The first days in a new job are critical for new employees in terms of forming an opinion of their employers. If you do not want your employees to leave as quickly as they come, avoid the following mistakes which were published in an article on Forbes.com entitled "12 Ways To Alienate A New Hire".
You show a lack of interest
A new employee has prepared for the first day at work, arrives enthusiastically and you do not welcome him or her. Then it turns out that nobody even knows that he or she was coming ... It is a major gaffe to make a bad impression at the first opportunity and it is very difficult to rectify.
You are unprepared
New employees should not come to a workplace where there will be no desk, no telephone and no working computer prepared for them. In addition to these things and some basic instructions on how to orientate within the company, there should also be a colleague allocated who will be on hand to help them.
There is no structure in your training
You are training your new employees immediately, showing them videos and simulations, but do not tell them how all this relates to their work. You expect them to understand the context themselves, which only leads to frustration when the newcomers do not know what to do. Start slowly and gradually.
You train only once
This is a big mistake because newcomers will forget most of the things from the initial training very soon. New employee training should be a gradual process associated with team work and communication with colleagues.
You make unrealistic promises
The employee who was enthusiasic about your company during the hiring process, should not discover that the position itself does not deliver what you promised. Corporate culture should never be in conflict with the publicly advertised employer brand.
You criticize immediately
Your managers should be prepared for the fact that new employees will make mistakes. If they make mistakes that cause you big problems, then you are probably expecting too much too soon from them.
You assign too large a volume of work
New employees cannot immediately start working like the biggest stars. First they must understand how things are in the company and what the purpose of their work is. Rather than overwhelming them with work, start by allowing them to get to know their colleagues.
You provide no responsibility
This case is the opposite extreme. New employees need to learn new things and for that they need to have some responsibility for what they do. They should see that you expect something from them and that you have confidence in them.
There is no feedback
Employees, especially new ones, should hear from you what they do well and what they do not. Managers or the colleagues serving as their mentors should communicate with them every day and ask about their progress.
You do not listen
Just because someone is new does not mean that he or she is stupid. You have surely not hired your new people to remain silent and not to think for themselves. Managers should be interested in their opinions and give them space to talk.
You do not say what you want
Priorities may change in different ways. This, however, does not change the fact that your people should know your expectations. Set specific benchmarks for your new people - what they should know after one week, after one month and after three months.
-kk-