May 5, 2020

Worked Hard to Hire Them… now, How to Keep Them

by Mike O'Neill

One of the biggest pain points for companies is managing employee turnover.  Studies show that about 20% of employee turnover occurs in the first 90 days of employment. That means that one of every five employees who start a new job today are likely to have left that job within just three months. When you think about the fact that it costs about $4,000 to fill the average open position, that’s an alarming statistic for employers. When new employees unexpectedly leave, the hiring, on-boarding and training costs are wasted, affecting the bottom line. Those organizations which nurture a new hire’s first 90 days of employment will find themselves with lower turnover rates – which translates to happier employees, happier clients, and, consequently, higher profits.

Here are some tips to help your new employees start out on the right foot:

 

PRE-HIRE

  • Send the new hire a welcome note, a first-week orientation schedule, and any paperwork he or she should bring on the first day.
  • Set up the employee’s workstation (phone, computer, business cards, etc.).

FIRST DAY

  • Tell the receptionist a new employee is arriving.
  • Arrange a tour that includes places relevant to the person’s job.
  • Share a welcome message from the CEO.
  • Provide an orientation packet, a staff directory and an employee handbook.
  • Ask the person’s manager to take him or her to lunch. Better yet, assign him or her a lunch partner every day the first week.
  • Assign a buddy to help smooth the transition during the first month.

SECOND WEEK

  • Make a timetable for setting and reaching goals.
  • Set up one-on-one meetings to introduce the newcomer to other departments.
  • Host an informal get together so he or she can get to know the team.

15 DAYS

  • Have managers check in on the employee’s progress.
  • Encourage a two-way conversation between the employee and the manager.
  • Identify and resolve any concerns.

30 DAYS

  • Conduct a survey to gain feedback on your on-boarding program.
  • Get the new hire involved in short & long-term projects so he or she can begin to feel a sense of accomplishment – but nothing too big at this stage.

45 DAYS

  • 20% of turnover occurs at this point. So this is a great time to assess an employee’s understanding of their role and find out if they’re happy with work.

90 DAYS

  • It typically takes this long for an employee to fully transition into an organization and start understanding his or her role.
  • Give feedback and raise any concerns.
  • Have supervisors ask how they can help the employee.
  • Ask the employee about any ideas for improvement.
  • Discuss whether there’s any reason he or she would want to leave.

Sources: Inc.com, recruitingtrends.com, The Big Book of HR (Career Press), Human Resources Kit for Dummies (Wiley)

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If you think hiring professionals is expensive, try hiring amateurs.

– Anonymous

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