Your company has performed a diligent search and interview process to fill an important position. You feel confident that your new hire possesses the tools to thrive in the job and will be a fit for your company’s personality. The next step—getting your new team member on board and engaged as soon as possible—is critical. Consider that according to research from Brandon Hall Group, companies with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and experience an increase of 70% or more in productivity. Here are three tips to ensure that your new employees experience a smooth transition.
Offer A Warm Welcome
However well-prepared a candidate is, starting a new job can be a daunting experience. The best way to put someone at ease and eliminate their jitters is to make the person feel valued from the outset. This could be having a team member or the receptionist welcoming them on their first day and escorting them to their desk. Make sure that the new employee has a well-equipped workspace and anything else they need (email ID, badges, etc.). It’s a nice gesture to present the person with a welcome package that includes a small gift or some company swag. Consider getting creative by decorating the new hire’s cube and leaving an invitation for a team lunch on their desk. Lastly, when announcing the new employee to the company, go beyond simply providing the new person’s name and position, and explain why they were hired and how they’ll help the company prosper.
The Importance of Mentors
A mentor is someone who provides a new employee advice and guidance as they assimilate into the company. Having mentors during the onboarding process is a great way to help newbies network with fellow employees and understand the inner-workings of their job. Mentorships can last until the person has acclimated or can be assigned for up to a year. A mentor doesn’t have to be a supervisor, and can be any coworker that matches well with the new employee. Perhaps the mentor and mentee share a hobby or the same hometown, or simply have personalities that click. Many mentor-mentee relationships develop into close friendships that last beyond their time at the company.
Follow Up
It’s a big mistake to assume your onboarding process is sufficient or as good as it can be. Schedule follow-up meetings with employees to see how they’re adapting, and ask them to critique their onboarding experience. Did they feel overwhelmed when they started or was the dissemination of information easy to digest? Offering an anonymous survey is beneficial in getting new hires to feel more comfortable in sharing their opinions. By continually assessing ways to improve the onboarding process, you’ll reduce unnecessary turnovers.
As the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. This begins by getting the recruitment process right. Working with experts in the field can ensure that you consider only qualified candidates that fit their roles and align with your company’s vision. IMPACT’s experienced recruitment consultants at IMPACT have been working with some of the most premier payments companies in the industry for more than a decade to connect them with top talent for high-level positions. Our recruiting team is comprised of former payments industry professionals, so we have an in-depth understanding of how to target and evaluate candidates for your hiring needs. Learn more about IMPACT – contact us today.
