5 Employee Onboarding #Fails and How to Avoid Them

Onboarding new employees is an easy thing to muck up and unfortunately, once the damage is done and you’ve failed to hang on to a perfectly good employee, there’s no going back. There is, however, moving forward and improving on a flawed onboarding process. So, we’ve handpicked five statistics you can avoid with a better employee onboarding process. 

1. Speedy first impressions

27% of surveyed executives think employers form an initial opinion as to whether an entry level employee will be successful in less than two weeks.

Really? Two weeks? If this percentage was 2%, it wouldn’t be cause for concern, but in this particular study, one in four respondents felt this way. Here at Click Boarding we talk a lot about employee development and that’s never more necessary than in this type of situation!

●      Fix it: In the first few months of the job, especially for an entry level position, managers shouldn’t be focusing on whether or not this new employee is going to be successful because they haven’t been given enough time to prove it to you. And, as a manager, it’s your job to help that person develop over time. Keep unconscious bias at bay by setting performance goals early and collaborating regularly with the new employee to ensure they have the resources and motivation they need to carry out those goals. Sometimes employee onboarding and performance management overlap and this is one of those times.

●      Start now: You can set expectations in the job advertisement and interview process. Once you’ve extended an offer, outline goals for the first day, week, month and quarter. They can be around cultural and social goals (have lunch with your team once a month) or they can be focused on skills development (learn how to properly file documents per project guidelines within one month). People do best meeting expectations when we’ve set clear ones. 

2. Lack of place

50% of employees worldwide do not find meaning or purpose in their current role.

What an unfortunate statistic, but quite believable. Much research suggests job satisfaction is tied to company values, culture and the honesty and respect of leadership. So, how can companies avoid being a part of such a dreary statistic?

●      Try this: Tie meaning into onboarding by giving new employees a chance to see what part they play in the big picture. Take them around to meet the leadership team, mingle with other departments and get a good look at what the rest of their team does. Finally, remember to talk about company success stories, accomplished goals and struggles that have been overcome.

●      Start now: Build a communication plan that introduces all employees to your values on a weekly basis. Each week on the company intranet or via email, attach a story, quote or update on your organizational values in practice. This can even turn into an opportunity to spotlight an employee. 

3. On your marks…. Get set… Quit!

Employees are 10 times more likely to quit a job at the one year mark than at five.

Despite the very common belief that today’s workforce, especially Millennials, are job hoppers,  research suggests that they’re more loyal now than they’ve been since the 1980s. What’s more is that 53% of workers feel a job where they can make an impact is important to their happiness. So, the inner motivation to do well at work and find a company where they can plant roots is there, but companies are failing to retain those well-to-do workers past a year.

●      Change it: Managers should make it a priority to extend the employee onboarding process as long as necessary, in many cases up to a year. And the closer to that year you get, the more conversations managers should be having with their new employees about performance goals and where they see themselves in the future with the company.

●      Start now: Check in with new hires who have been there awhile. Many employers give up at the 90-day mark. Use a survey tool to find out which of your employees might be getting ready to go because they don’t feel their work or presence is valued. 

4. Negative attitudes

Replacing a toxic worker yields almost four times the value of hiring a top 10% performer.

What this stat tells us is that managers need to be aware of the feelings and attitudes of their newest workers. Toxic behavior spreads and negatively impacts the performance of the entire team. This is one area that we suggest managers carefully investigate so they can gauge whether or not this employee’s attitude is temporary. If it’s not, they should consider if there’s anything they can do to change it, and if they can’t, decide if that employee should be fired.

●      Rectify it: Managers should be communicating frequently enough with the team that they can catch issues like this before they spiral out of control. It’s imperative for the sake of the members of the team and the company’s reputation that the reasons behind such dissatisfaction are identified. If the company or manager is at fault, they should do all they can to remedy the situation through thoughtful leading and relationship nourishment.

●      Start now: Look over recent performance data and discuss toxic performers with your managers. Find out where there might be additional training or the need for restructuring before you disenfranchise new hires.

5. Lack of recognition

Only 42% of employees are happy with the rewards and recognition their companies offer.

What a disappointment! Rewards and recognition are what engage and inspire employees to go above and beyond in their work. This is never more true than throughout the employee onboarding process. Failing to recognize anemployee’s work doesn’t just negatively influence the perception a new employee has towards their company, but can delay employee development.

●      Think about this: If an employee isn’t being recognized for their work, they aren’t able to build on their strengths. Communicating with new employees regularly is an important aspect of employee development because the feedback managers give helps them understand what they’re doing right, what they should improve and how to make that happen. Additionally, rewards and recognition provide employees with an added incentive to perform well.

●      Start now: Build a rewards and recognition program that builds on values, performance, and progress. In this way, virtually all contributors are recognized where they are in the organization. Recognition can be as complicated as an employee awards banquet and as simple as an intranet ‘Thank you!’

Hold Your Head Up

Fear not onboarding managers, these employee onboarding fails don’t have to happen to you. However, if your employee onboarding process is stuck in the past, you may need to make more than a few adjustments. With the right employee onboarding software and these tips, you can rest assured, your onboarding process is headed in the right direction.

Bio: Christine Marino

Christine is the Chief Revenue Officer of Click Boarding, LLC, a company that offers employee onboarding software and solutions. She is responsible for the sales, marketing and business development strategies. Leveraging her 18+ years of experience in the Human Capital Management space, Christine drives company growth through strategic partner relationships as well new customer acquisitions across the small to large enterprise markets.