You’ve spent countless hours and exhausted your given budget, trying to find and hire the very best applicants. As an HR expert, you’re in command of the employee journey which means hiring, firing and everything between is your responsibility.

Employee retention is also something you’re mindful of, and as many employees leave their new roles within the first 12 months due to a lack of compatibility or confidence in their new employer, it’s up to you to ensure the new-hire experience is seamless, especially if you want to keep those retention numbers high.

Without a well structured and well-delivered onboarding process, your new starters will be left to fend for themselves, which ultimately leads to expensive mistakes, discrepancies within essential processes, health and safety quagmires and unhappy employees. If your onboarding process has been the same for several years, then it may be time for a shakeup. Read on to discover 3 effective ways HR can improve the onboarding process. 

Bring in the right software

We’ve established that your employee's first days are essential to their overall contentment within your company and to help them build a better understanding of their role and department. With the right kind of software, you can effortlessly streamline the induction process, allowing you to convey even the dullest parts of the onboarding process with interest and high engagement in mind. You’ll be able to tailor and customise your onboarding materials, engaging new-starters and bringing them into the company message and brand with ease. Not forgetting remote capabilities which allow new-starters to begin their induction process at home, giving them and you a head start.

Make them feel special and appreciated

You’ve searched high and low for the right candidates, and just as they’ll be excited to begin working with you, it’s only fair that you express your appreciation and enthusiasm at them joining you. Leaving a stagnant gap between their successful job offer and their first day gives off the wrong impression, and it won’t exactly fill your new starters with confidence.

Helpful emails detailing what to bring and what to expect within their first week will keep the lines of communication open, building their confidence and enthusiasm for their new role. Some companies even send new employees branded gifts as a way to boost morale.

Go the extra mile on their first day

First day nerves can get to even the most professional and experienced of hires. And it's the perfect opportunity for you to build a good rapport with them, to create a sense of inclusion and to build their confidence. This, in turn, will keep them content. Ensure all staff and employees are aware of new starters, ask reception and security staff to welcome them warmly, have their workstations set up and software installed and ready to go. The last thing new starters want is technical problems, so make it easier for them to get started! Other companies buy their new starters lunch or have an informal lunch period where everyone can mingle and get to know one another.

Final thoughts…

It’s clear that implementing the right software and going the extra mile to help new employees feel welcome will help streamline the onboarding process and keep retention numbers up!