Struggling with Employee Retention?

Is Your Employee Onboarding Holding You Back?

So, you’ve got a great small business and you, its leader, are ambitious. You are known for your dynamic work culture and innovative ideas in your industry. You feel your company treats its team well, yet, like many small businesses, your company is still struggling with employee retention.

Your ambition and the growth that comes with it sets a fast pace. This faster pace can cause even the most talented new employee to feel overwhelmed. That is likely a factor in your higher turnover.

If you want to change this narrative, it’s time rethink and revamp your employee onboarding process. Providing your new hires with a seamless and highly engaging onboarding experience is a key factor in setting the stage for long-term success and loyalty in your workforce.

Reconsider when your process begins.

“Employee Onboarding” traditionally begins on the new hire’s first day. But exceptional employee onboarding starts as soon as the hire is finalized. Communication is key here. Consider how and what your new hire would benefit from knowing before they walk through your door. From simple things like when to arrive, what to wear and even where to park to deeper information like company history, mission and how their new role fits in the picture can have a huge impact on your new hire’s sense of belonging and purpose even before they arrive. Another suggested item to share is an itinerary for the first day(s). This can help the new hire feel less out of place by knowing where they are supposed to be, who they will be with and what they will be doing ahead of time.

Reconsider how long “Onboarding” lasts & how you approach it.

Onboarding isn’t just about filling out paperwork and attending an orientation session; it is about making every new hire feel valued, supported, and excited about joining the team through your efforts to ensure their success. Achieving long-term success for new hires goes beyond the first day. The adjustment period for a new employee to master their job can range from two months to a year. If your company is still only providing a 2–3-week onboarding process you should consider extending it for a deeper, richer experience. Statistically, longer onboarding is more effective onboarding. Think about extending your onboarding and maybe more importantly your perspective on what should happen during this period. See a new hire as a learner rather than a performer and use an organized learning and development strategy (exp. 70/20/10 model) to build their skillset during onboarding. Measure learning throughout the onboarding process to ensure your new hire stays on track and difficulties are addressed early on.

The most effective onboarding implements a personal approach to each role and focuses on the organizational knowledge, skills and abilities needed to be successful in that role at your company. So don’t just dive into the job tasks without considering things like who at your company the new hire will need to engage with, what systems the new hire will need to be familiar with and how their role will contribute to your company’s success. Leave room for your new hires to ask questions, share ideas, and provide feedback. This encouragement will increase their engagement and foster a sense of belonging and ownership from the very beginning.

It’s a big deal so give consideration, attention and importance to your new hire’s start.

A new hire is a big deal. After all, they bring new skills, new productivity and enable your company to do more and be more effective. So, if you are not already approaching a new hire’s first day as an exciting event at your company, you should consider doing so.

Traditional swag boxes can be nice (I am not dissing them) but it can be expensive for some small businesses. Try a “ready, set, go” approach. Set up your new hire’s workspace to ensure they have everything they will need to succeed and add a personal touch with a monogram, or their favorite color. This can be just as effective and serve the dual purpose of getting your new hire off to a faster start.

If you do not have someone waiting for your new hire to arrive on the first day you should add this step. Having a familiar face at the front door waiting for the new hire when they walk in the building is an outstanding way to say, “We are excited you are joining our team and we are ready for you!”

Be specific and intentional about introductions, focus on the team members your new hire will be engaging with first and do not just introduce them, explain what they do, why they do it and how they can help the new hire get acclimated. Your new hire will meet many new people on their first day so make sure they can remember the faces of those who can help them.

Give the full team a chance to get to know your new hire by providing a shared lunch. It is not about a free lunch so much as getting together to get to know one another better and especially the new member of the team. Pizza or another inexpensive option is fine. It is important that you, the leader of the team, engage and make time for this event every time. Your interest in your new hire and your enthusiasm for your company’s vision will help them know that they are in the right place and that you believe they are a great fit.

Your willingness to make some simple well-thought-out changes to your new employee onboarding program will help you create a culture of loyalty, engagement, and success that can set you apart from your competition and dramatically improve your employee retention.

Need assistance building an exceptional new employee onboarding program. We would love to help!