A recent survey found that three out of every ten new hires will quit within the first 90 days. The top reasons cited for leaving included misaligned job expectations, a bad experience or incident, and a dislike of the company culture. Many organizations fail to deliver on recruitment promises or don’t have a formal onboarding process. In a Gallup survey, only 12% of employees strongly agreed that their organization does a great job with the employee onboarding process.

Find out why leading organizations are taking a closer look at new hire onboarding and how it impacts job satisfaction. Get five tips for building a new hire checklist that supports your onboarding process and positively impacts employee engagement and retention.

What does onboarding mean?

Onboarding, also known as the on-boarding process, was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2017. According to the dictionary, onboarding is the process by which a new employee learns about the job they’ve been hired to do, how to do it, and gets acclimated to company culture. Onboarding is more than the traditional employee orientation—instead, it is a process that extends well beyond the new hire’s first week to include ongoing training, coaching, mentoring, and socialization.

Why you need a new hire onboarding program

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, annual employee turnover over the last few years clocks in at more than 25% of the workforce. Gallup reports that the cost of replacing an individual employee can reach upwards of two times the annual salary of that employee. Productivity losses and cost are just two reasons why it’s crucial for businesses to minimize employee turnover. A well-planned onboarding program is a great investment to ensure new hires feel welcomed, prepared, and ready to make contributions to your company’s success.

Five tips to design an effective onboarding process

The most successful firms are proactively designing new hire onboarding programs to increase job satisfaction, improve assimilation, and ultimately boost engagement and retention. Here are five best practices you can use to effectively onboard new employees:

1. Be proactive and welcoming.Before their first day in the office, send your new hire a personalized greeting. Let them know that your office is excited that they will be joining the team. Some competitive organizations even send a formal welcome kit to their new hires that includes both gifts and employment-related materials such as a welcome letter from the hiring manager or CEO, employee handbook, corporate-branded items like a mug, and a book that’s epitomizes company culture. Also be sure to get the office ready for the new hire’s arrival so they have a desk, computer, and access to corporate accounts from day one.

2. Make the first day count—think beyond a simple orientation.A basic orientation is still important–but make sure you go beyond the simple overview of your office layout, rules, and paperwork. Take time to introduce the new employee to co-workers and treat them to lunch. Consider creating an employee playbook that helps new employees better understand company culture, customer base, and how to be successful at your company.

3. Assign a coach/mentor.Modern workers value workplace mentorship and coaching. An effective onboarding process pairs new hires with an experienced employee to provide hands-on job training, skill development, and socialization. This relationship also fosters collaboration across your organization.

4. Set short-term goals.An important goal of the on-boarding process is to help employees become productive as fast as possible. That’s why it’s important to set short-term attainable goals early in the process. Don’t dump a bunch of complex projects on a new hire’s plate the first day and watch them sink or swim; instead, ensure success by providing guidance and assistance as they complete smaller tasks and projects.

5. Ensure long-term engagement.A new hire checklist is not complete without proactively planning for the future. In some ways, onboarding never really ends. Build a culture of continuous learning and growth. Show employees how their role is important to company success and what their career path looks like. Set expectations and allow employees to provide feedback.

Boost employee retention with onboarding

To improve employee retention, start with an effective new hire onboarding program. Create a new hire checklist and process to ensure employees feel welcomed, know what’s expected, and assimilate into your culture. Asure Software offers both the Human Capital Management solutions and consulting expertise to help your company attract and retain the best talent, get the most from your people, and control costs.