4 things you don’t want your new employee to say
Retaining and competing for top talent can be as crucial to an organisation over time as meeting quarterly goals. As an employer, the last thing you want is to hear that your HR programs are failing to support your hard-earned new employees. Signs that your new employee is struggling with onboarding doesn’t have to be as significant as not meeting performance expectations – experience in their field may overcome that, but the key to successful onboarding is securing engagement from day 1. If you overhear a new employee saying something similar to the below, it’s a good time to revisit your onboarding strategy.
Are you setting up an onboarding program for your company or trying to breathe new life into your existing orientation process? Download our Easy Guide to an Effective Onboarding Process and engage with your talent today.
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“I returned my letter of offer a few weeks ago, just wanted to confirm you’ve received it?”
Failing to engage with your new employee in between the letter of offer and start date is a missed opportunity. In this quiet period you can begin to inform you new employee of all the exciting opportunities they will encounter as the newest member of your organisation, as well as getting a head start on all documentation required for HR and payroll processes. Onboarding takes a village, and with the combined powers of the HR team and department managers you can create a simple onboarding checklist to make sure your new employee has access to all the resources they need.
“This new job is okay, I’m still trying to get my head around it all”
If your new employee is struggling to answer questions around settling in, there could be a missing link in your onboarding that needs to be addressed. There are easy ways to ensure your new employee feels part of the team before day one, such as a personalised welcome pack with all the information they will need in the first few weeks. Once your new employee has started, another key to engagement is working with the reporting manager to ensure your new employee receives support from a management level during the first three months. Integrating a new employee into an established team can be challenging, that’s why clear guidelines from HR teams and leaders can help. Cognology CEO, Jon Windust, provided some insight into best practice techniques on this topic in his recent leadership series blog.
“After the first month, I’ll have to look for things to do”
Lack of clarity is a clear barrier to success for any role and it’s no surprise that employers may consider their new employee up to speed by the time four weeks has gone by. But the days of a traditional one day orientation are gone, and setting clear performance milestones is a great reason to extend new employee onboarding right up to the probationary review period. Effective onboarding also plays a significant role in helping team members feel engaged with company goals and strategy. It’s crucial that every employee understands how they contribute to the bigger picture.
“I’d hate to be a new starter here, again”
Finally, if the general word around the office is that it’s hard to be new, it’s time to transform your onboarding process before it takes a toll on your retention rate. A simple onboarding program doesn’t have to take months to implement and drain resources. With the business goals of your organisation clearly defined, you can create a holistic onboarding solution to satisfy both the leadership team and your new starter. Build the onboarding program that works for you (What works for some companies may not work for all!)
