What is Onboarding
As a business owner, it is doubtful that you are not familiar with the term onboarding. But what does it really mean, when all is said and done? Google tells us that it’s “the process of integrating a new employee into an organization”, and we have to agree. Onboarding is what starts your new employee on their career path in your company, and it is what will set them up for success. A successful and meaningful onboarding procedure will set up your employeeproperly, allowing them to become a high-contributing member of your team.
Here’s the nitty-gritty bit: onboarding doesn’t just happen in a day. It doesn’t even happen in a few months! Onboarding is NOT the first day orientation and HR paperwork, even if that’s what you’ve been lead to believe. It’s more than just orientation, it’s about employee retention. If your workplace is suffering from high frequency turnover and costs due to low employee retention, you probably need to take a good look at your onboarding program.
When Employees Leave
A 2014 Equifax report states that 40% of the employees who decided to leave their jobs voluntarily in the previous year did so within 6 months of their start date. Furthermore, an additional 16% left within the first 12 months. This means that more than half of independent turnover happens within an employee’s first year. What do you need to take away from this? When people decide to leave a job, they do it quickly. This means that the first year and onboarding of new employees are critical for encouraging a high employee retention rate.
Why Employees Leave
Communication is important, especially when it comes to the hiring process and onboarding. Hiring in accordance to culture fit is a great way to go about hiring people that will best fit into your workplace, so be open about your goals and values! New hires are less likely to end up disappointed, confused, or overwhelmed by their new position if they understand their prospective employer’s company values. In fact, they’ll be more likely to be invested and engaged in their work, meaning that they’re less likely to have an eye on the exit.
Don’t Ignore Onboarding
As you can see, it’s really important for your new hires to feel valued right away in their new position. A good onboarding plan will help with this, boosting employee engagement while clarifying roles, responsibilities, and expectations. If you’re seeking new qualified applicants to onboard into your company, you may need our services. Platinum Recruiting is happy to help, click here to schedule a free consultation with us. We’d love to hear from you!
Platinum Recruiting, Oct.2018
