One in five people quit within the first 45 days. That first month can influence a new starter’s decision to stay or resign.
Avoid the risk of this happening to your company and keep them engaged! These three easy steps can make all the difference.
1. Make their first day special
It’s not surprising to see a lift in retention rates if the onboarding process was started before a new hire has even formally arrived. In fact, the Aberdeen Group found firms who had ‘pre-boarding’ processes, retained 81% of their first-year employees [1]. This makes sense - the more prepared you are as a new starter, the less daunting it is on day one.
Policies and handbooks can be sent early on for reference. To create a more welcoming approach, focus on making their first day at work special. Create a welcome pack with important information. Take them out for a team lunch or coffee. Starting a new job should be a celebration!
2. Introduce your newest team member
Help the new starter to build relationships; introduce them to the team and include the senior management, invite the new person to informal get-togethers, as well as company functions, plus assign a buddy who can act as a guide. Sometimes people find it easier to talk to another colleague about any concerns early on than to a manager. At Microsoft, assigning a buddy was found to increase productivity, as it improves employee satisfaction and provides context. The more meetings the buddy had with the new employee in the first 90 days, the greater the impact on productivity. Over 56% of new hires who met their buddy at least once during their first 90 days, felt that their buddy helped them acclimatise to the organisation quickly. This jumped to 97% if they met more than eight times [2].
Building strong work relationships leads to higher performance and job satisfaction.
3. Start an ongoing conversation
One of the most common reasons for a new starter to quit is a lack of guidance around their role. Maybe a job didn’t meet their expectations or something was misunderstood. It’s important to outline objectives, key timelines and responsibilities of the job. Ask your new employee at the end of the first week if they have found anything surprising about the role. That way, you have the opportunity to voice concerns early on and can resolve job-related issues before they escalate. This is just the start of their journey with your organisation. Think beyond the first week’s induction activities.
New recruits at IBM navigate their way through a two-year induction program. Succeeding extends the traditional 30-day onboarding process into a comprehensive program which focusses on building relationships, finding support and learning about the organisation’s culture, history and values. Keep the conversation going, plan regular reviews and schedule milestone dates at 30, 60 and 90 days in your calendars.
Step-by step-guide for ensuring a positive onboarding experience
If you aim to include cultural activities and plan to stay connected to your new hire, you’re already moving in the right direction. When an onboard program is working effectively, a new hire will feel part of the team and is confident in doing the job well. Your employee will feel fully ‘on board’ and connected with your company’s overall goals, which translates to a number of financial benefits for your organisation.
Here’s a two-page checklist, providing a step-by-step guide for ensuring a positive onboarding experience. But remember, to think of this as building a new relationship, as your new employee is a person - this is not just about ticking boxes on a form.
Take it as a starting point…you can then build on it.
About Pulse Software
Pulse Software is a leading business process management solution provider. Pulse aligns people with industry leading solutions for government agencies and private enterprises.
For more information call 1300 363 325 or email sales@pulsesoftware.com
Source References
1. Aberdeen Group: https://www.aberdeen.com/hcm-essentials/perfecting-onboarding-funnel/
2. Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2019/06/every-new-employee-needs-an-onboarding-buddy