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Set firm foundations with thorough inductions

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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?

Without a solid and thorough induction to your business, new employees can be left feeling overwhelmed by information or potentially confused by a lack of it. Many new starters report feeling neglected in the early days and a rocky start often leads to shaky employees. A bad on boarding process means employees may not be properly integrated into the organisation, nor embedded into their role, creating a sense of disengagement that could potentially lead to early resignation.

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.

So, how can you make your on boarding process a good one? Here’re some tips that will get you well on your way…

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

It’s important that you take the time to set up the right environment for new people. They need to be made to feel that their appointment is special for the business and you’ve gone to great lengths to prepare for their arrival.

Before they start work:

• 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

The period between accepting a job and leaving their old business is a crucial time to win an individual’s trust and support their move to your business. Making them feel involved in your business before they arrive can play a key role in their integration with your team.

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

It’s natural for anyone to feel unsettled in their first week so you MUST take the time to thoroughly introduce them to the business. Laying foundations about the company’s direction, vision and purpose in these early stages sets the scene for their employment.

The first few months:

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

This is your time to make them stick! Training and investing time in your people in these early stages sets the scene for the rest of their employment. Individuals get to see that you’re investing in them, giving them time to learn your processes and taking the time to constantly review how they’re feeling and progressing.helen circle

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!