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FIRST-YEAR IMPRESSIONS ARE
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The onboarding, recognition and treat-ment of new hires within their first year of employment matters now more than ever. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average job tenure has dropped to as low as 2.2 years in some industries, and it continues to shrink. Younger Millennial and post-Millennial workers — the largest cohort in the workforce — aren’t staying as long at their jobs and want more immediate feedback from management.
Even though studies have shown that it takes the average new hire eight to 12 months to become as proficient as tenured colleagues, very few organizations (15%) extend their onboarding efforts past
Set up the new hire and the company for success with a year-long engagement plan.
Engagement and Recognition Tips on Onboarding and Beyond
By Cord Himelstein, Michael C. Fina Recognition
THING
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six months. A successful year-long engagement effort can increase the chances of employees staying with the company beyond the average job tenure and get them acclimated to the culture and company goals more quickly, setting the entire organization up for success.
Make It MemorableIt’s easy to make an employee’s first year memorable by being conscious of the major engagement milestones that occur during year one, and having a plan to address them all the way up to the first service anniversary, where organizations can bring efforts full circle.
Here are some of the key dates in an employee’s first year that management should be aware of:
DAY
0(Pre-boarding)Best-in-class companies are 35% more likely to start onboarding
before day one, according to an Aberdeen study. Reaching out and preparing a new employee for the first day before he/she arrives is a great way to show you care, and can help get that person quickly on board with your brand and culture. Here are some pre-boarding ideas: ❙ Send a branded welcome kit ahead of the first workday
❙ Give an email or personal call from the hiring manager to check in
❙ Prepare yourself with best-practice onboarding tools and checklists.
DAY
1Make the first day all about the new hire. Greet the new worker in person, introduce
him/her to colleagues, show where amenities are located, provide an onboarding mentor if possible, and check in multiple times throughout the day. Have the workspace cleaned, personalized and ready to go. Make sure the new employee doesn’t eat alone. First day lunch plans with his/her new manager and/or new colleague are a warm way to welcome the person to the organization.The company should also be clear
about its mission and vision and what makes it unique, so that an employee feels good about the decision to join the team. This also helps the new worker connect quickly with organizational values.
DAY
3By now, the employee should be getting active within the organization’s social networks.
Announcing new hires companywide, sending a departmental email intro-ducing the new hire to everyone or
arranging a departmental lunch are all good ways to encourage this.
It is also critical to introduce the company’s recognition program to promote participation very early in the worker’s tenure. To be successful, most organizations develop a detailed communications plan outlining recog-nition program benefits, including when and how employees can redeem their points. One of our customers has a dedicated email campaign that introduces new hires to its customized recognition program, highlighting the various ways they can participate.
DAYS30-60 -90
The first three months are when new employees are the most overwhelmed — up to 22% of turnover
occurs within the first 45 days of employment alone, an UrbanBound study found. So how they are treated by management during this time is extra important. Sending personal notes and/or e-cards is an easy way for managers to recognize and reward achievements. A 2016 Michael C. Fina Recognition survey of HR profes-sionals ranked e-cards in the top three recognition channels most effective at engaging employees.
Other important tasks at the 30-, 60- and 90-day marks include: ❙ Ensure the employee is fitting in well with peers
The first three months are when new employees are the most overwhelmed —up to 22% of turnover occurs within the first 45 days of employment alone, an UrbanBound study found.
| 37july 2017 workspan
❙ Provide the proper resources, tools and training
❙ Follow up with hiring manager/mentor to ensure the onboarding checklist is completed.
DAY
180Six months marks the end of the honeymoon period, which has been identified by Gallup as
the major milestone after which employee engagement for new hires suffers the most. BambooHR’s study of onboarding found that 90% of employees decide whether to stay or go within the first six months. Companies should prepare by giving special recognition for reaching the six-month milestone. This includes: ❙ Having a conversation about work-life balance and working with employees to address their needs
❙ Tackling any problems or barriers to job performance and having clear expectations laid out
❙ Adapting feedback and praise based on personality types, whether it is a written note for a more introverted employee or a public shout-out among peers for a more outgoing employee
❙ Continuing regular informal progress meetings
❙ Proactively creating opportunities for informal praise and engagement.
DAY
270The nine-month mark is when engagement from the management side can begin to lag as the
employee becomes more and more acclimated. Allied Van Lines found that it takes about eight months for a new hire to reach full productivity.
Keeping the momentum up as you reach the first-year service anniversary is key to creating a more complete and memorable experience.At nine months, it is important to
check in and ensure a new employee is socializing well with the team. This includes work projects, but also office lunches and other workplace events and celebrations. Regular, but informal, progress meetings can help ensure new hires are engaged with the company and their work. Frequent feedback, with either posi-tive or constructive reinforcement, is necessary to continue a good first-year experience.
DAY
365The earlier organizations begin creating a strong relationship with an employee, the better.
Previously the five-year mark was a common milestone to start a service award program, but today’s workers thrive on more timely feedback and a more social workplace.On an employee’s one-year work
anniversary, it is important to celebrate and acknowledge that work birthday with a small ceremony when possible. When an organization makes a one-year work anniversary as special as the first day, it shows that the company is committed and apprecia-tive of the employee’s work efforts.One client encourages on-site
award presentations on the day of an employee’s work anniversary, making recognition a special event to look forward to in the workplace. An online recognition tool kit was created to help managers host mean-ingful award presentations. Managers
can also select an award for the employee that ties back to the compa-ny’s overall image and branding.
The employee’s peers and colleagues should be invited to attend and participate in the celebration to help further engage and bond the team. Senior leaders should be invited to offer their thanks and managers should prepare a few words high-lighting the employee’s contributions.
Build Genuine LoyaltyFirst introductions can be awkward, but for organizations the payoff for offering employees a memorable first-year experience can translate into a more engaged workforce and a lower turnover rate. Be conscious of the engagement struggles each new hire faces at any job during the first year, and be proactive about them. Providing some encouragement, compassion, feedback and timely recognition can help any company build genuine loyalty with talented employees and maintain a higher retention rate.
Cord Himelstein is vice president of marketing
and communications for Michael C. Fina
Recognition in Long Island City, N.Y. Contact him
resources plus
For more information, books and education related to this topic, log on to worldatwork.org and use any or all of these keywords:
❙❙ Onboarding
❙❙ Employee engagement
❙❙ Recognition.
Be conscious of the engagement struggles each new hire faces at any job during the first year, and be proactive about them.
