We change jobs more often than ever before. Previous generations could stay at the same company their entire working life, but the modern labour market is characterised by frequent job changes (also called job hopping).
Frequent job changes are costly for employers. Recruitment is expensive and time-consuming, and it is therefore important that the employees you hire are going to stay at your company for a longer period of time. The goal for the recruitment is therefore not only to get the necessary workforce but also to hire with a long-term goal of building up stable and reliable staff.
And that is a task that starts a long time before the recruitment itself. And because there are many factors to take into considering, we have put together this checklist, that gives you an overview and makes it easier for you to increase the retainment of new hires. Happy reading.
The first step: Attracting candidates
You are lacking staff and are therefore on the lookout for a new employee. But if you are going to hire new people with long-term retainment as the goal, you need to find the right candidates from the very beginning. In this regard there is a lot of preparatory work you can do on your own.
- Prioritise employer branding
Find your core values and act according to them. If your company is known as a good place to work and as a company that delivers high quality as well as offers career opportunities, candidates will be aware of your brand and more likely to apply for open positions.
- Make targeted job postings
The more specific you can be in terms of clarifying work tasks, communicating expectations, and making use of precise search words and key terms, the better.
- Be present on the right channels/media
Whether it is on your own website, social media, LinkedIn, career sides, or online job boards, make sure to be present on the relevant channels/media. Communicate your work and provide frequent updates. Give people the opportunity to follow along and observe your progress.
The second step: Recruitment
You have found several candidates that you wish to review more closely and invite for an interview. In this case there are several things you can do in order to find out who is the right person for the job
- Test and match
There are multiple tools and tests that you can make use of when screening candidates. These tools and tests will help you uncover the candidates’ motivations, commitment, strengths, and weaknesses.
- Make thorough reference checks
Spend time on collecting and checking up on references. More often than not, previous employers have valuable knowledge about candidates.
- Offer good benefits – and more
If you want to keep your employees in the long term, it is important to offer favourable terms in relation to the industry standard, whether it be salary, working conditions, or other things. Otherwise, you risk that your employees seek out job opportunities at competing companies.
The third step: Preboarding
You can use the preboarding time constructively – i.e. the time from when the employment contract is signed to the day when the employee has their first day of work. This is a time when you can prepare your new hire for their new role, and you can also get the practical things in order.
- Make room for honest communication
Before the new employee starts their job, it is essential to reconciliate your expectations. Be specific and honest. In this way you set up a framework for your new employee, and they also avoid getting unwelcome surprises.
- Get the administrative and practical things in order
No one wants to spend their very first day of work on a number of heavy, practical tasks. Therefore, see to it that usernames and logins are in place, equipment is ordered, and relevant information and data have been gathered, so everything is ready beforehand.
- Strengthen the relations before the first day of work
Send a package with information about the business and introduce the new employee to their new team. This can be online or as a social gathering where you e.g. have lunch together.
- Share knowledge
Send strategies, plans, manuals, and e-learning materials to the new employee beforehand, so they have time to read up on it and prepare on their own.
The fourth step: Onboarding
The new hire has their first day of work and is now ready to become an integral part of the company. This process takes time, but there are many things you can do to make it easy and manageable.
- Make sure to give the new hire a good welcome
This can be in the form of a personalised welcome or by decorating your new employee’s desk with flowers and snacks. Make your new hire feel welcome.
- Create a mentor or buddy arrangement
A new employee will always have questions. Provide the new employee with a mentor, who can help by answering questions as well as introduce the new hire to the company culture and social life.
- Spread out the sharing of information
Onboarding takes time, and how a person finds their routine varies from person to person. Spread out the information sharing so there aren’t too many new things for the new employee to take in at once.
- Follow up
Remember to follow up with your new employee. Maybe there are things that he or she is in doubt about, that you can help clarify, and maybe there are suggestions for improvements regarding your onboarding process.
Are you ready to improve the retainment of your new employees?
