As the world wakes up and some companies are starting to recruit again it is hugely important to have a robust onboarding process in place.
I speak to many people who honestly believe that recruiters love clients with a high staff turnover, this is definitely not the case as we’re often judged based on whether a candidate stays with their employer or not.
According to research a staggering 28% of candidates drop out within the first three months and although as recruiters we have a level of responsibility to get the match right in the first place, companies can drive this percentage down by having a strong onboarding process in place.
Here are our top tips to onboard new starters successfully:
- Onboarding starts between offer and start date, stay in touch!
- Ensure the candidate has a contract; this offers the candidate peace of mind and reassurance that the opportunity is genuine and the company operate with good integrity.
- Meet up for a coffee or a glass of wine.
- Find excuses to call; follow up contract delivery and receipt, let them know their new work email address, check they know the dress code. Anything to keep the lines of communication open.
The candidate who is joining you has been a job seeker, maybe registered with multiple recruitment agencies, may still have their CV online so will be seen as an active job seeker- other people will be tempting them with opportunities. Give them every reason to join you and your company.
- Ensure you have all the equipment, stationery, IT and telecoms in place. I can remember starting a new job and the MD built my desk from flat pack furniture in front of me. Additionally, my email address for the first two weeks was sharon@… Needless to say, I wasn’t made to feel like part of the company straight away!
- Prepare a timetabled induction and training programme which offers comfort and structure to the employee’s new venture.
- Set the scene from day one, clarify your expectations and what they want to get from the role. Set soft/very achievable targets/milestones which give opportunities to praise.
- Integrate them into the company, use different members of the organisation or team to deliver training, 1-2-1 bonding is so important, maybe assign them to a mentor. We always go for a team lunch on the first Friday whenever we have a new starter, this provides an opportunity for the team to get to know each other in a non-work environment, find common ground and generally helps the newbie settle in.
- Review things regularly; meet at the end of the first day, ask them to review the training at the end of the first week, diarise end of probation meeting and follow it through. Most of all this offers an excellent opportunity tom take an interest in the wellbeing of your team.
- The onboarding process should naturally flow into a performance management structure which is also vital to staff retention. Weekly/monthly/quarterly reviews/annual appraisals will all help with direction and progression for your staff. Training should also be ongoing to assist with employee engagement.
Whether recruiting through TN Recruits, ME Recruits or elsewhere you will definitely improve your retention with the right onboarding process.