Staff retention: why the first 90 days are the most critical

If we asked 100 company leaders their top five challenges, staff retention would appear in most lists. Good people are hard to find, so it’s frustrating when skilled employees leave your company. But how do you make sure talented people stay with your business?

First impressions count in the staff retention battle. Research has shown that the first 90 days are make or break for new employees: a third will quit before the 3-month mark.

Here are five things your company can do to help new starters settle quickly and easily into their new role:

1. Create a structured induction programme

To help your recruits hit the ground running, their first two weeks with the company need to be meticulously planned. The employee onboarding process allows new recruits to:

Meet their managers, colleagues and direct reports
Set expectations for their role
Understand critical systems and processes

The moment you’ve signed a contract with a new employee, your HR advisor can start mapping out their induction programme. The easiest way to do this is through an online HR platform.

You can create a list of essential sessions for all employees and build HR workflows to ensure each induction has been diarised. Then, add in bespoke sessions based on each new starter’s role and seniority level.

One major advantage of using an online HR system to manage the onboarding session is that you can assign induction sessions to existing staff members, requiring them to check-off their session once it has been completed. It’s particularly helpful to track progress in the current remote and flexible working environment, as some sessions may take place on Teams or Zoom rather than face-to-face.

2. Prepare the practical tools your new recruits will need

Welcome sessions and basic training are just one element of successful employee onboarding. New recruits also need the practical tools in place when they start a new role – computers, building access cards, email addresses, uniforms, name badges, employee handbooks and more.

Using online HR tools to create a new starter checklist can help managers and HR staff to ensure that everything is ready for your new arrival. This way, the employee’s first experience of your company is slick and well-organised.

You may also need to book some time with your IT support team to make sure new recruits can login correctly, especially if they’re working remotely.

3. Set clear short-term goals

It’s easy to think about onboarding as a two-week process, but it can take several months for staff to feel fully settled in a new role. This is the danger zone, where poor communication and lack of direction can lead to them regretting their decision.

Even the most talented and experienced professional takes time to understand the nuances of a new company. Therefore, it can be helpful to set short-term goals for what you expect new recruits to achieve. This gives them something concrete to work towards, rather than feeling like they need to ‘boil the ocean’ before they’ve learned where the stationery cupboard is located.

4. Define work patterns and allocate tasks

Settling into a new role is a challenge for full-time staff on regular hours. It becomes even more complex if your recruit is part-time, working shifts or operating flexible hours. From day one, new employees need a clear schedule so they know exactly when they’re working and who will be working alongside them to offer support.

Many companies use online shift planning tools to schedule resourcing requirements, but these are often run separately from HR systems. Choosing an integrated people management system like WhosOffice will allow you to plan employee rosters and onboarding programmes through the same platform – so you’re not scheduling new starters to attend sessions when they’re not working.

And with WhosOffice, you can also allocate tasks to staff – setting clear expectations for new employees while avoiding them taking on jobs that are better suited to more experience members of your organisation.

5. Schedule regular HR check-ins

A carefully planned induction programme is critical to help new starters integrate with your existing team and quickly add value, however it’s important that communications flow two ways. Even with a well-structured onboarding process, recruits are likely to have questions or require further information and training.

With this in mind, it’s worth scheduling regular check-ins with managers and HR personnel, to deal with any teething problems as quickly as possible. If you don’t iron out small queries early on, they can spiral into major doubts and regrets that can lead to new starters leave within weeks of joining your company. Plus, it gives you an opportunity to share positive feedback and early wins with employees, reassuring them that they’re performing well in their new position.

Improve your employee retention rates with WhosOffice

Many companies delay investment in HR and people management tools because they don’t believe they need them. But when you see sobering statistics like a third of new employees leaving their role within the first three months, the investment case becomes much more compelling.

With an online HR system like WhosOffice, you can map out exactly what the first 90 days will look like for every new starter, to make sure they are nurtured and guided at every opportunity. Good organisation, a clear structure and easily accessed support will help to make sure employees feel happy and motivated from day one – and that they’re committed to long-term success within your company.

Start your free WhosOffice trial to build employee onboarding workflows online.