Beyond the Basics: Improving Onboarding to Increase Belonging and Retention (plus some other stuff too)

Table of Contents

• Hello!

• The Importance of Cultural Onboarding

• 1% Solutions

• Things I am Reading, Listening to or Watching

• NYC Midlevel Manager Training, May 29th

Hello!

Well, a lot has happened in two weeks. While I had been hopeful that I could get to Europe, my body had other plans. What I thought was a hamstring tear and bursitis was actually a growing infection from my 2018 surgery. After a lot of back and forth attempting to get further tests, they found an infection which led to surgery and now a month of IV antibiotics. While I am very sad to miss Taylor in Stockholm, the hope that my body can actually heal and I can be active again without constantly worrying is so freeing that I get emotional. It also helps to have family and friends who have sent enough food for a week.

While I know this a newsletter focused on talent, I did learn some things that would have helped me detect this earlier. I’m sharing these here because the medical industry is so opaque. The more we know, the better we can advocate for ourselves.

• Infections can take time to grow. So while it is not super common, a surgery that happened, say 3-6 years ago could very well cause the pain you are experiencing.

• Infections can be asymptomatic. While a fever is usually a tell-tale sign, the lack of a fever does not mean you are ok.

• Plane rides can exacerbate an infection- something about the change in air pressure. This was actually lucky for me, or it would have taken us much longer to catch this. I’ve been joking that a flight to Vegas saved my life.

• As always trust your gut. I was ok from 2018-2021, but 2021 kicked off a few years of intermittent pain that did not make sense given that I limited high intensity workouts. I should honestly have gotten a second opinion earlier.

And that’s my health PSA.

The Importance of Cultural Onboarding

Many leaders- particularly those in healthcare and education- continue to grapple with retention. These industries (and others) have also struggled to hire. Both of these facts point to the very real importance of strengthening onboarding. Simply, this is the time to upskill those who may not have much experience and ensure they feel a strong sense of belonging from the jump.

Even if you are not in the aforementioned industries, the statistics show that now more than ever, onboarding is critical. According to a 2023 BambooHR report:

• 70% of new hires decide if a job is the right fit within the first week.

• 29% of new hires decide in the first week

• On average, companies have 44 days to influence a new hire’s long-term retention

Onboarding is not simply a time for folks to fill out paperwork or for them to simply receive information. It should be both induction and welcome party- a time where you are not just clear about expectations and the work, but also giving new hires the space to norm and practice, learn the ropes, meet their teams, and become a part of the community.

Most leaders I have worked with know that they need to teach people about their roles. But how often are you walking people explicitly through your culture? That same BambooHR report showed that 91% of new hires who received an effective introduction to company culture say they feel connect ed to their workplace- compared to 29% who say their onboarding experience was lacking. Navigating a new work space is tricky. One of my favorite tweets joked that it’s akin to joining a TV show in season 5- super awkward. Awkward means not feeling a sense of belonging- which not only causes disengagement but often attrition.

If you are revamping your onboarding or are a school leader thinking about summer PD, a few questions for you (and your leadership teams) to consider

• What are your communication norms? What does in email versus slack versus a call?

• How does one signify the importance or urgency in communication?

• How is feedback given and received?

• Where should someone go with questions? If it depends, break out who to go to for what.

• When should someone go to their manager versus another team for support (e.g. IT, HR) versus a teammate?

• What do all of the acronyms mean?

Sometimes teams and orgs haven’t actually codified the above. If not, thats your first step. If you have, how can you not just tell folks the above but also create space for them to internalize them? I’ll be super honest- any sort of trivia usually engages folks on even the most mundane of facts, if done well.

Also? As clear a we try to be, someone is not going to grasp or retain something. Having short surveys for new hires throughout their first 90 days to not just ask how they are feeling, but to specifically ask what they are still not clear on can help you close gaps in understanding now before they calcify.

I’ll be writing more about onboarding over the next few weeks because it’s so critically important. If you have a specific topic or aspect of onboarding you’d like me to discuss, just reply to this email to let me know!

1% Solutions

• Improving your onboarding by surveying folks hired within the year- Poll your staff who have been with you 6-12 months to hear what they wish they had learned or had more support on in onboarding. It could be that a topic wasn’t discussed or one was but without enough nuance, practice or follow up. I’m thinking specifically about school leaders on this one as they prepare for summer professional development, but I think it applies to everyone.

• Revamp your recruiter script to increase conversion- Candidates were 33% less likely to withdraw from the process and also converted into hires at a 30% higher rate when recruiters discussed compensation, work location and salary. Why exactly? Partly because you are filtering out folks that would have said no later on. But mostly, and from my experience, candidates appreciate when you treat them as people with options. Simple things like discussing salary and (I’d add) the types of challenges they’ll face show respect for their job search.

Things I am Reading, Listening to or Watching

• 6 Mistakes Leaders Make When Announcing a Layoff- Even if you are not announcing a layoff, these tips are effective for leading in any challenging situation

• 4 Reasons Why Managers Fail- Managers today are accountable for 51% more than they can handle- and they are buckling under the pressure. Besides burnout and not feeling able to have 1:1 with enough teammates, 48% are at risk of failure. These 4 reasons can serve as a checklist as you think about your own managers. Do any of them fall into one of the categories? What’s the best way to support?

• Train midlevel managers to support on mental health- May is Mental Health Awareness Month. If you are an organization committed to supporting mental health, be sure to properly train your midlevel leaders to support their teams. No panels or social media campaign matters much if employees don’t feel this commitment in their day-to-day.

NYC Midlevel Manager Training, May 29th

On May 29th at 2pm, I’m hosting a 3 hour workshop for midlevel managers in the ed and nonprofit space on Leading Cross-Functional Change. I have three more spots available. Contact me if you or someone from your team would like to attend- or simply sign up here.

I also have limited availability this summer to lead internal trainings or design sprints to build capacity within your midlevel leaders. Interested? Just reply to the newsletter to get the ball rolling.