Five Ways to Deliver a Better Onboarding Process to Improve Employee Satisfaction

*Red Seal Recruiting is pleased to welcome Chanell Alexander, a writer for Trust Radius, to share her thoughts with us as a guest author! If you are a recruiting professional and would like to submit a post on our blog, please contact kael@redsealrecruiting.com.
The process of hiring new employees can be a chaotic one for hiring managers and HR professionals. The person said “yes,” and they and the company finally agreed on a compensation package.
It may seem like the hard part is over, but the beginning of an employee’s tenure at a company is one of the most critical times. According to O.C. Tanner, 20 percent of turnover happens within the first 45 days of employment.
The same source also found that 69 percent of employees are more likely to stay with the company for at least three years after a great onboarding experience. Read on for five ways to deliver an excellent onboarding process that improves employee satisfaction.
Let Them Know They Made the Right Decision
Employees do better when they are recognized and appreciated. Acknowledging that they could have gone with any other company, but chose this one is worth celebrating. Expressing appreciation, presenting them with an “employee starter kit” that could include essential office supplies, and introducing them to other employees is a great way to start their journey at the company.
Connect Them with A Mentor
Starting a new job is almost like the first day of school. It is normal for new hires to be nervous since they don’t know anyone, and are expected to learn a lot in their first week. Having a guide to help them through this process can ease the worry. Connecting them with a senior employee who can show them the ropes and answer any “company culture” questions they have is helpful.
Start the Manager and Employee Relationship Off Right
According to a 2015 Gallup Poll, 50 percent of employees who left their jobs cited the manager as the reason for their departure. Starting this relationship off the right way can mitigate some of the issues that can come up between managers and their employees. Senior leadership should encourage managers to make their expectations known at the beginning, thoroughly go over the performance review process, let employees know that their door is always open for questions, and genuinely show they care about their well-being.
Make Training a Priority
Within the first week new hires arrive, they should know about the company’s professional development training programs. Are their digital workshops they can attend? How often are in-house trainings? How much will the company subsidize off-site training or conferences? Letting employees know their long-term development is a priority will reinforce the idea that they made the right decision.
Track Employee Satisfaction
It is critical to have a practice for regularly checking the temperature of new (and old) hires. Sending a survey or even having mentors check-in will help get a pulse for how onboarding practices are being received. This allows HR professionals and hiring managers to tweak tactics that are not working or add in something new.
Final Thoughts
Again, the employee onboarding experience can be a hectic process for HR professional and new hires. However, a solid strategy for introducing employees to their new work environment and using the right HR tools will not only help them adjust but will likely turn them into a worker who will be with the company long-term. Therefore, employee onboarding should be front and center in an effective talent management strategy.

Chanell Alexander currently resides in Atlanta, GA. When she’s not traveling and trying new restaurants in the Metro Atlanta area, she writes about the latest technology and tools for TrustRadius.