Harpelund, Hojberg, and Nielsen’s goal is to teach employers so thoroughly for their new hires, that those hires will be able to hit the deck running. The book’s onboarding program ensures staff retention, increases productivity, strengthens and maintains engagement and motivation. The company should have everything at the ready when the new person walks through the door to minimize the possibility of their bolting early in their new duties. That includes small things, like a chair, a phone, a colleague to talk to, business cards, access cards, among other things. Onboarding is also about shaping the new hire’s perception of company culture so they are clear regarding the efforts and results required of them. Research demonstrates that proper onboarding increases new hire commitment, reduces the delay before full performance is reached, reduces stress, and increases job satisfaction and retention rates. It shows that the returns for allocating resources for a sophisticated onboarding program are great and can be even higher than one could achieve by increasing investment in the recruitment. The book provides the necessary understanding and proper tools to draw up an onboarding program that addresses the problem of colleagues leaving too soon or taking too long to become fully productive. As an added bonus, the tools and insight the book offers can work strategically on a wide range of other issues important to business.

Christian Harpelund holds a MSc in Organizational Psychology from Copenhagen University, and is a State Authorised Psychologist. He is the Co-Founder of Onboarding Group which specializes in designing and implementing structured onboarding processes in organizations.

PART ONE - TAKEOFF