6 Common Onboarding Mistakes and How to Avoid Them 

Did you know that the average employee has around 12 jobs during their working life? Every time that they switch jobs, they will have to go through a pre-onboarding process, then learn all of the skills and knowledge required to succeed in their new position.

Have you ever wondered what some of the common onboarding mistakes are for new employees? Read on to learn about pitfalls to watch out for, and how you can make sure that they do not happen at your company.

1. Long Training Sessions

Information overload can be overwhelming, especially when you start at an unfamiliar company. When onboarding new employees, you should break up your training and orientation into sizeable chunks.

Take snack breaks or give them independent time to practice some of the skills that they learned so they do not stop absorbing information later on.

2. No Taking Generations Into Account

Learning strategies are different depending on the age of your employees. You should take that into consideration when you prepare onboarding material.

For instance, an older employee may benefit from a paper packet or booklet with information. However, software for onboarding such as Axomo could be a better fit for younger, more tech-savvy employees.

3. Lack of Supervision

Although it is important to make sure your employees can function on their own, you should not hang them out to dry when learning new skills. Make sure you are a close resource or someone within the department can help them out if needed.

It will save your company both time and money if you supervise and teach them how to do the process correctly the first time.

4. Putting Too Much Pressure on Employees

Even if you want to hit the ground running when onboarding new employees, it is important not to put too much pressure on them. They are likely already stressed and in a new environment, so you should be more lenient until they know the ropes.

You may not have the ultimate productivity while onboarding new employees, but workplace comfort is key.

5. Not Preparing a Work Area

You should make sure that your new employee workstation is set up before they arrive on their first day. If they do not have anywhere to sit or do their training, they may feel undervalued by the company.

Prepare a temporary workspace with a nameplate or tag if you do not have a permanent place yet. They will still be able to have their own place to feel comfortable in at work.

Steer Clear of These Common Onboarding Mistakes

If you work in human resources, you should always fine-tune your process for onboarding new employees. By knowing these common onboarding mistakes, you can avoid them and find solutions that work better for both yourself and your new hires.

Would you like to learn more about ways that you can improve employee productivity in the workplace? Take a look around our site for tips and tricks for creating a thriving workplace culture.