CommLab India Interviews Gitika Nagra on Onboarding Training

Welcome to CommLab India’s eLearning Champion podcast featuring an interview with Gitika Nagra, Manager, Learning Design, at CommLab India. Gitika has more than 10 years’ experience in Instructional Design, crafting diverse interactive eLearning experiences for a variety of organizations.

Listen to the podcast now!

In this interview, Gitika explores Onboarding Training – its importance, implementation strategies, success stories, and best practices. Here’s a brief paraphrase of the interview.

Introduction

Onboarding training, also known as new hire training or induction, is a critical aspect of employee development and organizational success. It sets the tone for new hires’ experience in the organization, impacting their engagement, productivity, and overall satisfaction.

Onboarding training benefits both the organization and the new employee, and plays a vital role in establishing a successful working relationship between the two.

Importance of Onboarding Training

The first impression an employee gets of an organization is crucial. Employees make up their minds to stay or quit within their first year with the organization. Research shows that about 4% of employees quit on their first day at work. So, it shouldn’t surprise us that employee onboarding is now being viewed more seriously than ever before.

Onboarding gives the organization the opportunity to make new employees feel welcome, adapt to the company culture, and learn about their roles and responsibilities.

Effective onboarding training helps integrate new employees into the company, its systems and procedures, and gives them a sense of belonging. On the other hand, a poor onboarding program can inhibit workplace efficiency and set up new employees for failure.

Challenges with Traditional Methods of Onboarding

Here are a few challenges with traditional methods of onboarding, and the solutions that eLearning provides.

Organizations have started to shift from traditional classroom training to eLearning to overcome these onboarding challenges and create a seamless learning experience for new employees.

Effective onboarding training:

Offers substantial time and cost savings to the organizations. It facilitates the smooth transition of new hires into their roles, ensures operational efficiency, and reduces employee turnover.

Makes employees feel respected and valued, provides all necessary information, and establishes good communication, setting the stage for a smooth and confident start in the organization.

Effective Onboarding Strategies

Success Stories

Success Story #1

Client: A leading contract research organization

Requirement: A comprehensive 5-day onboarding program for new hires, cutting down the time spent in the classroom without affecting training effectiveness.

• Days 1-3 on to general induction into various departments and LMS
• Days 4-5 on role-specific eLearning for Clinical Laboratory and Development Services

Solution: A blended onboarding solution, combining classroom training with online resources.

• Days 1-3: 26 hours of ILT and a mandatory eLearning on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment
• Days 4-5: 10 hours of ILT and six 45-minute eLearning courses including 'Watch-Try-Do' simulations in Articulate Storyline.

ILT materials for onsite sessions included:

• PowerPoint presentations
• Facilitator guides
• Participant manuals

The entire training came up to 21 learning hours, with 6.5 hours of eLearning and 14.5 hours of ILT. A total of 51 ILT session presentations, 7 eLearning courses, and 5 activity handouts were delivered.

Result: The training was very well received by learners. The blended learning strategy reduced classroom time, and efficiently used technology for rapid upskilling.

Success Story #2

Client: A leading U.S. research-based biopharma company

Requirement: A short (less than 90 minutes) and engaging online course on the company's mission, values, and other important contact points, providing the right information at the right time for employees in DevOps and Clinical Research.

Solution: An 8-module tailored solution employing the LEAD strategy, with engaging infographics, short video clips, and a gamified final assessment.

Result: An engaging and enjoyable onboarding experience, ultimately contributing to a significant reduction in employee turnover.

Success Story #3

Client: A leading global travel platform

Requirement: Revise and restructure new hire classroom and online training for different divisions, and reduce the current 12-week training program to an 8-week self-paced one.

Solution A highly interactive simulation-based eLearning curriculum with ‘watch and try’ simulations and different learning paths for each of the 3 divisions.

Result: A reduction in the 12-week program to an 8-week self-paced one.

Best Practices

Designing an effective online onboarding training is all about understanding the psychology of learning and implementing it in an online learning environment.

1. The ‘Human Touch’

Online training can be challenging, with new employees feeling isolated and detached from the organization. In such a scenario, it’s vital to make a connection with the learners:

• Start with a personalized welcome video or audio clip from the CEO or immediate boss, personalizing it by addressing the new hire by name.
• Introduce the board of directors and other key employees via the portal.
• Include a concise directory with departments and roles for emergency contacts.

2. Short, Concise Learning

Avoid overwhelming your new hires with too much information, be it in the classroom or online. Keep it crisp, short, and targeted, for a focused understanding of roles and responsibilities.

To prevent your new hires from getting lost in a ‘sea’ of information:

• Break content into easily digestible lessons.
• Opt for short microlearning modules.
• Focus on the ‘need-to-know’ info.
• Offer just-in-time support.

3. Individual Learning Styles And Needs

No two people learn the same way. For effective learning to happen, learners need the freedom to explore their environment according to their unique learning styles. Customize online training for individual needs:

• Cater to kinesthetic, audio, and visual learners.
• Use engaging graphics, videos, audio clips, animations, games, and more.

So, that’s it about onboarding training. Feel free to visit www.commlabindia.com and browse the onboarding training section, watch the related videos, or reach out to us through the ‘Contact Us’ form on the top right.

Until next time, happy onboarding!