Jamie’s first day on the job was disappointing. Seemingly endless forms to fill out, meeting way too many people in a blur of names and titles and worst of all eating lunch alone in the car. Jamie’s expectations and anticipation were sky high and this day seemed very disconnected from the highly engaging and friendly recruitment process.
The nearly universal competition for talent has forced organizations to step up their game when it comes to retaining new employees. (Free Images)
On Jamie’s first morning the supervisor had assured him she would have time for him later in the week but for now Jamie had a lot of reading to do in a meeting room for the rest of the week while the workstation was being prepared. If the employer makes up for the bad start, Jamie might not be like the widely reported whopping 25 per cent of new hires who leave within 45 days based on a disconnect between their expectations and what actually transpires during the critical first days and weeks.
Many employers have learned that effective onboarding of new employees makes a huge difference in how fast new hires become productive, how long they stay and how much the employer saves in rehiring costs commonly accepted as 100-300 per cent of the new recruit’s salary.
‘Many employers have learned that effective onboarding of new employees makes a huge difference in how fast new hires become productive.’
Historically, employers only paid attention to orientation, the requisite administrative process that surrounds hiring a new employee. They left the more critical process of building an immediate relationship by focusing on values, culture and connecting with people largely to chance and the whim of the hiring manager or HR.
The nearly universal competition for talent has forced organizations to step up their game. Thoughtful, professional, blow-the-new-hire’s-socks-off onboarding is no longer limited to the expensive relocation programs once only offered to senior executives.
Onboarding tips
Some of my favorite onboarding tips if you want to move from a stale administrative orientation process to a top-shelf onboarding program:
New hires are vulnerable and the stakes are very high. The notion that new employees simply jump in, figure it out and in time become productive is antiquated thinking and not in keeping with today’s marketplace. If the highlight of a person’s first day is about forms and reading materials, something is very wrong. Delighting new hires from the start is now becoming the norm and overwhelming the new person the with feeling the employer has been eagerly awaiting their arrival is becoming the new normal.
By Pierre Battah
Source: CBC News
CEOs are spending more time on making the business case for their environmental and social commitments, and they’re building more rigorous mechanisms for addressing thorny issues and mitigating PR risks. To avoid communications missteps, CEOs should ensure they have the organizational capabilities and tools in place to monitor and analyze emerging issues and to gauge the sentiment of key stakeholders.
The vast majority of business leaders responding to a recent survey said they’re concerned they can’t train employees quickly enough to keep up with AI and tech developments in the next three years. A similar amount said AI and other tech disruptions will require companies to rethink skills, resources and new ways of doing work.
If you were to ask a random person on the street what an HR professional does, their answer would probably be conflict resolution, or that HR folks deal with employee salaries and benefits. And while that is part of an HR professional’s responsibilities — to ensure employee safety, respect and accountability — that doesn’t even scratch the surface.
