Barbora Halfarova is an HR specialist in the company PROMEDICA, which is the market leader in healthcare distribution and logistics. And it stands out not only in this area. The company is also successful in the HR field — thanks to its sophisticated onboarding system, which is praised by its employees. We talked with Bara about how the processes of recruitment and adaptation of employees work in this company, as one of the representatives of the HR department, which has a company onboarding in charge.
Newly arrived employees praise the onboarding method in your company. But what does the whole recruitment process look like before onboarding even begins?
First of all, we determine with the manager or the person in the leadership position who he needs in his team. Based on this, we write an ad and release it to the world through various advertising portals, including the job network LinkedIn. For more specialized positions, we also cooperate with an external agency. However, I must say that quite often it is the work of our colleagues who themselves recommend us suitable candidates.
After evaluating the received CVs, we will select the most suitable candidates and meet them personally. As a rule, there are two face-to-face meetings before a final decision is made.
What does preboarding, or the so-called gray area between the selection process and the entry of an employee, look like?
A gray area? That's different. Depends how much time we have before boarding. We keep in touch with the new colleague and send the necessary documents and information for boarding at the earliest one month before the start. Pinya HR. A week before the start, we will clarify by phone what awaits the new colleague on the first day.
What if the accepted candidate decides not to join the company? How do you address this issue within preboarding?
Honestly, I do not remember whether such a situation occurred with us in Promedica.
Preboarding is a gray area of onboarding.
When do you start preparing for onboarding a new employee? How do such preparations take place?
Preparations proceed as follows. IN Pinya HR I create an employee profile, send him a personal questionnaire, a form for medical examination and more information about its onset. As soon as the completed personal questionnaire is returned to us, I pass the information on to my colleagues. Thus, all those who have to do with the arrival of a new employee will learn at the same time who is joining us, in what position, what kind of tools and access to our systems will be needed. And then we all try so that on the day of boarding everything is ready, and the new colleague does not have to wait for anything.
Let's say a new employee joined you. Today is his first day in a new job. What awaits him?
We start with our classic wheel... the HR department, where the contract is signed and other documents are checked. This is followed by the IT department and the handover of the necessary aids. If a person joins the sales team, after visiting the IT department, he goes to the service to take a company car and then begins basic training, which includes information about the company, including where and how to make coffee, etc.
Adaptation of the employee is the most important part onboarding.
How is the process of adapting a new employee in your company?
The adaptation of the employee in our company begins practically on the day of the start, when I pass on information about the company to new colleagues. About who we are, what we do, what systems we use, who to contact in case of a car breakdown or how to enter a vacation, etc. This training lasts two to three days and then I pass the new colleague into the hands of his supervisor, who provides training aimed directly at the job position, whether product training for salespeople or other training if they are people for the office.
One week after boarding, each new colleague will receive through Pinya HR a short questionnaire in which we ask about what his first week was like. Whether the initial training was understandable, if it was attended by his supervisor and the like.
At the end of the trial period there is a personal meeting during which we find out how the new colleague perceives the atmosphere in the company and in his team. I like these meetings because nothing replaces meeting in person. It's valuable feedback for me as I figure out what else we can improve. And at the same time, I remind new colleagues that they can turn to me if they don't know something.
Do you have any tips for improving onboarding for companies whose onboarding process is currently in the style of: “Here you have the materials, study them”? What can they start with?
When we thought about our onboarding process, we were not afraid to call in experts. After consulting, we created a project specifically for our environment. And that's where you came in. Your software helped us optimize the process onboarding. It facilitated the initial communication with newcomers and the distribution of information in the company. It was properly timed.
And that brings me to the tip for other companies. It's time! That's what's running here. Give new colleagues time. Let them know that they are welcome and needed for their new team. It is also important that they know who to turn to if they do not know the advice and that their supervisor is also ready for a new colleague. Time is an initial investment that usually pays off in no time.
