Onboarding and HRM
Until recently, academics have studied the onboarding process under the larger category of “socialization,”
and onboarding has been considered a minor part of human resource management (HRM). Today, however, both academic researchers and those responsible for onboarding within their organizations understand that the best programs are those that are based on solid research and also make sense in practice. Above is a diagram of research
about factors that play a role in successful
onboarding of new employees. The model summarizes both new employee adjustment and outcomes of successful onboarding. The recruitment and selection process is actually the first step to effective onboarding. Clearly identifying valued behaviors and hiring candidates who demonstrate them will increase the likelihood of a smooth onboarding process.
What happens during onboarding?
During onboarding, firms engage in a variety of activities that may facilitate
the process. Recall the three levels of onboarding discussed above: Level 1–Passive, Level 2–High Potential and Level 3–Proactive. Most onboarding practices fit into one of these levels.
Successful onboarding is the result of several HRM functions working together in a coordinated fashion. Although here each function is discussed separately, the key to successful onboarding is for HRM
functions to work together seamlessly to support new employees. The process starts even before a new employee arrives: the first HRM function,