A short 'how to' guide and tips for employers on how to ensure that the new starters you have worked hard to attract and hire get off to the right start and feel included from day one.

1. R O O M F O R I N C L U S I O N
TIPS ON INCLUSIVE ONBOARDING
#HNinclusion

2.  INTRODUCTION
 RECRUITMENT MATTERS
 COSTS AND BENEFITS
 ONBOARDING & INDUCTION
 CREATING YOUR ONBOARDING PLAN
 6 STEPS & MANY TIPS
 NEXT STEPS
CONTENTS

3. Think of a time
when you felt
like an outsider.

4. Will I fit in?
Will they like me?
What if I forget someone’s name?
Where’s the bathroom again?
Have I made the right choice?
WHAT ABOUT
STARTING A
NEW JOB?
REMEMBER THAT FIRST DAY

5. Recruitment matters.
With fierce competition for a shrinking
talent pool and growing demand to
attract greater diversity, employers
cannot afford to get it wrong.

6. YET SO MANY STILL DO…
of organisations associate these
costs with a bad hire*
of staff turnover is a result of a
bad hire*
of HR decision-makers admit
their business made a bad
hire*
*Housman, M. and Minor, D. (2015) Toxic workers. Working paper 16-057. Harvard Business School
*REC (2016) Perfect match: Making the right hire and the cost of getting it wrong
*CIPD. (2015) Resourcing and talent planning 2015

7. the average cost of losing a
mid-manager*
COSTS OF GETTING IT WRONG
£132k
of executives think about
leaving a company within
the first three months*
39%
*REC (2016) Perfect match: Making the right hire and the cost of getting it wrong
*Harvey Nash Leadership Consulting (2012) Onboard and upwards: How an executive's first 90 days can make or break the ones that follow

8. To avoid costly mistakes,
employers need to put as much
investment into how they attract
and recruit someone to the
business as what they do to
onboard and retain them.
INVEST
TO RETAIN

9. ONBOARDING
IS IMPORTANT
Research has shown a clear
correlation between effective
onboarding and improvements
in employee performance and
reductions in staff turnover.

10. Unfortunately
many new
starters are still
being left to
‘sink or swim’.
“It was left to me to make my own
meetings and introductions.”
“The role was mis-sold.”
“I was given an hour-long overview of
the business by my MD,a laptop and a
phone.Then left alone.”
*Harvey Nash Leadership Consulting (2012) Onboard and upwards: How an executive's first 90 days can make or break the ones that follow

11. Supporting an individual to land
well within your business isn’t just
ensuring that they have a computer
and login on their first (although
that does help!)
It’s about integration,
providing direction, setting
expectations and checking in to
see how they’re settling in. Most
importantly, it’s ensuring they
understand the culture and are
made to feel included.
ONBOARDING
TO INCLUSION

12. ONBOARDING
Onboarding is not the same as Induction.
Think about it as a holistic process that starts
from when they say ‘yes’ to when they feel
comfortable in their surroundings and are
performing to their own expectations as well as
yours.This could be anywhere from 90 days to 6
months.
The goal is to help them feel included, part of the
business and that they belong.

13. Induction aka ‘Death by
PowerPoint’ – is part of the
onboarding process that helps new
starters get up to speed and gives
them a foundation to build from.
It starts from Day 1 and includes
that initial welcome and overview
of the company
Don’t make it just about filling out
forms and handing out laptops!
Look at what training they might
need, who they need to know and
get them involved with
stakeholders from day one.
THE
INDUCTION

14. THE
BENEFITS
ARE OBVIOUS
 Speeds up integration
 Improves time to productivity
 Improves retention
 Increases chances of a leader
building trust quickly within the
organisation
 Increases learning curve and
accelerates achievement of results
 Smoother adaptation to company
culture and context

15. There is no one size fits all
approach to onboarding but
here are some tips to help your
new starters feel included and
that they made the right
choice.
WHERE DO
YOU START?

16. STEP #1
AVOID THE CPR SITUATION
Engage way before the start date

17. SAVE TIME
& MONEY
The biggest costs for most employers are
productivity and time to get a new starter
up to speed and performing. Longer
notice periods of up to three months only
exacerbate the problem.
Many are missing an opportunity to get the
new starter involved in the culture of the
organisation by letting the relationship ‘flat
line’ until their first day. By this time they’ll
require ‘CPR’ to be re-engaged.

18. TOP
TIPS
 Engagement can be small but impactful,
from sending a simple card or welcome pack
to inviting them in to meet the team or to the
next social
 Make it fun and personal – one company sent
a bag of popcorn and a DVD about showing
the company culture
 Prior to their start date, it is a good idea to
make weekly contact and send any updates
or the latest company newsletters
 Set up an onboarding portal where new hires
can complete admin processes and get
familiar with the company and who is who in
advance.This can also be a great way to
showcase your culture and how you support
diversity and inclusion – what resources and
employee networks are available to them?

19. STEP #2
BEFORE THEY START, DO AN ASSESSMENT
What are their strengths?
Where are their development areas?

20. What are the strengths?
Where are development
areas?
Completing a psychometric
assessment can yield great
information that allows both the
organisation and its new starter to
get ahead of the curve when it
comes to planning those first few
days, weeks or months.
Only a third senior managers
said data from psychometric
testing or assessments was used
to help them start or for
planning their development.*
*Harvey Nash Leadership Consulting (2012) Onboard and upwards: How an executive's first 90 days can make or break the ones that follow

21. TOP
TIPS Using data from the selection process and any
assessment can be useful in supporting new hires
in settling into the business, adding value as
leaders and developing their relationships with
their teams, peers and colleagues
 Think about how you can create a plan on how to
support their development from Day 1, setting
them up to succeed by allowing new starters to
leverage their strengths and see how their
diversity of thought will be supported and valued
 Don’t put an end date on it, a good on-boarding
plan should help new team members settle in and
encouraging them to take advantage of a
Mentoring Programme or a Buddy System will
really help

22. STEP #3
DAY 1, FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT!
Make sure they’re good!

23. Think about what you want your new hire to say when they get home after
their first day,“The receptionists knew my name, my team were so
welcoming and I’ve already got an exciting project to work on!”
A good start will help a new starter build effective relationships and feel
welcome and confident they made the right decision.

24. TOP
TIPS
 Make sure the whole team is aware of their start
date and organise a lunch. If they’re part-time or
working offsite, be creative – include a Q&A with
their photo in the introductory email or organise
a team Skype call
 Give them a buddy that will help them feel less
like a rabbit in the headlights
 Have everything ready, a clean desk set out with
what they need to log in and access to their
schedule
 Create structure, set up a calendar with meetings
that matter with people they are likely to engage
with in their first few weeks
 Give them a task they can achieve; you hired
them for their talent and what they feel confident
in doing, don’t drown them in paperwork!

25. STEP #4
RELATIONSHIPS MATTER
Speed up productivity through effective networks and introductions

26. Organisations are complex
social ecosystems made
up of many networks.
When employees leave it’s
not just their expertise
that walks out of the door.
Relationships matter, it’s
about developing the right
network at the right time.
Without enough support or
exposure to the right
relationships and nuances
of the business, your new
starter might question their
decision.

27. HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURE NETWORK STRUCTURE
The most important individuals are not necessarily found
at the top of the hierarchy. Know where these heat spots are
and facilitate these introductions to speed up the process.
Understanding the network structure can allow us to make more impact, build key alliances and find out ‘how things get done around here’…
See Rob Cross – Connected Commons

28. TOP
TIPS
 Create an organisation chart that includes
photos and LinkedIn profiles and have line
managers work together with the new starter
to fulfil these introductions
 Prioritise key stakeholders and make sure the
meetings are relevant with tangible outcomes
for both parties
 Promote camaraderie. High growth companies
allow employees to build relationships with
co-workers, managers and leaders they might
not otherwise explore inside the office – those
relationships increase loyalty
 Pair a new employee with a buddy within their
team so they will have more than just their line
manager to ask questions about the work
environment, the culture and norms, and the
unwritten policies and procedures

29. STEP #5
SET OBJECTIVES EARLY AND CHECK ALIGNMENT
Check that motivations still match

30. If the selection process has been robust then there should
be a mutual understanding of expectations, motivations
and values between the new hire and the organisation.
Organisations need systems to track this alignment to
avoid mismatches further down that could lead to
employee turnover.

31. TOP
TIPS Get the new hire to write out what they
expect to achieve in their first 30, 60 and
90s days, creating a mutual understanding
of the key milestones for their role and
when they will be reviewed
 Be consciously aware – check-in throughout
the first 90 days, each time asking the
questions,‘Is this what you expected’,‘What
are your objectives’ and ‘Do you feel
included?’This will help with retention and
setting objectives a lot quicker
 After 90 days discuss fully how the first three
months in the role have gone and review fit
(on both sides). Plan actions and metrics to
address the gaps – don’t just segue into
business as usual

32. STEP #6
COMMUNICATE THE CULTURE AND CREATE BELONGING
Promote a culture of inclusion at all levels

33. As important as networks and the
tools and training to do the job,
much of an individual’s success in
an organisation depends on how
much they feel included.
We’re all multi-dimensional and
shouldn’t be lumped into groups
based on defining characteristics.
It’s about recognising
differences and promoting an
inclusive culture.

34. TOP
TIPS
 Know your company culture and understand where
your new starter fits on the spectrum – are they
counter-culture, are they the only
woman/BAME/LGBTQ? Will they be supported?
 It seems obvious but make sure you live your values
and are welcoming.Word will spread about an
inclusive environment and make your brand
attractive to the best talent
 Ask for feedback about leadership style – is it
working? Is it inclusive?
 Create opportunities to learn about diversity –
establish ‘lunch and learn’ sessions open to all on
topics from Managing Conflict to Well-being
 Promote visible role models from the senior
leadership team that ‘walk the talk’ such as working
flexibly or encouraging gender balance

35. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Special thank you to:
Rachael Hanley-Browne, Head of Harvey Nash
Leadership Consulting for her contributions to
this guide taken from her presentation on
‘Designing for Retention’.

36. Natalie Whittlesey
Director, Harvey Nash
Email: natalie.whittlesey@harveynash.com
WANT
OUR HELP?
Amanda Ciske
Programme Manager – Inclusion 360
Email: Amanda.ciske@harveynash.com
ONBOARDING & CULTURE CHANGE
SHARE IDEAS & GET INVOLVED
ATTRACT & RECRUIT DIVERSE TALENT
Rachael Hanley-Browne
Head of Leadership Consulting, Harvey Nash
Email: Rachael.Hanley-Browne@HarveyNash.com

37. Thank you.
ABOUT INCLUSION 36O
Inclusion 360 is a movement by the Harvey Nash Group to
create better balanced and inclusive workplaces,working with
other organisations to share ideas and change practices and
behaviours so there are no barriers to people reaching their full
potential.
Join the movement
@Inclusion360HN / inclusion@harveynash.com
www.linkedin.com/showcase/inclusion-360-harvey-nash-group/