Onboarding Improves New-Employee Engagement and Productivity

BOSTON, MA--(Marketwire - March 16, 2010) - The latest research on onboarding trends for 2010 from Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE: HHS), shows that organizations that have formalized and automated their onboarding process have experienced significantly better performance gains. The study, "Onboarding: The First Line of Engagement," found that organizations with a formal onboarding process (one that has a dedicated strategy and set of objectives) saw a 60% greater year-over-year improvement in revenue per FTE and a 63% greater year-over-year improvement in customer satisfaction than those with an informal or ad-hoc onboarding process.

"Business executives are looking to 2010 as a year for growth. And the ability of new employees to contribute quickly and be best-equipped to serve the needs of customers will be critical to this endeavor," said Kevin Martin, vice president and principal analyst for human capital research at Aberdeen Group. "The initial experiences of new employees have a direct impact on the productivity and profitability of an organization. This is where onboarding becomes a competitive necessity and helps explain why 58% of 466 executives surveyed for this research indicated onboarding will increase in importance at their organization this year." The study reveals the top actions that organizations should take to build and maintain new employee engagement and alignment from day one and through the first year.

Aberdeen's analysis of top-performing companies reveals that the importance of onboarding is realized at the highest levels within the organization and is integrated more completely across the entire organization. According to Justin Bourke, research associate with Aberdeen and co-author of the report, "Onboarding isn't just an HR exercise, it's a business imperative. There needs to be widespread support and direct involvement from all corners of the company, and this can't happen unless it is fully recognized among senior leadership."

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due, in part, to the following underwriters: Enwisen, iCIMS, SilkRoad technology, Taleo and TalentWise. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=6328&camp2.

Visit Research.Aberdeen.com for additional access to complimentary Human Capital research.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen provides fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having queried more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen or call (617) 854-5200, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748.

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