Universidad Tecnológica de El Salvador
Onboarding
Book

Onboarding

How to Get Your New Employees Up to Speed in Half the Time

George Bradt and Mary Vonnegut
Wiley, 2009
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6

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Recommendation

Many new hires do not last longer than six months. One out of two new employees fails to meet the organization’s expectations. Why? Often, employers make little or no effort to acclimate these staffers to the job. Thus, their employees start off on the wrong foot, and many find it hard to “change course.” However, George Bradt and Mary Vonnegut deliver a proven program you can use to help new workers become immediately productive. Bradt, founder and director of the executive-transition consultancy PrimeGenesis, and Vonnegut, a partner at the firm, bring considerable experience to the topic. getAbstract recommends their book’s thoughtful approach to onboarding. Though the guide is poorly structured in parts, it provides easy-to-follow, practical advice for bringing people on board and keeping them there.

Summary

Why Effective Onboarding Matters

Does your organization have a cohesive, strategic onboarding program? Many companies do not. For example, one firm annually hired seven or eight salespeople who all showed the potential and desire to become managers. However, the company had room to promote only one or two of them each year, so those who weren’t promoted often left the firm. This inefficient hiring approach meant that the majority of sales recruits the company employed would eventually be disappointed.

Fortunately for this firm, the recruiter recognized the problem and implemented a fresh strategy. She divided the positions equally into managerial and sales functions. Each year, the company employed three or four people who competed for the sales manager slots, but it also hired three or four staffers who were career salespeople. Following this approach enabled the firm to reduce turnover and decrease the number of hires. It also boosted employee satisfaction: Staffers who pursued the management track had a better chance of succeeding, and professional salespeople could focus on their true passion – selling.

Always examine why you are employing someone, and consider...

About the Authors

George Bradt is founder and managing director of PrimeGenesis, an executive-transition consultancy. Mary Vonnegut, a PrimeGenesis partner, formerly headed a retail company.

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