Set firm foundations with thorough inductions

Amid the hype of attracting top talent and filling vacant positions, it’s easy for employers to forget the importance of having a great on boarding program for new starters.

By Helen Jackson, Cummins Mellor.

If someone has made the decision to join your business, they’ve obviously been impressed thus far by who they’ve met and the reception they’ve been given. Hiring managers are always keen to go the extra mile to ‘woo’ top talent and bring the best people into their business. But why is it that once a candidate has signed on the dotted line and agreed a start date that the ‘candidate courting’ ends?

Studies show that 56% of disengaged employees say that when it came to their induction process, they received either ineffective or no training at all. As a result, 31% of people quit their job within six months or less.

Prepare for their arrival:

Create an agenda for their first week
Create a comfortable work station for your new staff member
Provide new employees with a small welcome gift
Prepare the right resources
Assign them a colleague who will support them and act as a mentor in their early days

Coach them through their notice period
Send out helpful information to them including company updates and successes
Invite them in to spend time with you and their new team – why not consider inviting them to a team celebration or company meeting

During Their first week:

Set out your expectations
Explain their responsibilities
Give them your time
Paint the big picture
Give them the grand tour
Introduce them to the management team
Show them the basic processes to get them started

Invest in training
Allow for job shadowing
Create an open feedback culture
Review Progress
Set clear objectives for the year ahead

Whilst brief, see this as a checklist to help you make that new recruit get off to the best start in your business. Simply put, keeping close tabs on new employees and making sure they are comfortable is a huge factor in retaining the top talent you attract!