According to new research from Eagle Hill Consulting, U.S. employers are falling short when it comes to onboarding new employees. Recent new hires indicate that their onboarding did not adequately cover many of the basics employees need to be successful including understanding relationship building (71%), organizational culture (62%), technology (54%), and their benefits (46%).
Following the “Great Resignation” and talent wars, employers could be finding themselves in a surge of onboarding. If the goal is retention, it’s clear that there are steps employers can take in the onboarding process that will help new employees to avoid feelings of regret. A lot of time and money goes into recruiting and hiring, so putting effort into the onboarding process is a key cost-savings measure.
“Onboarding is so much more than paperwork and checklists,” says Melissa Jezior, president and chief executive officer of Eagle Hill Consulting. “What you don’t want is for your company to become ‘The Great Regret’ for new employees because of an onboarding failure. Done wrong, onboarding can damage performance and moral, which drives employees right out the door. But done right, onboarding can set employees up for success in terms of strengthening their career development, enabling them to live your culture and values, and developing strong relationships across the organization. Ultimately, strategic onboarding helps retain employees, creates and engaged workforce, and boosts organizational and individual performance.”
What do employees want?
The research also finds that only 50% of workers expect to be at the same job three years from now.
“What’s key for employers is to stop thinking about onboarding as a just a short-term human resources function,” Jezior explained. “Successfully folding new hires into your organization happens over time with many people involved, which is all the more complex given the growth of remote and hybrid work.”
In terms of what employees want during their first month on the job:
- 83% want more knowledge of how performance is measured.
- 76% want more information on mental and physical health resources.
- 75% want more opportunities to make personal connections with team members.
- 74% want more guidance on how to be successful in the corporate culture.
- 74% want more details on how workplace practices could change due to pandemic, like moving from remote to hybrid.
- 70% want more information on the organization’s core values.
- 69% want more opportunities to make personal connections with people outside their team.
- 68% want more tips on how to network in remote/hybrid setting.
You can download the new research from Eagle Hill Consulting here.
