Too many hiring managers look at onboarding as something they need to hack in order to achieve long-term employee retention. Sure, a good onboarding process will aid in keeping employees longer, if it works. But your best bet is to focus on the people you’re hiring. What do they want? New hires want to feel prepared, confident, motivated, and welcomed to this new adventure they’re about to embark on.

Amy Hirsh Robinson said, “To effectively onboard new hires, you must be disciplined, not innovative.” Meaning that instead of focusing on what’s flashy, focus on a practical approach that not only incorporates your new employee to the culture of your company but also gets them productive and engaged with their work.

That being said, if your onboarding process hasn’t been updated in a while, 2018 is a great time to make some changes and improve. Here are some effective onboarding tips to ensure you’re focused on the new employees and meeting their needs so they’re happy, confident, and engaged.

Consider Generational Differences

Most likely, you’ve hired people from at least three different generations: Baby Boomers, Gen Xers, and Millennials. While you’ve probably read a lot on the quirks of Millennials, have you considered how employees from all different generations will work together?

It’s important to create a healthy work environment that’s inclusive to all generations. Things like their preferred forms of communication and the benefits that are important to them will look different for people who are at separate stages in life. But that doesn’t mean you can’t create a work environment that makes them all happy. Here are a few tips on each generation that you can incorporate into your onboarding processes.

Baby Boomers — Baby Boomers understand modern technologies more than they are often given credit for. Make sure experience isn’t assumed, but don’t treat them like they need hand-holding. Luckily, this generation is usually quite loyal to their employers. But you want to ensure you’re trying to attend to some of their preferences.

Baby Boomers like to work in a team and receive recognition for their achievements. They also make great mentors for younger generations.They tend to prefer face-to-face communication and might want to receive formal memos for important information. They prioritize benefits like health insurance and retirement plans.

Generation X — Gen Xers are usually very familiar with technology and are comfortable with change and modern business processes. They’re quite used to turnover and might be the employees most likely to quit if their needs aren’t being met.

They prioritize job growth opportunities and a work-life balance. And since they’re inching closer to retirement age, retirement options are also important to them.

Millennials — Have you heard the horror stories of entitled and spoiled Millennials? It might not be so bad after all. Millennials are known to be quite flexible and open minded. They’ve got a lot of enthusiasm and are ready to grow their careers. They value team collaboration, effective communication, and transparency.

Still early in their careers, Millennials prioritize benefits like paid time off and some control over their schedules as well as telecommuting options. Millennial women in business are especially eager to define their career paths and remain loyal to a good company.

Now that you know a little bit about how to cater to the different generations of new hires you’ll be onboarding in 2018, let’s look at some tools to help improve your processes.

Use the Right Tools

In order for your new hires to feel confident and prepared, your onboarding process needs to be efficient and easy to execute. Confusion and chaos are the opposite of confidence and preparation. Using the right tools, like eSignLive, will greatly improve your onboarding process, resulting in happier employees that remain loyal to your company longer.

Tools like Trello, Asana, and Evernote can help organize and save important information in a place that everyone can access, including new hires. If you have an intensive training process, Lessonly can help you create the courses and even quizzes. And of course your new hire will have lots of important documents to read, sign, and return to you or their manager. Use eSignLive to easily distribute, sign, and collect electronic signatures, saving you time and paper.

Remember, your onboarding goals shouldn’t revolve around retention. Rather, put systems in place that prioritize employee happiness, confidence, and efficiency. To learn more about onboarding new employees, check out this webcast on engaging modern candidates.