Neglecting onboarding at senior level
How new staff are managed into your business can make the difference between a successful hire and one that’s destined to fail. While onboarding is increasingly common, some companies are neglecting it at senior level. And although the hiring process doesn’t stop at point of offer, some employers don’t take formal steps to engage with their business-critical hires once an appointment letter has been sent. The time between offering a role and the arrival of the new senior hire is critical, as it’s during this period that counter offers are made. It’s important to ensure there’s a successful transition period and your new employee hits the ground running. Inductions are vital but often lacking, which means the first day of a new job can end up being overtaken with general admin such as health and safety and IT.
Creating the right cultural fit
The probation period is a two-way process, and failing to manage someone into your business can cause considerable damage. Some estimates put the financial cost at up to 14 times the employee’s salary, though the CIPD suggests a more modest four to six times the base salary. Either way, having an effective onboarding process can help avoid costly errors and boost the probability of a cultural fit.
Top tips to improve your onboarding process
Maintain regular contact:
Communicating with your new hire during their notice period will help sustain their enthusiasm for their role and reduce the risk of counter offers from their current employer. Keep new hires informed Make sure your new hire starts to feel part of your organisation from the day a job offer is made by providing information. While it’s important not to overload them, it’s helpful to keep them up to date with any changes or news before they arrive.
Provide key policies in advance
Hiring managers might not have time to spend on essential induction activities such as health and safety guidelines and basic company policies. Providing these in advance will save doing so once your new hire arrives, and ensure they’re familiar with the guidelines from the beginning. With increased workloads and leaner teams, employees need all the information they can get to be able to make an impact as soon as possible.
Make introductions
Give new hires access to employee or team profiles, especially those of people they’ll be working with. Consider inviting them to company events so they meet their new colleagues. Perhaps partner them with a mentor from another area within the business – this will enable them to get to know people outside their own team and help them settle in quicker.