Despite your best intentions during the hiring process, statistics say that new employee you just brought on board will likely quit within a year. While you might think this is the fault of the new hire (not motivated enough, doesn’t have the skills to do the job, etc.), the fact of the matter is that, many times, new hire turnover is preventable.

Why?

Because, as one of the leading staffing agencies in Sacramento, California, Pacific Staffing knows that most new employees are not properly onboarded or trained. They’re not given a clear set of goals and expectations, or enough attention or support to help them succeed. As a result, they wind up disengaged and frustrated almost as soon as they start. When they resign, it winds up costing you money. And in those cases where a new hire is in a leadership position, that amount can be significant.

To avoid this scenario, and ensure new hires are engaged from the get-go, keep these best practices for onboarding in mind:

1. Be honest about the position.

There’s nothing more disappointing for a new hire then getting on the job and realizing the position is actually vastly different from what they were told. This is pretty much the point of no return where new employees lose trust and disengage immediately. And no matter how good your training and onboarding process is, there’s likely nothing you can do to regain their trust.

2. Be clear about goals and expectations.

You may think your new hire doesn’t need a lot of hand holding. But to operate effectively, everyone requires goals and expectations, regardless of how skilled and experienced they are. So commit to outlining objectives and expectations you have for your new hires and discuss these with them to: 1) ensure they understand what is expected of them and 2) solicit any feedback or identify areas of concern.

3. Spend one-on-one time with the new hire…without your cell phone or laptop.

Sure, you’re meeting with your new employee to discuss goals and expectations. But are you also checking emails and answering text messages during that meeting? If you are, you’re sending the message to your new hire that they aren’t a priority, killing their morale in the process.

4. Be prepared.

One of the biggest demoralizers for new hires is when they arrive on the job their first day and you’re not prepared for them. You don’t have paperwork ready to be filled out, their computer isn’t set up, and in fact, you don’t even know where they will be working. Talk about making a new hire feel unimportant!

Instead, get them off on the right foot by preparing for and planning out their first few days on the job. Have paperwork ready to go, make sure their office and computer are all set up and that you’ve outlined a schedule of activities for them during those first few days.

5. Communicate with your staff ahead of time.

Let your existing staff know about the new hire and when they will start. Send out a welcome email that first day acknowledging the new person. Even better, assign a buddy or mentor to them who can answer both job-related questions and also show them the ropes of working at your company.

Need more help with your onboarding process?

Let Pacific Staffing know. As one of the leading staffing agencies in Sacramento, California, we can not only help you recruit and hire today’s top talent, but also implement effective strategies to retain them.

Contact us today to learn more.