Why On-Boarding Processes Are Critical To Your Success

By HR Resource Force In Business Process Management

WHY ON-BOARDING MATTERS:

The Center For American Progress (CAP) confirms that 25% of all new employees will quit within their first year. While cost studies vary, all agree turnover  is expensive. According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), costs to replace an employee earning a salary of $40,000 can reach as much as $20,000 – $30,000. CAP estimates that the average cost to replace a minimum wage employee is $3,328.00. Based on CAP’s data, a company with 50 minimum wage employees will have 12.5 employees quit, costing them at least $41,600.00 a year. By implementing effective on-boarding practices, companies can prevent high turnover costs. Building a strategic on-boarding program will set you apart from your competitors. These 4 on-boarding rules will improve your employees’ performance, lower your turnover, and yield a happy work culture with more positive attitudes.

ON-BOARDING BEST PRACTICES: 

Many hourly employees will not come back if the first day is a disappointment. SHRM identifies four on-boarding practices known as the “Four C’s”

• Compliance: Teach legal and policy related rules and regulations.
• Clarification: Ensure job understanding and expectations.
• Culture: Provide employees with a sense of organizational norms.
• Connection: Promote vital interpersonal relationships.

To Achieve Incomparable Success, Follow These Steps.

1. Refine Recruitment:

Produce extremely detailed job descriptions to avoid false, glorified preconceptions that lead to unmet expectations, slower adjustment, and high turnover. Have current employees contribute to defining 5 important tasks they complete each day and ask them to describe their work environment. Video tape the job or offer prospective employees the opportunity to know “the real deal” with an observation day and internship opportunities. This aggressive approach will help you identify true skill sets, evaluate personality fits, consider adaptability to your existing culture, and weed out those that will never be happy.

2. Revamp Orientation:

Develop a fun, participatory orientation process. Consider welcoming new hires with their picture posted, a public announcement, and fun facts about them. Organize a simple game where employees identify shared interests with the new hire. Link new employees to an assigned mentor who will gladly answer questions, tour company departments, and introduce them to others. Forge friendships with social networking time so your new employees will feel connected and loyal. Make the paperwork bearable and streamlined by delivering it electronically before the first day. Provide a uniform welcome packet, an established acceptance procedure, a condensed employee handbook, and lively compliance policies with clever, short videos. Vigorous company acclimatization will harvest engaged employees and prevent uncommitted employee financial losses.

3. Implement Supervisor Time:

Cultivate a trustworthy environment in which your new hires feel respected. Establish a constructive employee communication pattern and seek their feedback. Maintain a two step form system that tracks concerns and documents solutions. Provide positive reinforcement by tracking successes with a timeline based on first-week, first-month, first-quarter progress. Forbes states that “recognition-rich cultures” have 31% lower turnover rates. Salvage your talent and reduce your turnover costs simply by increasing positive communication.

4. Prioritize Training: 

SHRM reveals that 52 % of employees are dissatisfied with development opportunities. In addition to a pre-hire observation day, institute a first-week job-shadow program, adapt a hands on practicum, and assign support coaches. Provide a library of multiple learning-modalities and increased accessibility with technology.  Present modalities in a variety of formats (written, video, games, etc.,) so that participants’ learning styles are compatible with teaching styles. Diversity of content available on varied schedules, will improve your employees’ retention of information, their ability to apply it more effectively, and their positive attitudes toward the subject. Regarding employee learning as a strength rather than a weakness will begin your company’s dominance in the field.

By: Kristen Goodell, M.Ed, Co-Owner

Kristen converts inefficient compliance management systems and siloed technology into a dynamic workflow with end to end client support. Through our implementation process we work with you to reveal areas of hidden risk and produce new best practices for your compliance management team.

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