Many employers don’t realize that employees’ feelings about the companies they work for are often shaped in the first weeks and months on the job. It’s a critical window of time for employees to find out about the companies they work for and whether the company, culture and co-workers are a good fit.
It’s a time period too important to leave to chance. Studies show there’s one common factor for many employees who leave companies within six months of the time they were hired: A lack of new-hire support. Studies show that as many as half of employees who quit jobs soon after hiring had little in the way of onboarding assistance — or none at all.
Why is onboarding a new employee so important? Researchers say employees’ impressions of their companies are formed much earlier and more solidly than employers realize. And if those impressions are negative, they may not stick with that employer, even if later experiences at the company are more positive. How well does your company welcome new employees in their first days and weeks? Here are some elements of an effective onboarding program: