Acculturation Onboarding and Corporate Culture

Socialization is something that can happen naturally even with new hires who are left to fend for themselves. People tend to adapt to their work environment over time by paying attention to the cues of their coworkers and management. However, when acculturation onboarding is done in this haphazard way, there is a much greater risk that new employees will feel frustrated and alienated as they struggle to "fit in". Using good communication that makes it easy for new hires to navigate your corporate culture is a much more efficient approach.

Know What You're Working With

Of course, in order to communicate expectations and an overall value system through an onboarding portal, an organization has to be clear about what its culture is. The folks over at WiseGeek have a good working definition of this term. They also make an excellent point that a corporate culture can be positive or negative. So, just having one isn't sufficient. You also need to look at the impact the shared beliefs, attitudes, and customs of your workplace are having on employees.

Do you understand what new hires really want to know about how your company operates? Take a look at this article by Randall Hansen regarding the questions he thinks job seekers should ask to "Uncover a Company's Corporate Culture". It offers a snapshot of the basics employers should communicate during recruiting and onboarding.

About.com also has a decent collection of articles on organizational culture. This one by author Susan Heathfield is particularly interesting. It points out that a work culture usually consists of many unwritten or unspoken "rules". However, it's important to note that there is no compelling reason that an organization's expectations have to remain a mystery to new hires. Why not get everything out in the open?

Communicating Through Onboarding

A mission statement is a fine place to start, but it usually doesn't cover everything (unless it is a really long statement). Instead of trying to cram everything onto one page, try sprinkling little pieces of advice and information throughout an onboarding module. These hints and clues help new hires build a comprehensive picture of your corporate culture.

For example, there might be a section in your orientation program about your company's policy of promoting from within. This is a great place to put a tip about how a new hire can get on the fast track to promotion by taking positive actions to qualify for advanced training opportunities. Or, you might add a short testimonial from a satisfied employee who has successfully worked their way up from an entry level position to a supervisory one. With the AllegroHR Acculturation Portal, you can readily customize each screen with this type of positive branding.