By: The Recruiting Corner
In the current environment, it is more important than ever to retain the talented, loyal employees who comprise your workforce and represent your brand. It's equally important to focus on other segments of your employee population, including the new hire. What can you and your recruiting team provide to new employees to ensure a successful transition right from the start? What encouragement and information can you provide to hiring managers to emphasize the importance of retaining this talent? For answers, we looked to the book, Finding Keepers: The Monster Guide to Hiring and Holding the World's Best Employees.
New hires leave a job due to a number of factors:
- Reality of the role is different than candidate expectations During the recruitment process, it does not work to your advantage to enhance, downplay or lie about the position and its challenges or opportunities. Once the new hire is onboard, the reality of the situation clashes with candidate expectations and distrust is formed. Recruiting teams and hiring managers need to balance enthusiastic selling points with the actual day-to-day experience that will await the new hire.
- On-boarding process and/or orientation program is not in place Poof! All the excitement and momentum of the hiring process and courting of the employee disappears when there is no smooth, clear on-boarding process. Guide the new hire through the details of the first few weeks. Help the hiring manager to make a plan that includes the learning of key systems, meeting of critical stakeholders and an action plan for the first few weeks or months. Keep that motivated new hire engaged with interaction, shadowing team members and projects to work on during downtime. A little planning on the front end will send the message to them that they are valued. The little things really do matter, such as a workspace is ready when they arrive, reference materials are available and someone is assigned to "host" them on their first day. Some of this information can also be leveraged beyond one team to all new hires across the organization in the form of checklists or orientation kits without creating an elaborate orientation program.
- Dissatisfaction with salary and/or salary increases Remember that the offer can be seen as a total compensation package. Therefore, include conversations regarding benefit packages, equity, on-site employee benefits or opportunities, etc. All employees, seasoned or new, just want to know the truth. Discuss the performance management system to ensure that the new hire understands how their performance will be measured and how their contributions will impact their compensation. Compensation is viewed as an important factor in their loyalty, but often times it is not the only factor that keeps them satisfied and tied to the organization. It's also about the culture, management team and challenge of the role.
- Dissatisfied with hiring manager and/or co-workers Always encourage your hiring manager to integrate the entire team into the interview process. It may not mean that everyone on the team conducts a one-on-one interview, but perhaps the top candidates have lunch with the team or attend a breakfast meeting to view the team in action. The new hire will not be working in an isolated situation. Meeting with them in settings that are different from the one-on-one interview will help them secure their feeling that this is the right fit. If the interview process and position are remote, schedule a "get to know you" phone meeting for the candidate with their future co-workers. It is a great opportunity to ask questions and get details about the position.
- Lifestyle issues If there are certain perks mentioned during the interview process, such as ability to work remotely one day a week, gym memberships, discounted tickets to local events through the philanthropy office, be sure to address those once the new hire joins. Provide a resource list for them with the necessary information so they can follow up. Remember, stretching the truth about issues such as the amount of remote work available, hours that the employee is expected to work and commuting time is only going to create a disconnect with the new hire once they are on board.