Optimizing Employee Onboarding for Better Talent Retention

Understanding the Importance of Setting Expectations for Employees

• Setting clear expectations for employees is crucial to their success within a company.

• Expectations need to be clearly verbalized and communicated, specifying how tasks should be completed.

• Without proper clarification, employees may continue to operate based on their previous experiences and habits.

• It's important to align job expectations with actual job conditions to ensure employee satisfaction and motivation.

• Many companies fail to set accurate job expectations, leading to employees feeling disappointed and regretful.

• By creating job conditions that exceed the initial expectations, companies can cultivate a workforce that is enthusiastic and fulfilled.

Understanding the Importance of Setting Expectations for Employees

Setting Expectations for New Hires

• When hiring new employees, it's essential to set realistic expectations to ensure their success and satisfaction within the company.

• There are two approaches to setting expectations: either downplay the job to make it sound worse than it is by about five percent, or initially set the expectations and then over deliver on how great the job is.

• The recommended approach is to set expectations slightly worse than they actually are to ensure that the new hires are fully prepared for the challenges they may face.

• To bridge the understanding-reality gap, it's crucial to have an accurate and comprehensive job description to align with the actual work.

• Consistently repeating the same message in every interview helps to ensure that the expectations are clearly communicated and understood by the potential hires.

• Setting 30, 60, 90 day goals collaboratively with the new hires creates predictability and security in their roles, fostering autonomy and clarity on what needs to be accomplished in the specified timeframes.

• Discussing potential problems ahead of time and collaborating with the new hires on how to solve them prepares them for the challenges and ensures that they are fully aware of the existing issues within the department or role.

• A proper new hire orientation, similar to onboarding a customer for a product, sets the tone for a positive and successful integration of the new employee into the company.

Setting Expectations for New Hires

Key Elements of Successful Onboarding

• Setting clear expectations is vital to minimize employee churn in the first 30 days of a new hire.

• Providing contextual knowledge about the business and role is crucial for employee success.

• Company-specific context includes values, goals, leadership, and philosophies, while role-specific context involves job description and departmental expectations.

• Sharing the reason behind a job's existence helps employees understand the bigger picture and contribute strategically to the company.

• Proper onboarding involves a combination of company context and role-specific context to set employees up for success.

Key Elements of Successful Onboarding

Optimizing Employee Onboarding and Talent Retention

• Optimizing employee onboarding and talent retention is crucial for the success of any organization. It involves defining the role-specific systems, cadence of meetings, KPIs, and technology used for the job.

• Empowering employees with knowledge is essential for them to make better decisions, not just in their roles, but also for the overall success of the company.

• Onboarding should mirror the future of the role and the level of support the employee will receive in their day-to-day operations. Setting realistic expectations from the beginning is vital for long-term success.

• At acquisition.com, emphasis is placed on open communication with leadership, mentorship opportunities, and a warm welcome for new employees. This includes personalized meetings, swag packages, and ongoing support and recognition.

• The aim is to create a supportive and inclusive environment that sets clear expectations, offers guidance, and celebrates the addition of new team members, ultimately leading to better retention and success.

Optimizing Employee Onboarding and Talent Retention

Conclusion:

By setting clear expectations and providing the necessary support, companies can create a workforce that is motivated, fulfilled, and committed to long-term success. Discover how to optimize employee onboarding and talent retention for the best outcomes.