The First-Year Fallout: Unpacking Why New Hires Leave and How to Keep Them

Guest Article by Gréta Csernik

Organisations with diverse leadership and employee-base perform better. Many companies now do go the extra mile to implement diverse hiring processes and welcome people with new perspectives and experiences. However, they often stop there; do very little to support their new hires in their development and wonder why they leave within a year, or even less.?

People search for more at the workplace than just income, especially at the executive level. It takes more than a strong salary to unlock their potential and benefit from their expertise for years ahead. Let us look at some of the key causes for diverse leaders and employees leaving shortly after starting. We will also dive into how to prevent it from happening.?

Hiring

Unclear hiring processes can be the cause of employees leaving in the first 6 months. You have to have a clear role description and you have to communicate the values and culture of the company openly to candidates. If you want your freshly hired leaders to stick around, you have to make sure they know exactly what they signed up for.

Tip: Soft skills and “fit” are key. Technical skills and qualifications are important of course, but without your candidate being the “right fit” for your company, they matter little. You should always ask yourself: “Can this candidate do the job, not in general, but in the way it should be done at my organisation?”.?

Onboarding

The most common reason behind employees leaving shortly after starting, is a bumpy or simply non-existent onboarding. The first few weeks must have a focus on culture, work clarity, goal setting and getting to know the team (and other teams within the company).?

At a brand new place, even an executive needs guidance and mentoring to fully understand their role, responsibilities and place in the team. As Julia Derndinger recently pointed out, you should expect even C-Level people to need directions in the very beginning.

Values and goals

You have to be clear and consistent on your values and goals. Employees stay when they feel they can align themselves with the higher purpose the organisation stands for. Now more so than ever. They want to see the team continuously standing up for the values they believe in, and truly work for making the change in the world they claim to strive for.

Inclusion?

People like to stay where they feel like they belong. It is not enough to hire diverse candidates. If you want them to feel good and perform well, make sure the team and the environment is inclusive towards them. This can mean big initiatives, such as mentorship programs, but also small adjustments, like speaking a common language in the office or celebrating a diverse set of holidays.??

Most important is to be open to your diverse candidates shaping your company culture. Believe me, if your values and goals align, they will do everything to adapt to how things are done at your organisation, but never underestimate how many new ideas they can bring to the table - listen and be open to change things if necessary. Only then you will gain true diversity of ideas.

Building inclusive hiring processes is the first step to diversify your team. Take step 2 and make sure you can benefit from what your new hires bring to the table, for a long time.