A bad onboarding experience can lead to early attrition in new hires.
In today’s workplace, giving a better people experience is everything. This starts with the very first stage of an employee’s lifecycle, i.e., the day they join the company. We all remember our first day of work. It starts with the onboarding process, where the new hires are introduced to the brand, products & services the company offers and the organization’s overall culture. Don’t we agree that onboarding is the most crucial step to having a long relationship with the new hire?
But still, as per research, some companies do not have a formal onboarding process for their new hires. A bad onboarding experience can cause a lot of trouble for the company on its talent and the business front.
How does a bad onboarding experience impacts an organization
A bad onboarding experience forever remains with an employee. Going forward, it impacts the productivity of the individual, which leads to disengagement at work, and at last, the employee finally decides to quit. This results in a loss of talent for the company. Any loss of talent costs. As per many studies and research, the cost of losing a new hire is one-third of its annual salary.
Low productivity
Having a bad onboarding experience leads to a lack of clarity among employees. The employee does not fully understand the company’s expectations, which hinders their output. Moreover, the new hire is also skeptical about where their career trajectory is going and what they will accomplish in their career being part of the company. On the other hand, a good onboarding experience avoids all such challenges.
Early dropouts
After hiring an employee, the organization would expect some sort of longevity or long-term commitment from the new hire. The first 45 to 90 days are crucial for an employee. No organization would want to lose a newly hired talent. But a recent survey has stated that 80% of newly hired employees covered did not find their onboarding process engaging and felt like quitting their job. In fact, other studies also reveal that a bad onboarding experience can lead to 10% of your newly hired employee leaving the organization.
Hampers reputation
A dissatisfied employee having a bad onboarding experience can impact the reputation and brand image of the organization. In this digital age, disgruntled employees can use social media to share their experiences. This can make it difficult for the organization to fill the required position and can also impact the company’s brand image.
Poor employee engagement
A good onboarding process sets the tone for the new employee. Naturally, a bad onboarding experience leads to a further decrease in the level of engagement and connection among new employees. We all know a disengaged employee costs a lot to the company.
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Everything You Need To Know About Employee Onboarding
How to improve the employee onboarding experience
The primary purpose of the onboarding process is to align the new candidates with the organization’s values, missions, and compliances. Other than that, it is essential that the new candidates are aware of what their role is and what is expected of them. It makes it easier for the employee to stay productive from day one. Moreover, making employees familiar with the culture of the organization is also part of the onboarding process.
Connect with the employee from day one
Establishing a connection with the employees as soon as the person accepts the offer is crucial. We should periodically send resources to employees who can help them understand the business, culture, and overall brand of the organization.
Getting the organization to be involved in the onboarding process
In most onboarding processes, the new employee feels out of place. Mostly, the manager and other colleagues do not get involved in the onboarding process. It is better to ensure that the manager plays an active role in onboarding. Moreover, there needs to be a buddy program where one member of the team becomes a buddy of the new employee and becomes a point of contact for most of the queries. In fact, the new recruit can ask those questions to the buddy that they can’t ask their manager.
Adapt to the hybrid work model
Since we are living in an age where companies are now open to hiring employees remotely, it is essential to create an onboarding process that can onboard employees virtually. Though we have video calling platforms, the world has moved beyond that. Companies are now using AI technology to give an immersive experience to employees. With the use of virtual and augmented reality, people can log into a custom dashboard, a world of its own. Accenture has created a virtual world where employees can see replicas of the brand’s headquarter. They can get access to learning content that caters to their learning and training needs. Accenture has gamified the whole process to make the onboarding process more engaging and interactive.
Companies must keep their employee onboarding processes updated to give a world-class employee experience, which can result in enhanced employee retention and productivity.
