs the contract. Then the so-called pre-boarding starts” says Joep. “For example, two weeks before the first day of work, each new employee receives a welcome package with a personal card from the team involved in the onboarding. One week before the first day of work, a flower will be delivered to your home!”
The first day of work takes place in Utrecht, at the head office. Together with all the starters of that month, the new colleagues will be explained about bol.com's values and promises to customers. They also receive information about how the online store is set up.
They are then immersed in the blue world of bol.com using the customer journey. This journey consists of a number of phases.
The journey starts on the website, where the product range can be found.
The new employees receive answers to the questions:
Once the customer has found the desired product, the payment process follows.
New colleagues will then receive answers to the questions:
After payment, of course, the logistical process follows. Of course, a visit to the bol.com Fullfilment Center cannot be missed. The new employees will take the bus, including a lunch package, to Waalwijk. For many, the highlight of the two-day event.
However, in some cases, the delivery of the package is not yet the end point of the customer journey. That means: on to customer service!
Occasionally, contact with Customer Service follows. Together with the Social Department (from the famous Facebook posts), the two-day event will end. Fully in line with the company culture, we end with a drink. This also includes the managers and teams of the new colleague.
Did you know that as an HR employee, you can benefit from putting together a customer journey in many more ways? Read more about the employee journey.
By the way, this drink does not mean the end of the induction period. No, the entire onboarding program takes three months at bol.com. In these three months, between work, there will be four more meetings for the new employees!
During this day, all board members take the new employees into the story of bol.com, the purpose, the strategy and the corporate culture. Of course, each board member talks about their department. Here, the questions from the new colleagues guide the stories.
This lunch is the opposite of the New Hire Day, because this is where the new colleagues are speaking. They provide feedback on how they have experienced working at bol.com so far through a presentation. What is already going well and what could be better?
This way, everyone can feel down to the fiber of what you're ultimately doing it all for. Even if you don't have direct customer contact in your position.
During this closing session, there is time to reflect on the adventure of the past three months. They also look ahead and toast to the future.
In addition to general onboarding, there are also around 80 job-specific introductory training courses. The goal of these training courses is to get colleagues up and running in their roles as quickly as possible. In order to optimise this process, time has been invested in developing functional pathways. This quickly makes it clear to new colleagues which training should be followed and when.
The success of the induction period According to bol.com, there are 4 things that can be noticed:
“The most important result for us is that new colleagues find the first period of work very pleasant!”
Ensure support within the organisation. At bol.com, we are lucky that our management and manager are convinced of the usefulness of good onboarding. Involve them in the onboarding process!
It's good to get new employees to work early on. This makes them feel useful. The team should think about entry-level tasks for the new colleague beforehand.
Furthermore, make sure that you onboarding process asks about the experiences of the new colleagues. According to Joep, this is the most important step. People quickly fall into the day-to-day business. However, the new cans are very valuable for discovering areas for improvement. The evaluations of experiences also serve as a guide for changes that must take place within the organisation's culture.
Does it appear that your organisation needs to change? Then read this blog with tips about organisation change.
As you can read above, (digital) onboarding benefits large companies a lot. But onboarding also has a positive influence on happiness at work, turnaround time and productivity for smaller companies. In times of corona, it is always good to look at the possibilities of digitally embed. You can do this by using a LMS. With Pluvo, for example! As a result, automating your onboarding process has never been so easy!
We hope you've been inspired by the onboarding program example from AWL or bol.com. Do you also want better onboarding? Then go to: Everything you need to onboard new employees! With Pluvo, you can easily create your own digital onboarding.
