Often when we talk about good recruitment and hiring practices and strong employee retention strategies, we tend to view these as two completely separate entities, with what seems to be a bit of a gap between the two. You spend a good deal of time in the executive search and hiring processes, find and take on your new employee, then, after that individual has gotten settled into their role within the company, you begin working to make sure they are as content and fulfilled in that role as possible. Seems like a straightforward plan right? However, what many employers tend to overlook is the importance of that initial period of time after an employee has been hired but before they’ve settled in, the frailty of this period and its significance in shaping the future of that employee’s time with the company.
In order to ensure that this transitional period goes as smoothly as possible, here is a look at the top seven mistakes employers can make during this time, as they have been outlined by executive search firms.
1. Pushing Relationships
While the building of relationships amongst employees may be a good employee retention tactic, these relationships are something that should be left to develop on their own over time, not pushed on the employee from day one. However, though such relationships cannot be built in a manner of days, it is possible for a new employee to hit the ground running and begin their new position by making a solid start. What employers need to remember at this time is that they hired these individuals to work, not to make friends. As important as those potential relationships might be they should be allowed to develop on their own, leaving the employee to focus on taking on their new role.
2. Over Training
While many would advise that new employees be immediately trained on all the various ins and outs of the company and their role in it, this is simply bad practice. From the start, new employees need to be able to focus primarily on the job at hand and allowed to learn its functions without being overloaded with too many details at once. Studies have shown that it is far more effective to allow individuals to learn complex systems by breaking them up into smaller pieces. Therefore, allowing a new employee time to first learn the intricacies of their new position before training them on the workings of the whole company is a mutually beneficial arrangement.
3. Slow to No Feedback
One of the most vital roles of the manager is to provide feedback. As important as this may be to all employees, it is doubly so for new hires. Stepping into a new company and taking on a new position, these individuals are sure to be a bit tentative and make a few mistakes along the way. However, while it may seem mean to step in and point out their errors at this early stage, this is necessary if you are to prevent these individuals from continuing to make these mistakes and turning them into bad habits. There is a right and wrong way to perform most tasks, and it is important that new employees be shown the right way from the start.
Four more tips for making the transition of new employees as smooth as possible can be found in the conclusion to this article.
Published by Conselium Executive Search, the global leader in compliance search.
