There’s nothing more frustrating to a recruiter than finding the perfect employee/employer match and then hearing that the match you thought was made in heaven has dissolved in an ugly divorce within 3 months – meaning no commission for you. And worse, as a recruiter, you risk becoming known as someone who doesn’t produce the right candidate.
Sometimes, personalities and cultures aren’t a good fit even though the skillset seems ideal; but according to a study done by Korn Ferry, most companies don’t have an onboarding process that encourages employee engagement and retention.
The Korn Ferry study found:
• 90% of surveyed executives said that new-employee retention was an ongoing issue
• 10-25% of new employees quit within the first 6 months
While executives lament the difficulty of retaining quality employees, not all optimise the concepts of onboarding. 98% of surveyed executives stated that onboarding programs were central in retaining employees; however…
• Only 69% reported their organisation has formal onboarding programs for all employees
• 23% said that their onboarding programs lasted one day
• 30% said that their onboarding program lasted one week
That means that 31% of organisations have no formal onboarding programs, and of those that do, just over half are confusing onboarding with orientation.
Onboarding is not the same as orientation.
Orientation provides a basic awareness of the position and employer, and is done over a short period of time. Orientation does not guarantee you a commission because it does not encourage employee longevity because it often leaves them feeling like they’ve just been dumped into a tank full of sharks and they have to figure out how to survive on their own.
Onboarding, however, is a structured approach of providing personal, professional and social support intended to assimilate new hires, empower them and maximise their productivity in the long run.
This approach involves a significant time and energy investment – and an “investment” it is. An investment in helping a new hire integrate quickly into the company results in higher employee retention, productivity and satisfaction by encouraging each new employee to thrive.
Onboarding consulting services can include:
Communication with the new hire before they start work so they can learn about the company and the company culture including dress codes, logistics such as parking, self-development opportunities within the organisation, and a “who’s who” that will make them feel welcome on Day 1
Offering welcome gifts that make new hires feel appreciated and valued
Creating a welcoming work space, for example ensuring that the new employee’s work space is fully stocked and set up
Making their first day memorable and positive
Working with managers to scheduling new hires’ first several weeks to prevent overwhelm, self-doubt and frustration; this time includes orientation/onboarding
Providing a smooth paperwork process
Working with managers to set clear expectations including job responsibilities, short-term milestones and long-term goals, performance metrics, and company policies and guidelines
Educating managers on allowing for the learning curve: while the loss of productivity with a new hire can be frustrating, the first 3 months should be viewed as a training period that will pay off in the long run
Assisting managers with forming an onboarding team of the new hire and a buddy or mentor, including job shadowing (if applicable, mentors both within the department and in other departments will help create a powerful sense of collaboration and help the new hire feel like they’re part of the big picture)
Promoting socialization: making a new hire feel like part of a friendly team is vital for motivation and dedication
Encouraging feedback and open communication so that any concerns can be addressed immediately
Effective onboarding programs support employers, new employees, and recruiters. 69% of new hires are more likely to remain with the company if they have been inducted into the company within a structured onboarding program; this means more commissions and an enhanced reputation for recruiters.
If you position yourself as an onboarding consultant for your clients, you can:
• Accelerate a new hire’s assimilation into the organisation, allowing them to feel like a valued, contributing member sooner
• Minimise the risk of premature departure within the guarantee period
• Positively impact the organisation by engaging and retaining top-performing, enthusiastic, dedicated and satisfied employees – making them more likely to come back to you the next time they need to fill a position!
Let CareerSupport365 help you custom-design an onboarding process for your clients, so they create a thriving team of engaged long-term employees!
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Greg Weiss is one of Australia’s most renowned career coaches. He is the author of “So You Got A Job, WTF Is Next”. The book prescribes a proven, practical 7 step guideline for new employees so they succeed, rather than fail their probation periods and beyond. Find out more about the book at https://www.wtfisnext.wtf/
He is the Founder and Director of Onboff an online training and coaching platform that helps HR specialists, coaches and recruiters to deliver exceptional onboarding and offboarding experiences for employees.
Greg also hosts The Keep: The Employee Experience podcast and runs CareerSupport365.
