Building a Better Plan for New Employees | 2-Minute Video

When you hire new employees, don’t you hope they become loyal employees?

Sure. So the next question is, why don’t more organizations treat new employees like they’re already really great members of the team? Completely valued members of the organization?

If onboarding felt like that, wouldn’t new people quickly become loyal employees?

In a word, yes.

What’s Up in This Episode: Make New Employees Loyal

That’s why we’re focusing hard on the new employee experience in this episode of HRMorning’s 3-Point. Our expert, John Deal, Senior Director of Product Marketing at Phenom, explains what new employees dread about the first day — and you aren’t going to believe what it is — and what employers can do to make the first three months so much better.

Click, watch and listen for more details on improving the new employee experience.

Transcript (edited for clarity):

Quick? What’s the scariest part of a new employee’s first day on the job?

It’s not what you’re thinking …

John Deal, Senior Director of Product Marketing, Phenom: “One of the scariest things that happens for employees on their first day is, ‘What are they going to have for lunch!’ That’s what they think about. So that anxiety for Day One, then Day Two, then Day Seven is like, ‘What’s my manager going to be like? What’s my team going to be like?‘”

Lunch?! But as John Deal says, the real anxieties kick in just as quickly. And that’s why you want to help new employees feel comfortable as soon as possible.

John Deal: “This is where a lot of companies struggle. They do all this work up front when they’re hiring people, and none of it transfers over. So the ideal process is, the employee gives all this information, and that information is made available to the people that person is going to work with, so that they’re not starting from scratch. So that is the ideal for the employee and also for the manager. 

So the key here is connections. New employees come in feeling like they’re known and part of the team. On top of that, of course, you want to ensure they have everything they need to hit the ground running – equipment, access to resources and guidance. And then show new employees where they’re headed.

John Deal: “There’s a 30-60-90 Plan. So it’s not just a Day One thing, where you’re getting all this stuff. It’s more like you understand what’s going to happen in the first 30 days. You understand what’s going to be happening in the first 60, and you understand what’s going to be happening in the first 90. HR knows. Your manager knows. Your team members who’ve been through it before know. That cohesive journey is what’s going to drive that number of turnover down.“

Now the idea is to build a better plan to bring on new employees. To recap:

• Spread the word. Share what the hiring team learned about new employees during the interview process.
• Ease the anxiety. Ensure new employees know what their first few days will look like.
• Give them direction. Design a 30-60-90 day plan so they understand what’s expected and what to expect.

Beyond those first-day lunch jitters, you can build a plan to make new employees comfortable and productive within 90 days.