Why a sound onboarding strategy can boost staff retention levels

From the very moment your new hire joins your team, you’ve got one chance to win them over. Any new starter will be eager to leave a lasting first impression during those all-important early days, but you should be too – just make sure it’s a positive one.

Within your HR department, it’s likely that you have entirely separate strategies for onboarding and retention, but the secret to success is to make clear links between the two. A study conducted by Glassdoor revealed that businesses with a strong onboarding process improve their new hire retention by a staggering 82 per cent, as well as their productivity levels by over 70 per cent.

At surface level, the latest addition to your team will be familiar with the company’s vision and values, but how can you look beyond this to ensure your partnership will be long-lasting?

Set aside time for 1:1 conversations

Initially, a couple of meetings with their line manager will be necessary to properly onboard your employee. However, the conversations shouldn’t end there. Even the most outgoing employees may not fair well when thrown into the deep end with the rest of their new team, so it’s often advisable to set up individual meetings with different members of the team.

A private 1:1 discussion gives both parties a chance to break the ice, begin to build bonds and ask any questions they’re hesitant to bring up in front of the rest of your team. Company culture plays a really important role in shaping overall employee experience, and allowing this to flourish each time there’s an addition to the team ensures that nobody is getting left behind.

Be willing to deviate from your schedule

Induction processes can be lengthy and disruptive to the rest of the team, so it’s easy to fall into the trap of putting together a strict schedule to adhere to. While it may give both yourself and your new hire peace of mind during the first few days, it shouldn’t feel forced or robotic. If you notice them struggling to keep up, pause and take a step back.

PwC’s Adapt To Survive survey showed that one in three new hires in the UK leave their role within a year – and of these, a further 22% left within the first six weeks. Perhaps these employees felt little sense of purpose, or felt as though the initial tasks assigned to them were unachievable. Maybe it was simply a mis-match of personalities and skillsets.

Or, in all likelihood, employees in this position may have felt as though they were being rushed into their role – and if these figures are anything to go by, then they didn’t hesitate to rush straight out of the door either.

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