Fostering culture and connection into onboarding practices
Successful onboarding of international new hires involves just the right combination of the 6 Cs: Compliance, Culture, Connection, Clarification, Confidence, and Check back.
Amin Fard, CEO & Co-Founder of Preppio, shares the key areas where Norwegian employers typically lag – and where they have the most to gain to improve the onboarding experience:
Culture and Clarification:
New hires need to learn not just about your company's culture, but also about Norwegian culture. Include information in the pre-boarding phase about the weather (and tips on clothes to get), the long period of darkness (and what to do about it - sauna?), how to socialize (where to meet others, work out, and find local restaurant favorites), and how to adapt to the work culture in Norway and at your company. Consider surveying new hires before starting about what they like to do and about any concerns they may have to tailor their socialization experience. Here’s a book that might be useful.
Connection:
Ensure that new hires have a buddy at work who helps them get adjusted so they connect with others. Loneliness can be an issue if there is no plan to help new hires make new friends – which can be more challenging in Norway than in other countries.
Check back:
Plan on having regular surveys and check-ins to gather feedback on not just work-related topics, but also feedback from employees on the socialization process. This can provide valuable insights on how to improve the onboarding experience for future hires. Don’t assume that the hiring manager is doing so.
Preppio is an employee support software company that helps HR practitioners to create scalable personalization and support for their people during onboarding, offboarding and important moments in between.
Thank you for sharing, Amin!
