Onboarding and inductions are often overlooked elements of hiring a new recruit. In fact, over 20% of companies have no formal onboarding system in place at all.
Getting the induction process right is crucial. Failure to properly induct an employee is likely to lead to both immediate and long-term problems.
But what are those problems and why are they so costly?
What is an Induction and Why Are They So Important?
First impressions count. That’s why it’s so crucial to make an impact on your new candidate in the time period that fills the void in between a new employee accepting a position and arriving for their first day.
Evidence of its importance has been demonstrated by the increased instances of “ghosting”; which is the practice of accepting a job offer and then never actually showing up. 63% of senior HR practitioners across the UK have had new recruits quit before they start. That figure is only set to rise.
Joining a new company is a great change for new employees. It’s both an exciting and scary time, so it’s no wonder that so many fail to show up when no effort is made to bed them in before starting work.
33% of new starters look for another job within six months of starting, and the cost of the hiring and replacing early-leavers stands at 100%-300% of their first year’s salary. Consequently, many companies are scrambling to improve their onboarding and induction experiences. But aside from the costs of poor induction processes, there are many positives to investing time and resources into a new employee before they even set a foot through the door.
An Induction Made up of Learning and Social Inclusion Boosts Performance
On average, it takes an employee 8 months to hit peak productivity, as they spend the first half of their first year learning the nuances and expectations of their role within the business.
By taking the time to lay out expectations, career paths, learning opportunities and building competence with routine tasks, employers can often drastically reduce the time required for an employee to reach peak productivity.
Similarly, by unloading a deluge of information during their first few days, you can cause some serious damage to new recruits, who immediately feel under pressure to produce results.
A continuous information overload can lead to stress management issues, burnout, fatigue, employee sickness, and problems with anxiety all within the first few months of joining a company.
By carrying out a thorough induction and onboarding program you can lighten the load and help new hires to hit the ground running when their first day rolls around.
The induction process is also a chance for new employees to meet their colleagues, spend time with them, and feel accepted into their new surroundings.
A recent study determined that social acceptance was the number one factor in newcomer success. Therefore, it’s vital you include this within your onboarding process if you don’t already have it in place.
Improve Your Induction Processes to Get the Best Out of New Recruits
Getting the induction process wrong, or not having one at all, can be costly for your business. So make sure you take the time and effort to deliver engaging and meaningful inductions as part of your overall workplace wellness and employee engagement programmes.
Here at DocHQ we can help you to introduce appetising employee benefits such as annual health checks, video GP, mental health support and staff discounts on major brands, as part of a tailored solution for your business. If your business struggles with organising fast treatment for employees suffering with sickness symptoms or finds it increasingly difficult to keep new employees engaged, speak to our team to find out more about how we can help you maximise the performance of your employees.
DocHQ Ltd is a Health Tech company improving choices. We help you connect efficiently to health support and advice whether you are at home, work or travelling. See our website for our services or call us on 0330 088 0645.
