One of the things we hear most often from the businesses we work with is how challenging it is for them to find the great employees they need to be successful. What can be even more frustrating is losing that employee within the first few months, after working so hard to find that you thought was the perfect fit. This challenge is becoming even more common as unemployment rates continue to drop and the number of skilled workers falls even farther below the number of available jobs. A recent article from Business News Daily addresses this concern that is very real for businesses of all sizes.

What can you do to make sure that you keep your new hires engaged and happy? According to research by Futurestep, 40 percent of executives felt that new hires left the organization because the role wasn’t what they expected. This is where clear job descriptions and inter=view questions are important in the recruiting process. Just as you are looking for the best candidate for the role, candidates are also looking for a roil that fits them well. Make sure that your job advertisements and job descriptions accurately represent the position. Check out our Recruiting Toolkit for more tips.

Company Culture and Employee Retention

Company culture is another reason new employees may be fleeing your organization. When hiring, consider if the new employee will fit in with your culture. Ask interview questions that allow you to see this such as:

  • What is your ideal working environment?
  • Tell me about your best boss. What did you enjoy most about your relationship?

Try to give candidates you are interviewing a clear picture of the company culture so they can decide if they think they would be a good fit. It can even be a good idea to take your top one or two candidates to lunch with other employees so they can see how their co-workers interact with one another.

Onboarding New Employees

Having a standard, formal onboarding process for all new employees can also help you with retention. Onboarding should be more than just completing new hire paperwork. More than half of the organizations surveyed by Futurestep have an onboarding process that lasts no more than one week. We recommend that companies develop an onboarding process that allows you to check back with employees periodically over their first year of employment. This allows you to address any concerns the new employee may have early rather than finding a resignation notice sitting on your desk.

Looking for more ideas to improve your onboarding process and keep those new employees you worked so hard to find and recruit? Check out our Onboarding Toolkit and then contact our team of HR experts.