Tips for Great Onboarding and Retention

While the labor crunch facing employers is finally starting to ease, managers filling their long-vacant positions are now facing another challenge: how to effectively onboard and retain their new hires. 

Employee turnover rates continue to be high. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the median tenure for workers between 25-34 years of age is only 2.8 years. 

As any company knows, employee turnover can be exhausting and costly, between recruiting fees, job advertising, and interview and training time.

All these factors reinforce the importance of starting new employees off right—with a strong onboarding experience that makes them want to stay. Here are a few suggestions on how you can improve the onboarding process, starting from the day the job offer is made:

Keep In Touch

So you’ve sent the offer, the employee signed the acceptance, and you’ve planned a start date for a few weeks out. What about that in-between time?

If you really want to make process smooth for your new hire, you should consider the moment you receive that acceptance to be the start of your company's onboarding experience. Staying connected will make that looming start day feel less intimidating and show you’re excited for them to join your team.

During this time, consider communicating 1-2 times per week leading up to their first day. Here are some ideas to keep them engaged:

• Send an orientation schedule.
• Send them a “welcome to the team” gift.
• Ask if they have any questions.

Automate The Paperwork

There's no shortage of paperwork when it comes to hiring a new employee. The good news is that it's much easier today to organize and keep track of those new hire forms, from confidentiality agreements to W-4s.

Our HR software allows employees to e-sign and type their information directly into an online document, eliminating the headache of scanning and uploading paper docs. Once they’ve completed their forms, they’ll be stored in a virtual folder that’s easily accessible by both of you.

Automating the paperwork also allows you to break up the onboarding process; you can even send the new hire forms before their first day. This way, you can dedicate more time to making your new employee feel acclimated and less time signing documents.

Set Clear Expectations

If you’re in HR, you know the first week is all about helping your new hire understand their role without feeling overwhelmed. It’s easy to feel stressed out when juggling a bunch of new programs and faces.

There are three great words to remember when planning your onboarding strategy: structure is comforting.

When the employee knows the end goals or tasks that come with a new role, they'll feel like they’re making progress. Here are some ways to set structured expectations for your new hires:

• Outline an hourly itinerary for the first couple of weeks.
• Communicate company and department goals.
• List out tasks and programs the employee will be responsible for.

With the right strategy, your company can ensure it's starting employees off right. More importantly, you'll take a step toward creating a positive environment they'll want to stay at - a key ingredient in retaining employees.

For all your HR needs, from the hiring process to onboarding, reach out to Future Systems and explore our services.