The Launchpad

What is Onboarding and Why is it Important?

Onboarding is the process of introducing new employees to the company culture, expectations, and goals. It is also a mechanism through which new employees acquire the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors in order to become effective in their role and responsibilities. Onboarding also helps to create a positive work environment by making sure that new employees are integrated into the organization and that they understand the company's values, mission, and policies.  It is an important part of any organization's success and helps to ensure that new hires are productive, engaged, and motivated. With onboarding, organizations can ensure that their employees are set up for success from day one.

Gretta is a proven leader in the hospitality industry with 30+ years’ experience running three global sales organizations, leading award-winning hotel sales teams and earning numerous sales and service awards. In 2015, she founded SalesBoost, an online training solution that is revolutionizing learning and professional development. Based on The Science of Learning, SalesBoost improves the human capital of an organization using innovative technology and active learning principles. SalesBoost makes learning interactive and provides a practice environment allowing individuals to build muscle memory, which in turn, forms new skills. And, skills are the new global currency. 

 I have served as an administrative assistant. Often time I felt overwhelmed with tasks and responsibilities. However, to keep me going, all it took was a little encouragement from my boss and coworkers acknowledging that they saw the work I was doing and appreciated my commitment. This simple action fueled me and gave me the motivation to keep doing my best every day.

Let’s get one thing straight, stress does not control you. We all have let it affect us one way or another and often times there is a struggle to find that work/life balance. Once stress has the upper hand, every day can be an uphill battle. We lose sleep, we can’t focus or find time for interests outside of the workplace, our relationships slip, and even our immune systems can start to weaken.

I get it! Our lives are hectic and it’s hard to find that balance. Having a plan to deal with stress ahead of time helps manage how I react to stressors. I do my best to model the behaviors that I expect my team to exhibit. My go-to formula when managing stress is simple:

Imagine starting at a job where you quickly realize that there is no clear on-boarding or training plan and you must "figure it out" on your own. Or, you want to further develop and grow your career; however, there's no clear career path nor opportunity for growth. Sound familiar?

For those in the Hospitality Industry, and especially human resources, this is a reality they handle on a daily basis. The hospitality industry must appeal to top talent through training, leadership, and modern tools in order to grapple with a staggering 73.8% employee turnover rate. There exists a gap between what organizations and recruiters are seeking, and what prospects seek and expect from employers that contribute to high turnover. Human Resources professionals must achieve a careful balance of finding and attracting the right candidate with structure and leadership in order to mitigate turnover costs.

“The tragedy of life is often not in our failure, but rather in our complacency"

All too often as professionals in the working world, we sit back and wait on our employers to put opportunities in front of us, grow our education, create happiness, or just wait to be directed. While it is important for your employer to care about you and help in these areas, you should also be putting forth effort to better yourself. In fact, it should be you driving your growth and development.  We can blame complacency in the work place on our employers, but if you're not willing to invest in you - why should anyone else? Here's seven simple ways you can (and should) invest in Y.O.U.:

 I have served as an administrative assistant. Often time I felt overwhelmed with tasks and responsibilities. However, to keep me going, all it took was a little encouragement from my boss and coworkers acknowledging that they saw the work I was doing and appreciated my commitment. This simple action fueled me and gave me the motivation to keep doing my best every day.

When was the last time you received an actual handwritten thank you note from a friend or vendor? In today's technological world, the easiest thing to do is send a quick email or text. But taking the time to write a thank you note by hand gets you much further in the game.