People are your organization’s most valuable asset, and your connection with them can be a key factor in retaining your team. Developing this connection with new hires is an integral part of the onboarding process and can make or break their experience with your company, ultimately determining how long their tenure with your organization lasts. Providing Onboarding training in the ways of training sessions devoted to orientation and in the way of training managers on the importance of proper onboarding is key.
Employee engagement goes beyond job satisfaction, beyond completing work or reaching goals. It involves a deeper connection between employee and job, a commitment to their organization that is more than a paycheque. An engaged employee makes an emotional investment in the success of their employer, as well as an emotional link to the values held by their leaders, possibly even the organization as a whole. The development of this deeper, emotional connection is the result of a positive work environment, solid lines of communication between employees and with their leaders, and comfort in expression. Employees who feel they can ask questions, provide new ideas, and are free to innovate are not only much more likely to do so, but will be contributing new knowledge and creativity to your teams with every conversation! This all begins in Onboarding.
Employee retention is the ability to keep employees over an extended period of time. While every business is going to have some turnover, it’s obvious when an employer is doing something right (low turnover, high retention) and when they’re definitely not (high turnover, low retention). There’re a few key benefits to increasing retention, not the least of which is reducing costs. Keeping capable team members also ensures your customers are getting the best services and treatment you can provide, giving your organization a great reputation, and greater revenue.
High employee retention is a green flag to both customers and future applicants to your business. People stick with companies for a reason, and seeing tenured employees gives new hires a positive outlook from the start. Whether you’re offering snacks in the break room, awesome benefits, learning and development opportunities, or a flexible schedule to fit people’s unique needs, the list boils down to one thing. These create a positive workplace culture. Loyal employees are made, not born, and doing your job as a leader to foster that loyalty through the development of a happy work environment is key. Even something as simple as open and honest communication between leaders and those they lead can alter the workplace culture for the better. Supporting your team, treating them as equals, respecting their differences and embracing their talents, these all create loyalty that every leader is looking for!
There’s an undeniable connection between employee engagement and retention. Employees often leave their jobs due to a lack of perceived connection between their teammates, and/or their leaders. If a person feels they have to fight to be heard, aren’t being respected when they do speak up, or are unable to flex their creative muscles in a supportive environment, they’re more likely to leave. If you’re able to develop strong connections right from the start, you create a solid foundation for a new hire to build positive experiences upon. During the onboarding process is when this begins.
If you’re able to develop strong connections right from the start, you create a solid foundation for a new hire to build positive experiences upon. During the onboarding process is when this begins.
Onboarding has a direct connection with employee retention and engagement, making it essential to prioritize the entire onboarding process, not just the initial orientation day. The onboarding process is a journey much longer than orientation, involving support from leadership, creating connections with other teammates, and check-ins for knowledge and confidence for an extended period of time. Depending on the new hire, this could be a month or six months, each person is unique and their perception of their connection with you, their leader, can be built quickly or over time. During this time, your interactions with them will change, turning from knowledge delivery and basic understanding to questions of comfort and confidence as their time with your organization increases. One thing that can’t change is your support for your team. Taking the opportunity to build a support system for your new hires, find them a connection within the team to develop with and ask smaller questions until they’re comfortable, and making yourself available for check-ins and larger requests for support is essential.
By using the onboarding process to its greatest possible outcome, you’re creating as many opportunities as possible for a new hire to become engaged with their new position. Leaders have the capacity to enhance their new employees’ passion for their work, support their learning and development with vigour, and encourage the development of loyalty thanks to a positive work environment. The development of essential factors of employee engagement, creating that emotional tie between employee and employer, will increase your employee retention right away.
When you take the time to create positive links with your new hire, with their teammates and their leaders, you’re building a solid foundation for them to develop their own professional skills as well as their connection with your organization. By opening avenues for these links, you’re encouraging friendships, positive interactions with coworkers, and constructive learning opportunities with leadership. These building blocks will allow your new hire to feel comfortable and confident in their position, unafraid to ask questions, and more assured in their connection with the organization as a whole!
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