Employee on-boarding is a task that every company has to go through. But unfortunately, some companies don’t pay much attention to such processes and don’t put effort into employee well-being. In fact, as per statistics, around 28% of employees leave the company within three months of joining. Therefore, companies must align their on-boarding process to the need of both company and the employee. Below are some common mistakes that most companies commit, and such practices result in a decrease in retention rate.
Top five employee onboarding mistakes
Believing entirely in job shadowing
On the first day, an employee is supposed to know the working style of the company and the work for which he/she is hired. Therefore, it is evident that companies will prefer new hires to shadow the top employees. But this is not an appropriate way because:
- No standard practice: Employees who are top performers and have been working with the company for many years develop their way of completing the work. Though it is commendable, if a new employee is job-shadowing other employees, he may become confused, as none of the employees are following a specific work process for the same work.
- Even the best employee can show disinterest in the company: Even if your best employee has spent many years in your company, you still can’t change their perception about the company. If a new employee catches a whiff of that attitude, he may carry a wrong impression about the company.
- Everyone learns differently: Some learn by doing the work, some through observation, and some by breaking the problems into abstract ideas. So, if you rely only on the shadowing method, you assume that the same training fits everyone, which is not valid.
Avoiding the emotional needs of the employees
It is easy for companies to avoid the emotional needs of the employee and let them only know what their expectations are from them. However, remember that most employees leave the company within 90 days of joining, which means their employee satisfaction is nowhere, which is essential for anyone to stay in the company.
Being an employer, you don’t have to make every on-boarding process a therapy session, but you need to create an environment where employees will feel free to communicate their needs. For instance, they should get space to convey where they feel nervous about new work, or you can boost their confidence by explaining how the existing employees felt in the beginning and their views of the company today.
Offering less training
It is a major mistake that most companies commit. Many companies rush toward their orientation checklist and don’t spend much time on training. Such practice never makes employees confident about their work; they fear making mistakes as they don’t completely understand the process, which could make them, fail in their work.
Reluctant to change the process or improve
You may see formal onboarding as an ageless process, but it’s not. If you sense that your internal onboarding process is not working and you still want to stick with the same, it may result in employee failure.
Once a year, your HR department should review the onboarding process and decide whether it needs a change. They must discuss all factors internally, right from the hiring manager to training new employees. The best way to improve your process is to collect feedback from all employees who have completed the onboarding process and know where changes are needed.
Waiting for an employee to join to begin onboarding
Many companies start the onboarding process when an employee joins the company. Hence employees need to handle the paperwork, scanning, and filling process at the time of onboarding which delays the process. All such tasks should be done beforehand to avoid unnecessary delays, which may confuse the employee.
Final Takeaway
The onboarding experience can be thrilling for both employees and employers. It involves promises of a thriving career and a hope that it will work for both parties. Hence it would help if you never underestimate the importance of the onboarding process. I hope you have read the information mentioned above and will not commit such mistakes in your company; as such practices can result in a lower retention rate.
