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05 May 2020
by Kerry Drury

How to develop an employee engagement strategy for new employees

An effective engagement strategy for new employees is a vital means of connecting them with the company’s purpose, values and culture, as well as their managers and teams, helping reduce staff turnover and increase retention. Employers can also expect a first-rate engagement strategy to accelerate performance and shorten time-to-productivity.

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With up to 20% of staff turnover happening within the first 45 days on the job, it’s vital that leaders ensure the dream sold at interview is every part the reality. But this can be easier said than done. Find out how employers can best engage and motivate new employees.

Communicating purpose and values

In order to feel passionate about their work, new employees need to feel connected to their company’s purpose and core values. They need to understand what success looks like and how their role and the work they do contributes to the wider organisation. Companies must therefore clearly articulate their purpose and create experiences that inspire new employees to pursue it wholeheartedly. Outlining desired behaviours that are aligned to purpose, also helps to set clear expectations from the start, and reinforces what it means for new employees to be part of something bigger than themselves.

Taking time to connect  

Successful onboarding should be led by leaders and include getting to know the person at an individual level – how do they like to be managed? How do they like their coffee? What keeps them motivated and, most importantly, what impacts their performance? Perhaps connecting them with a mentor or peer group will help them to feel well supported from the outset.

The sooner the employee feels a sense of belonging at the organisation, the more likely they are to stick around and do their best work.

Making employees feel special from day one

Too many organisations onboard an employee with minimal thought or planning. In the worst cases, an employee arrives on their first day to find that they haven’t yet been allocated a seat or a laptop, and they instantly feel an interloper. To ensure new employees remain engaged and motivated, they need to feel valued from the moment they arrive. Some organisations use personalised welcome gifts to great effect, this might include useful or even fun branded items to help build connection to the company’s brand and purpose.

Setting goals early

All employees appreciate clarity around what’s expected of them and so first year goals should always be set. 60% of companies don’t set goals for new employees which is itself an own goal. After all, if employees aren’t sure what is expected of them or how their performance is being measured, they are likely to become confused, anxious and disengaged. Including new employees in ‘special projects’ often helps foster collaboration and leads to a greater sense of achievement.

Booking in regular one-to-ones

Frequent one-on-ones play an important role in employee engagement and should start from day one. It's important for leaders to make time for new hires to ensure they are fully supported and have a clear 90-day plan. Scheduling recurring one-on-ones on a regular basis is essential in order to build trust, engagement and connection.

Appreciating and celebrating

Leaders must recognise effort and results regularly so new employees feel valued and appreciated. Many companies are introducing earlier milestone awards at years one, two and three as part of their onboarding process. At the end of year one, most employees will be considering questions around their future career within the company. At years two and three they may have their heads turned by outside opportunities, and so it’s important to recognise their contributions to date. This might be in the form of a team celebration or earlier milestone award. With 53% of employees stating that they’d stay at their organisations for longer if they were shown more appreciation, this is a quick win that has a long-lasting impact.

Don’t have an onboarding end point 

A time limit should never be placed on the onboarding process. In fact, the induction period should be ongoing, with regular check-ins, goal-setting and two-way feedback. Recognising effort and achievement in ‘real-time’ also helps reinforce that the individual matters to the organisation and their work is valued.

Companies should look at ways of building connections amongst team members and across the wider organisation. This might be through a peer-to-peer mentoring programme or collaborate working group. It’s important to note that companies with a poor onboarding process experience reduced productivity, lower confidence, disengagement and a lack of trust which can permeate the wider team. 

Sticking to the strategy is key

Understanding how best to engage new employees is key to increasing staff retention, motivation and productivity. Many organisations are forgetting the basics of ensuring a new member of the team feels welcomed and valued, so an engagement strategy must be in place and implemented for every single new hire. Failure to do this will see few new employees remaining past the six-month mark.

Further engagement strategies can be found in O.C Tanner’s Global Culture Report.

The author is Kerry Drury, culture and engagement strategist from O.C. Tanner Europe.

This article is provided by O.C. Tanner Europe.

In partnership with O. C. Tanner

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