How good is your onboarding process?

How good is your onboarding process?

Recruiting new staff is a challenge in the current environment. Hiring someone who leaves within the first 3-6 months is frustrating, but not as uncommon as you may think!

Hiring a new member of your team is exciting but it does not come without risk. The first 90-days are critical to the success of the new employee. Having a structured and well thought out onboarding process can be the difference between new team members thriving and making a swift exit from your business.

Here are some ways in which a poor onboarding process can lead to low levels of staff retention:

• Lack of Clarity: Have you thought through and clearly communicated the responsibilities and expectations of your new hire? A failure to have these open conversations can lead to confusion and ambiguity on expectations.

• Poor Training: This is a very important topic at all levels of seniority, not just junior employees entering the workplace. Do you have a plan in place for your new employee to ensure they get adequate training on systems and processes? Is there a plan in place for future development and training? Poor training can lead to a feeling of being overwhelmed and unsupported.

• Disconnected Culture: Aligning new employees to company culture and vision is imperative. It ensures they are engaged and feel they are integrating to their new workplace. Without this, the employee can feel disconnected and lacking in engagement. This is particularly tricky for roles that have a high level of remote working.

• No Support System: Has the support system been clearly defined? Limited support for the new the employee can make them feel unsupported and isolated. This lack of feedback and guidance will almost certainly lead to low motivation and is a major cause in employees leaving their role.

A comprehensive and well-planned onboarding process is so important to the success of new employees. Without it, there is a real risk of new hires feeling disillusioned and ultimately make a move much sooner than they may have anticipated.

When was the last time you reviewed your onboarding process?!