The Great Resignation is still in full swing, and many HR professionals are finding the need to
backfill their companies’ open positions. In November 2021 alone, roughly 4.5 million U.S.
workers voluntarily left their jobs, which leaves HR professionals with a lot of vacant positions.
To retain new talent and ensure your employees are happy, companies should develop an
effective onboarding strategy, so employees thrive well beyond their initial training.
Thorough new hire onboarding and training signals the company is committed to long-term
growth. However, other strategies also guarantee new hires start off on the right path.
Let’s examine how HR leaders can show new hires they are valued.
Developing a worthwhile onboarding strategy
A meaningful onboarding process is crucial to providing new hires with the best possible
experience. Developed by the HR and leadership teams, onboarding should include a general
plan that incorporates your company’s culture, business strategy, policies, procedures, tools
and systems. This plan will help prepare employees for a productive start at the company.
Beyond just company basics, orientation should include information on functional goals,
organization charts and stakeholders. Providing in-depth information further shows your new
hires that the company is committed to long-term growth and goals attainment.
Communication is the key to overall success. New employees will have many questions, and
they should know that questions are welcome. To help transition into a new job, new hires
should have a coworker who regularly checks in on them and encourages them to ask
questions or voice concerns.
Getting employees engaged in work culture
A strong workplace culture often attracts and retains better talent. And low turnover rates can
result in good chemistry among your employees and cost savings for companies.
The caveat is ensuring new hires have an opportunity to become immersed in the company
culture from their first day. Of course, this inclusion has become more difficult with remote and
hybrid work models. Be intentional about conveying work culture in our more virtual world by
giving your new hires virtual tours, setting up meet-and-greets with employees and providing
tutorials on your organization’s tools.
With a robust and open company culture, new hires will want to engage with employees and
learn more about their job functions. This engagement can help new hires quickly acclimate to
their new work environment and connect with their peers.
Feedback is everything
Feedback allows for open and honest communication about the quality of the onboarding
process. Are there gaps that need to be addressed? How is the new hire is doing and what kind
of support is needed? Leaders should ask these questions and more during milestone check-ins
and host regular chats with employees. Requesting this feedback can surface insights, reveal
early performance indicators and pinpoint roadblocks.
Organizations should have a feedback channel where new hires can ask questions or express
concerns about the onboarding process or their roles and responsibilities. Leaders should
establish a safe space for feedback, which makes employees feel valued and heard.
Just as organizations need feedback, new hires will too. Setting up check-ins with new hires
after their 30-, 60- and 90-day milestones is helpful for all parties involved. As employees get
more comfortable in their roles, anything missing from their knowledge toolkit may come to light,
which they can ask about during regular check-ins with their manager.
Taking these steps to uplift and fully support new hires will make a tremendous difference in
engagement while fostering a connected work culture. Continuing this approach will yield
greater results and higher satisfaction among the workforce.
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