There are significant impacts on how a new hire feels about your company. One study shows that 20% of new hires are unlikely to recommend their employer – if this happens to your company, it’s a bad sign for talents who are considering applying to your open positions, and of course, it will hurt your recruiting pipeline. On the other hand, a happy new hire could bring results such as higher productivity, positive company reviews, and higher employee retention.
There are many factors that influence a new hire’s views of your company, but an overlooked aspect is your company culture and the new hire’s sense of fitness in the culture. The impact of new hires on employer brand is why ensuring your new hires feel a sense of belonging with an effective onboarding process is a growing trend, particularly for remote workforces that are learning to adapt to virtual connectivity.
Fortunately, making new hires feel like they belong isn’t difficult, it can be as simple as letting them find lunch buddies. Those small details can even speed up the onboarding process. The sooner your new hire feels comfortable, the sooner they’ll start producing at a high level.
For any hiring managers looking to improve their new hire retention, here are some tips that can help your new employees feel like they belong with your business.
Start By Setting Up A Safe Space
Employment trends have shifted dramatically over the past few years, and workers have found themselves in very high demand. While the high demand is great for job applicants, it translates to potential challenges for employers as the new hires have more choices about where they land. Since workers can quickly find a replacement for their current job, you need to make sure that your company doesn’t do anything that pushes new hires away. In terms of cultivating a sense of belonging, this means setting up a safe space for new hires.
A “safe space” might be difficult to think about, especially for remote workers. So, assess your company culture that might be considered hostile or toxic to external observers. Are these parts of your culture steering someone away? If so, then you’ve failed to set up a safe space for new hires.
To build a safe space for virtual team members, provide digital resources that can help new hires. The resources can include everything from access to counseling to a clear process for dealing with workplace issues.
A safe space mentality can also work wonders for your company culture by helping you retain your existing talent.
Connect New Hires With Other Employees
While remote work has made many employees more flexible and satisfied with their roles, organizations inevitably lose organic connections and camaraderie built in the office. By connecting new hires to other team members serendipitously, managers create a sense of true belonging for new hires within the organization.
The good news is that there are ways to organically form social bonds within your organizations, including connections with workers from different teams. Solutions like LEAD.bot easily integrate with Microsoft Teams and Slack to make intentional and meaningful connections among employees within the workplace.
The benefits of using solutions like LEAD are twofold. Not only does your new hire feel a stronger sense of belonging by forming connections, but you can kickstart cross-team collaboration – something that has become increasingly difficult due to virtual workspaces. New hires also feel more comfortable discussing any issues when they form stronger connections with other employees.
Check In With New Hires And Help Them Find Their Voice
What does your employee onboarding process look like? Do you regularly check in with remote new hires?
When you hire a new worker, block off time each week or so during their first three months to check in with them. Remember, they’re new to your company’s system and may not know who to contact if they have any issues. The feelings of being left out or not heard may cause them to quit, which impacts your employee turnover rate.
However, regular check-in can mean walking a fine line between ignoring your worker and micromanaging. Think of yourself as a resource to your employee and let them lead check-ins, which allows new hires to build confidence within their new role and your organization. You can certainly use LEAD.bot to schedule periodic one-on-one manager check-ins with your new hire.
Last but not least, checking in doesn’t always have to mean manager check-ins: many studies show that casually checking in with colleagues and buddies can boost employee happiness and improve their well-being as well. This is also something LEAD.bot loves to help with.
Let New Hires Be Themselves
You screened applicants, went through the interview process, and sent an offer to your new hires. During this process, you came to understand who the new hire is – so, let them be themselves!
Encouraging new hires to approach their day-to-day tasks gives them the confidence they need to settle into a role and makes them feel more empowered with their work. When they feel empowered, they begin to take ownership of their work – a sign that they feel like they belong to your organization.
Letting new hires be themselves can help you avoid the pitfalls of company culture shock, too. You hired the employee for good reasons unless they misrepresented themselves on purpose when joining your organization, so as a people manager, you should provide the support that would allow them to thrive at work.
