3 Tips to support new hires after employee onboarding

You’ve invested in employee onboarding training, and overall, your training is working: most of your employees are up to speed and performing well. But sometimes even well-designed training doesn’t click for some employees. Even after completing onboarding, you might have some employees that haven’t developed as much as you would hope. But that doesn’t mean they should be left behind or fired.

Onboarding can be a long process. Research by Gallup found that employees can take close to a year before reaching their full potential in a new position. Worse yet, turnover for new hires can be as high as 50% On the other hand, employees who had a good experience with onboarding are 2.6 times more likely to be extremely satisfied with their place of work.

While it’s important to increase speed to competency, employee onboarding training can only do so much for continued performance. But by providing post-training support and coaching for employees, you can increase employee retention for new hires and push all your employees toward competency.

Tips for Post-Training Support

Post-training support allows you to bridge the gap between initial training and expertise. However, for employees who may be struggling after initial onboarding training, post-training support can be a lifeline.

Performance Mapping

Performance mapping is the first step to creating effective performance support after employee onboarding training support. Brandon Hall found that over 62% of respondents believed they needed clearer learning paths to improve skills and competencies, and performance mapping is the best way to define those learning paths. Start with your broader business goals and determine the ideal state to achieve those goals. For instance, determine the desired behaviors that lend to success. Then, isolate the specific skills they need to learn to reach those behaviors, as well as the knowledge base, and motivational factors that drive those skills.

Microlearning

Once you have a well-defined learning path, use microlearning as a way to distribute training. Studies have shown that learning in smaller “chunks” is 17% more effective than learning in a single information dump. So, for employees that already overwhelmed by the requirements of their new role, this may be the best delivery option. After completing onboarding training, micromodules distributed throughout the first several months of employment at a new position can help your new hires reinforce the knowledge and skills they’ve already learned. Moreover, it’s easier to fit micromodules into a busy workday.

Coaching and Mentoring

Coaching and mentoring programs are another way to support employees who are struggling after employee onboarding. Most importantly, it’s effective. The support provided by coaches and mentors is integral to the knowledge transfer from tenured employees to new hires. Employees become more effective, and they also become more engaged and integrated within the workforce. One study from the University of California even found that mentoring programs returned $1.50 for every $1 spent.

Conclusion

Even with well-designed onboarding training, you may have some new hires who need extra support as they start their new positions. With thorough performance mapping and a few key training strategies, you can create post-training support that fosters relationships, and drives employees toward competency in their new roles.