By Pauline Fleming - Sunday, June 28th, 2009

Employee retention. It’s one of the most important issues a business owner or corporate manager must wrestle with, especially in challenging times.

If done well, employees will feel valued. When they feel valued, they will run through the metaphoric brick wall for you in order to achieve your vital objectives.

However, if there isn’t a healthy focus on retention, your business could suffer from a number of long-term consequences. These include constant turnover, low employee morale, reduced effectiveness, lost market share and higher costs. These risks are even more pronounced when market conditions are poor. Employees inevitably come to fear for their jobs and often move proactively to find another, while aggressive competitors may look to poach your top talent.

One crucial aspect of maintaining a positive and engaged workforce where employers often stumble is onboarding.

Onboarding is the process of training staff in what they need to know to be successful in a new position, either as a new hire or someone who has been promoted internally. It also extends to ongoing training and support for long-term staff so they continue to feel confident, and competent, in their positions.

However, there can be a broad disconnect between how effective employers believe their existing policies and procedures for onboarding are and what employees actually think:

“I smile, say ‘I get it,’ but I’m actually lost.” New hires want to prove themselves. They want you to believe you didn’t make a mistake in hiring them. “I want to make a solid impression. Rather than admit I don’t have a clue, I’ll ‘fake it until I make it.’ You should assume I don’t ‘get it,’ and ensure I’m trained properly as part of a company process for all new employees.”

“Documented processes reduce my learning curve.” Are your procedures documented? Or, is everything word-of-mouth? It makes a big difference to a new person. The more you have written down and systemized, the easier it is to teach and learn.

Even long-term staff can feel like a fraud. The less emphasis placed on training, the more your team will feel incompetent and lost. When people are left on their own to figure things out, the more mistakes they will make, quality will be reduced and inefficiency will be the rule. This is a belief issue, and it can be changed by the leader committing to a culture of training.

They want a mentor. Preferably it is someone of their choosing, and in a format that allows the relationship to succeed. If they have a mentor who is difficult to communicate with, or with whom they just don’t “click,” the results will be minimal. With a new hire this is tricky. You, as the leader, need to assess the different personalities involved and make the best match possible. Have clear guidelines and expectations of your mentoring program.

They don’t want to be managed or bossed. They want to be coached. There’s a real difference. A coach-leader helps individuals focus on their strengths, allowing their abilities to develop and grow. A manager approach focuses on tasks and results, and isn’t necessarily committed to long-term growth.

They want access to opportunities. “When I come aboard, I want to know there is a path my career can take.” These opportunities may come in the form of learning opportunities like classes and workshops, or in advancement and promotion. “If I see a dead-end, I’ll soon be polishing my resume.”

“I want the work to be challenging, not the environment.” A new hire has enough on their plate to tackle without having to also survive a difficult work environment. Create a culture that cultivates excellence and growth, not back-biting and obstacles. The more challenging the environment, the less likely you are to keep key people.

“I want you to be a model.” Leadership by example is a powerful tool in helping build the confidence of new hires (and old-timers). When you walk your talk, your team will respond in kind. When you don’t, they will see you as a fraud, and they’ll either model your behaviour or move on.

“I want to be seen and heard.” Even your new hires need their ideas to be heard and their contributions recognized. While respect for leadership is earned, new employees need to be treated like a leader. Treat all employees as leaders and watch them show up as leaders. You hired this individual for a reason. Let them bring as much value as possible. The more you cultivate their contributions, the more satisfying will be the results.

Processes are not easy to learn. There are some procedures that are difficult even for the most capable and qualified person. Patience, mentorship and training are what’s required. The more an individual is nurtured into competency, the better off the organization will be.

“Why I chose you isn’t what makes me stay.” People choose their jobs for many reasons. But the reasons we stay are different. Work environment, access to opportunity and challenge are all motivating reasons that help you retain key individuals. Knowing your staff’s reasons for staying will help increase your retention rates.

“I don’t want boring training.” Every person has a different style of learning, and training should allow for each style. Some are hands-on experiential learners, while others can simply read a manual and be ready to go. Make sure your training provides variety to match all needs.

Sink or swim doesn’t work. Obviously team members must eventually make their mark and contribute. But, some organizational cultures can be very old school. New team members are thrown into the mix with little or no training and are expected to pull their weight immediately. This is akin to throwing someone to the lions. It doesn’t work. It isn’t fun for the new team member. And, if this practice is continued, it won’t be fun replacing this team member with the next victim.

Don’t forget your long-term staff. “I have been promoted and it is like starting all over again. I feel like you expect me to be up-to-speed. I don’t want you to doubt your decision. I will make unnecessary mistakes, and set precedence in my first six months that will burn me out in my first two years. Keep me by keeping me healthy and help me understand what is really required of my new position.”

Remember, being a new person, or being in a new role with greater responsibility, is always a little uncomfortable. But, leaders can help overcome the “onboard overwhelm” by creating a welcoming environment. Emphasizing training, validation and patience will absolutely help create long-term loyalty and achieve outstanding performance from your staff.

For more insights on decreasing turnover costs and boosting retention success, visit EmployeeRetention.ca.

Find other helpful resources at BusinessCoachOttawa.com, such as:

• 10 Truths Your Staff Aren’t Telling You About
• Motivating Your Staff
• How Recognition Issues are Costing You Turnover

Category: Expert Advice.
Industry: Technology, Retail, Services
Functional Area: Hr
Tags: employee engagement, Human resources, onboarding, staff retention, staff training