You don't get a second chance to make a good first impression.
This is true for a new date, meeting your in-laws, and especially for onboarding new hires. Those first moments count, since 17% of employees quit in their first three months at a new job. After all the time and money you spent recruiting, vetting, and hiring new employees, to let them slip through your fingers in those first 90 days isn’t just frustrating—it’s also a colossal waste of resources.
The words and actions of your company during those first few months are crucial. Amazingly, most companies spend only one solitary week on onboarding. One week for new employees to learn about the organization: it’s values, philosophy, and tools. One week for employees to understand their role and duties and how they fit in with their team. One week before being thrown into the deep end and expected to perform at the same level as employees who have been there for years.
That’s one busy week. It’s no surprise that only 12% of employees say their organization does a good job at onboarding.
There’s an opportunity here to better prepare employees and make sure they stick around. A comprehensive onboarding plan has strong ties to better employee retention, but it’s going to take more than a week to get your new hires confidently up to speed.