To strengthen your employee retention, you should take steps to improve your onboarding process. Departures may be inevitable in today’s environment, so you want to make sure new hires develop a strong commitment to your business. That may keep them around for much longer.
Right now, when someone joins your organization, does your onboarding set them up for success? Or is it a few rushed remarks that are designed to get the person in their new position, as soon as possible?
The employer association ASE, recently released its 2022 Employee Turnover Survey. Some of the highlights include:
- Annual voluntary turnover rates for 2021 reached nearly 17 percent among all employee types.
- Before the pandemic, voluntary turnover rates were under 10 percent.
- Those surveyed said they were leaving their jobs for reasons that include compensation demands, retirements, and personal problems.
You may not able to pay people more money but you can create a stronger connection with an employee through a reimagined onboarding process. Consider these tips for your plan:
Company Culture Discussion
Take the time to communicate the values that define your business. Let’s say it’s extraordinary customer service. Give examples that support that focus. It has to be more than just a slogan, otherwise it’s not really a shared value.
Business culture might be reflected in actions. Do people automatically pick up a discarded piece of paper that’s fallen on the floor, even if they’re not the one who dropped it?
Are employees supported in volunteering in the community and is charitable giving encouraged and matched?
You may have the best business culture in the world but how valuable is it if new employees don’t know about it? Communicate what you’re about so new hires don’t just consider you to be nothing more than another job.
Expectations for the Next Six Months
Do people understand where you want them to be professionally in the next six months? If it’s a mystery, then is it any surprise that some may not feel very engaged in their jobs?
The expectation could be as simple as you’re able to perform your position with a minimum of supervision. If there are other goals and initiatives, make sure they are spelled out.
You don’t want a new employee to think they’re doing a great job, only to find out they’ve been focusing on the wrong things.
Business Strengths
This is related to culture but is more about what the business means to the outside world. What are the problems or challenges that your firm solves?
Someone may perform a specific task in your business, like accounting, and know very little about what the organization represents in the marketplace.
Imagine if someone were to ask, “Where do you work?” and “What does the business do?” Do you feel confident the answer would properly represent your business or might it be something that’s quickly mumbled.
To improve your onboarding, make sure employees feel confident about expressing your organization’s strengths to the outside world.
Time to Talk to Colleagues
That person who you pass in the hall all the time might be worth getting to know. But in a lot of organizations, they are nothing more than a name and a title.
When someone starts a new job, give them a chance to meet with other departments. This needs to go beyond a 20 second introduction.
It’s important people understand how the organization works and how they might be able to contribute to it in different ways.
Sometimes a department will outsource a skill-set that an employee, in a different part of the business, would gladly provide. It may be a talent that is not currently showcased in the employee’s current role.
This interaction, never happens if colleagues are strangers. To improve your onboarding, make sure these discussions happen.
Let’s Create a Memorable Meeting
