Onboarding can make the difference between employees who are engaged and excited from day one and those who never feel connected and leave after a brief tenure. If you want to keep good workers and enable them to hit the ground running, avoid these four onboarding mistakes:
- Failing to prioritize communication. Before they clock in for the first time, new hires should know their schedules, their roles and responsibilities, and what their average day will look like. They should know who to seek out for different types of questions and who to report to.
- Moving too fast, too soon. Don’t overwhelm new employees with information. Start with the basics and give them time to get settled in and established. Consider working with them on a schedule of training that gets them up and running slowly while giving them priority information first.
- Underestimating the value of mentorships. Don’t assume someone doesn’t want or won’t benefit from mentorships. Connect new hires with mentors who can help answer their questions, increase their confidence and sense of direction, and make them feel like part of the team.
- Assigning low-value tasks. While you don’t want to overwhelm new employees, you don’t want to underestimate or bore them either. Engage them in challenging, innovative projects and activities. Just make sure they have any training or resources they need. Trust them to do the job you’ve hired them for.
