5 Onboarding Mistakes That Will Make Your New Hire Quit

You may have discovered the secret to finding the best talent, but that means nothing if you don’t know how to retain the people you hire. Developing a positive onboarding experience is a key factor in employee retention, yet some companies fail to give enough attention to this important part of the hiring process.

If it’s been a while since your company last evaluated its onboarding process, now may be the perfect opportunity. Take a look below at these 5 common onboarding mistakes that will make your new hire want to resign, and read about what you should do instead.

1. Failing to prepare for the employee’s first week

Even if you are an expert at “winging it,” it’s important that you have a good idea of how your new employee’s first day and week will unfold and ensure that you don’t overwhelm him/her with unnecessary information. This will also help the new hire understand what a typical day and week should look like as well as what is expected of the employee in terms of productivity.

2. Forgetting to introduce the employee to the rest of the team

Help the new employee feel welcome and comfortable by taking the time to introduce him/her around the office. Give a tour of your facility and introduce the various departments along the way, particularly the people that the employee will be working with directly.

3. Not providing training

Even if your new employee comes with senior-level experience or high recommendations, training should not be overlooked. Give an overview of the software, programs, and processes that your company uses, and make sure that the employee has access to all of the resources that will be needed to succeed.

4. Providing too much context

Most of the time, there’s no need to provide a comprehensive overview of how the new hire’s position fits into company operation during the first few days. This often just overwhelms the person with too much information. In the beginning, the employee only needs to know how to perform the tasks that he/she was hired to perform. You can put the position into a broader context at a later time, once the worker is more comfortable in the role.

5. Failing to provide feedback

The onboarding period is the perfect time to set the right tone. If the employee is doing something wrong, don’t ignore it and allow bad habits to form. Instead, point out any mistakes in a constructive way and show the new recruit how to do it correctly. That being said, if all you do is tell the employee everything that’s being done incorrectly, he/she will be pretty discouraged. So make sure you also acknowledge and provide positive feedback when appropriate.

It’s no secret that losing an employee is expensive, costing companies up to 20% of the person’s salary. Don’t let all the money and hard work it took to find the new employee go to waste. Instead, ensure that your onboarding process is working to retain your new hires, not make them want to quit.