Training Effectiveness November 6th, 2021
Onboarding processes that I have experienced have varied across the jobs I’ve held. Out of the handful of positions I’ve been a part of, there are two that greatly contrast in my opinion of effectiveness. In one of my jobs, not only did I have peers that I felt comfortable going to for help, but I also trusted my boss to have my best interests at heart. In the other position, there was only one other coworker in my work environment and although we got along, I felt more alone during my time on the job. I feel these aspects relate to my over-all success and happiness due to my perception of my job security and confidence in the role.
The article “Your New Hires Won’t Succeed Unless You Onboard Them Properly” makes some great points that relate to my experiences in these two instances. For example, the article describes how a meta-analysis was conducted that examined the findings of 70 separate studies. From this data, a connection between employees feeling socially accepted and their success was found. In my first position, I felt welcomed by my coworkers and was confident that they would help me when I needed it. I especially took to one coworker that went out of her way in the beginning of my employment to mentor me. This relationship set a solid foundation to the success I found down the road.
However, I had a very opposite experience with the next role. In this role, I felt very separated from my peer and we started working at the same time. As a result, we both relied on our boss for training. This training resulted in being self-guided and we were directed to wing it and learn on our own without interrupting much of his day. Where one role I felt socially accepted and supported, the other I felt that I was isolated. This difference in onboarding could have had an impact on my over-all success, especially seeing that I was not only happier in the first role, but also performed significantly better.
Citation: Ellis, A., Nifadkar, S., Bauer, T., and Erdogan, B. (2017) Your New Hires Won’t Succeed Unless You Onboard Them Properly.Links to an external site. Harvard Business Review Digital Articles
