More than half of employees who voluntarily leave their jobs do so quickly — within the first year of employment. Clearly, retention is more important than ever. And what else relates to retention that is often (sadly) overlooked? The answer is employee onboarding.
The best companies around know this and use it to their advantage.
Hiring takes a lot of time and energy. Recruiting on its own is no easy feat… especially when you’re looking for top talent for your company!
But the work doesn’t stop at recruiting. Once you find a great fit for your company, you’ve got to make sure that you onboard them efficiently.
After all, if you want your new hires to stick around, shouldn’t your employee’s first experience at your company to be a positive one.
If the answer is yes, here’s how you can give your new hires a meaningful first experience that will last:
1. Communicate before your employee’s first day
Take this all-too-common scenario: A candidate accepts a job offer, they’re assigned a start date, and then nothing. Crickets…
There is no communication between the day they accept and their first day on the job.
In other words, they show up to work on their first day with no idea what to expect. Is that really the way you want your employees to feel their first day?
To avoid this type of confusion and make sure your employee starts their first day on a positive note, the key is to keep them informed before they even start.
After they accept the offer, let them know when they start and what they can expect during their first week. Walk them through the process so that they’re prepared (and not up late stressing about what will happen their first day).
That way, your employee will come into the office refreshed, prepared, and ready to get to work.
2. Know that you shouldn’t stop checking in after the first week
It’s easy to think that if you supply new hires with the materials they need and check up on them at the end of their first week, the hard work is done. This couldn’t be further from the truth.
While checking in on your new hire during the first week is great, you’ve got to keep checking in with them regularly throughout their first year to really make a lasting impact.
New hires are most successful when their managers checked in with them at least once a month during the first six months of their job. And past that, don’t forget the importance of 1-1 meetings — they’re an excellent way to retain the employees you spent so much time finding and hiring. After all, you don’t want to lose them after all the hard work you put in finding them in the first place!
3. Pair new hires with an onboarding buddy
While this may sound simple, it works!
A great way to make sure new hires are comfortable is to pair them up with another team member. When an existing employee shows a new hire the ropes, they’ll likely feel more comfortable and may even be willing to bring up questions they might normally hesitate to ask management.
A fair number of new hires might feel like they have an overwhelming amount of questions, which is why it’s good for them to feel like they can talk to more than just one person.
Plus, getting a tour from a peer will give new hires a different perspective.
4. Define success when training new hires
When onboarding a new employee and training, don’t forget this one vital step: Let them know what success means in their role. In other words, tell them how they can master their job and what they need to do.
You’d be surprised how many employees aren’t told how to succeed at their jobs and what it takes to get there. Put together a roadmap to success and let your hires know how you define success.
The result? New hires will know whether or not they’re making the right kind of impact, which is crucial.
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