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Retention has always been hard.
But with remote becoming the norm, it’s an even bigger pain in the ass.
Companies have 2 things coming down on them:
👉Employees have near unlimited time to interview.
👉Out of sight, out of mind. Ad hoc check ins, reading non-verbal cues, community & togetherness. All gone.
It’s not for lack of interest, care, or trying. There’s no playbook for this. Everyone is figuring it out as they go along.
So let’s start writing it together.
5 Ways To Ensure New Hires Don't Bail:
1. Regular check-ins. More than your usual cadence.
Verbalize the following:
Are you happy?
Do you feel like you have enough support with training/onboarding?
What are your concerns so far?
Is this role what you expected?
2. Training and development. Specifically in the first 30-60-90 days.
Walk the walk on what you promised. Nothing says I chose the wrong job like sitting at home alone waiting for instructions.
3. Meet in person (if at all possible.)
Coffees, lunches, happy hours. I know it’s still dicey with COVID. And location will not always be possible.
But that’s where you found out what your team was REALLY thinking.
4. Add informal meets and internal groups to the onboarding process.
Have a group that does volunteer work? Or a DEI committee? Or a content committee (like I do at Hirewell, shout out to me-this-guy)? Include them from the start.
New hires are often more buttoned-up than they need to be. It’s hard to learn everyone’s vibe when interaction is limited to the day to day.
Any interaction with team members when they’re NOT talking about the job is a huge bonus.
5. Dedicate a resource to it. Hire someone.
Take all that money you save on downsizing/eliminating your office and hire someone. Onboarding, learning & development, retention.
It’ll be some of the best money you spend.
Got any other ideas? I’m all ears.
Full episode of The 10 Minute Talent Rant, ep 30 You Can’t Out Recruit Bad Retention w/Jeff Smith, here.
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