Are you thinking of making your new hire onboarding more robust? Perhaps you’re brainstorming about some improvements or thinking about what to include in a revamped program. The Launch-Learn-Link framework may be a good place to start.
At Lever Performance Consulting, we stay current on scientific research related to effective onboarding. We’ve used this expertise to develop our proprietary Launch-Learn-Link framework, which we use to guide our onboarding needs assessments and onboarding experience designs. You can use it to help brainstorm or organize your plans as well.
Launch
The Launch category is all about getting started. It includes providing the information a new hire needs right away, and the first tasks that must be done to begin their employment. Ideally, this category begins with pre-boarding (prior to Day 1), whether that includes some form of welcome, information on what to expect for their first day, or paperwork. Also think about what needs to happen on Day 1 and during Week 1 to make the new hire feel welcomed, informed, and prepared to hit the ground running. For example, they’ll need a facility tour if working on-site, and their equipment and systems should be ready for them before their arrival.
Learn
The Learn category includes formal and informal learning, and resources and information needed to do the job. This information might be presented in-person or virtually, and may take the form of courses, modules, resources, and/or exercises (such as job shadowing, observation, or practice activities). Think beyond the usual role-based training, policies, and procedures. Also consider the importance of providing learning opportunities related to culture, values, norms, brand, products, and strategic goals.
Link
The Link category focuses on connecting the new hire to people and to the business itself. New hires can connect with people through structured networking, mentorship programs, or an assigned work peer or buddy. Onboarding programs can also help new employees to start connecting to the company, its mission, and its brand as they begin to take pride in their role and contributions.
There are many different ways you can use these three categories to optimize your new hires' onboarding experience, so be creative and think outside of the box!
Do you want to elevate your onboarding? Click here to download our free guide: Elevate Your Onboarding: How to Create an Onboarding Experience That Delivers Results, or contact us to discuss further. Our principal consultant, Leah Yeatts, offers complimentary, one-hour, virtual consultations. Schedule by emailing her at Leah@Leverperformance.com.
To learn more about how onboarding impacts your business, check out our principal consultant's guest blog post at RCP Learning: Strategic Onboarding: Why It Matters.