Welcoming and retaining new employees - donít let yours get away

Starting a new job is a daunting task for most, and first impressions last.

Many employers donít realise they are jeopardizing the relationship with a new employee by providing less than adequate initiation into the business.

Most employees have experienced the awkward first day of a job with too many names to remember and an overload of information, all while trying to keep up appearances. Although this is unavoidable in most cases, the experience can be made easier if a new recruit is welcomed and treated well from the very first day.

Work life is characterised by many factors other than the work itself including the culture of the organisation, the social interactions between staff, as well as the physical environment. These factors play a major role in the current and future satisfaction of the employee and can make or break the relationship between the organisation and the new recruit.

In the past, many employers downplayed the importance of initiation, preferring instead, to simply throw the employee into the deep end and hope that they can swim.

However, competition in the recruitment industry is getting tough, with the July unemployment rate at a low 4.8%, the pool of potential employees is limited. Employees have more bargaining power, making it vital for organisations to retain the employees they recruit by creating a welcoming environment and a lasting positive perception.

From an employerís perspective, training and initiation can be a time consuming and costly process. However, a well-planned initiation into an organisation has been found to be a worthwhile process, allowing the employee, the employer and current staff to become comfortable with the new circumstances and enable a smooth transition.

There are a few simple things that employers can do to make a new employee feel welcome and encourage a positive image of the organisation:

Prepare the new employee a workspace with desk, phone and email before they arrive.

Donít overload the new employee with too much information on their first day.

Assign a mentor and provide introductions to other employees to include everyone in the transition.

Have the CEO/General Manager assign a moment to personally welcome the new employee.

Provide a welcome morning tea or lunch.

Clearly set out the roles and responsibilities of the employee and performance benchmarks to indicate what is expected of them.

Explain any unique cultural or operational processes of the organisation, to avoid embarrassment for the employee through a lack of understanding.

After a few weeks, take a moment to discuss with the new employee, their work progress and overall satisfaction with the organisation.

The rules of how an organisation treats a new employee have changed, and employee initiation cannot be a process that ends after the employees first week on the job. Even after a great first impression, employers need to implement procedures that will keep the employee satisfied long after initiation including creating goals and providing work that aligns with the employeeís job description.

Moreover, the process and costs of initiating new employees should not come at the expense of existing employee training and maintenance as this will cause animosity and discontent.

Of course new employees need to play their part too. Being open to the new processes, people and environment will help meld the employee into the organisation and allow the existing workforce to accept and welcome the newcomer.

Whether hiring one new employee or ten, the rules are the same ñ treat new employees well and the organisation will come out on top.

The question is now... how will you treat your new employees?