For many companies, onboarding is nothing more than having employees fill out a few forms and giving them documentation on their benefits. These organizations usually see onboarding as a formality and try to put people on the floor as fast as possible. But that is a huge mistake for so many reasons. Proper onboarding can benefit your organization in so many ways, and not doing a great job at easing employees into their new roles will eventually backfire. Let’s take a look at why it’s important for you to onboard new employees properly.
Creates a Strong First Impression
Employees now have more power than ever with all the shortages and the demographic shift that’s happening. This is why you need to work on providing them with the best employee experience possible from the get-go. If they are disappointed with how they’re being welcomed, and they feel like your onboarding process looks disheveled, it will reflect poorly on your whole organization, and they might not be as thrilled as they first were about working for you.
Improves Employee Retention
Another reason why proper onboarding should be a priority is because of its effect on employee retention. Having good employee retention is so important for many reasons and giving new hires a bad onboarding experience increases the chance that they leave prematurely. You can even expect some people to leave on the spot after they see how little you care for their integration.
Having to constantly hire new people is bad news for many businesses and can affect everything from your production to insurance costs. High turnover usually translates to more work accidents, which can lead to higher worker compensation costs and higher premiums in general. If you want to learn more about the different types of coverage and how safety can affect your premiums, you should check out this insurance glossary.
Better Employer Brand
Offering a good onboarding experience will present a good image of you as an employer. This will show the employee that you care about them, and this can go a long way. This employee may decide to sing your praises later on and facilitate recruitment for you. They will also arrive at work with greater morale, which will usually be reflected in their work.
More Engagement
Employees that feel cared for will naturally do more for their organization. Proper onboarding will connect your employees with your organization’s mission and values, and what their part is in perpetuating them. It helps bring organizations together and will also make sure that only people who are a proper fit stay.
There are tons of other benefits to having more engaged employees. They are less likely to call in sick, or to commit malicious acts, for instance. They will also be more productive, which will directly benefit your bottom line.
These are all reasons why more companies should focus on properly onboarding their employees. They will feel more appreciated and will pay you back with better work and loyalty, so do everything you can starting today to give them a better experience.
