Effective onboarding could be the secret to maximising staff retention

Effective recruitment is obviously the most important factor in finding the right candidate for any new role, but once that’s complete there’s a key part of the process ahead…

Onboarding.

This is where your new employees are familiarised not just with their own role but with all other aspects of your company – including your philosophy and goals. Onboarding is about far more than just showing the new starter where the toilets are or how the office microwave works.

Why does it matter that a company takes the time to get it right, or even do it at all?

The answer lies with new employee satisfaction. How quickly and how well they ultimately fit in is hugely dependent on how well they are introduced to the company.

A poor onboarding experience is likely to get the working relationship off to the worst possible start and leave a candidate – who could have spent several weeks going through the recruitment stages – feeling disappointed and undervalued. It will likely be much harder for them to effectively do their job and they might even begin to feel they’ve made the wrong decision in accepting the role at all! This could result in your company having to go through the whole process again, far sooner than expected.

A positive onboarding experience, that really engages a new employee, will be far more likely to get them all fired up and ready to give it their best as they will feel a true part of your journey. It’s a critical step in creating a bond between your company and the person who’s just been recruited. Done well, it can make them feel excited to be a part of everything they’ve seen and heard, and they will be picturing themselves there for the long-haul and planning their retirement speech!

One of the big things to remember is that onboarding should happen from day one, or better still even earlier, and not stop when they’re getting their coats at the end of their first day. It can be ongoing through the first 12 months.

So, what does good onboarding look like?

1. Have a plan for the first week – this is a vital step in your onboarding process, especially if you have new team members working from home.

2. Set up meetings with team members and stakeholders – introduce your new employee to the people they will be working alongside and with.

3. Set achievable tasks and goals – whether your new team member has 10 years of experience or zero, be realistic about what can be done in the first week and allow time for team building and engagement with other departments and teams within the business. Collaboration is key within all successful businesses.

4. Talk about future objectives with the development roadmap – this gives you a chance to find out your new employee’s ambitions! It also gives you a chance to discuss opportunities and explore different paths that you didn’t get a chance to cover in the interview process.

5. Finally, build a personal relationship – we spend a lot of our time at work, building relationships and trust is an important element when it comes to employee happiness.

Vidu’s Video Recruitment process allows you to create meaningful connections with candidates from day one, so by the time a candidate is chosen, they already have that sense of your company’s culture and goals.

Get in touch today to find out how effective recruitment and onboarding can increase staff retention and help you meet your business objectives.