This onboarding new staff research shows the levels of employee engagement, leavers and those at risk. Find out the reasons why new starters leave and problems with the onboarding process for new hires.
Onboarding New Staff Based on Employee Education Levels
The onboarding of new employees is key to preventing high early attrition rates. Whilst demographic differences are important to recruitment and retention because one size does not fit all staff.
This is true of employee engagement strategies and taking on new employees. Staff surveys show trends in engaging employees and can help lower staff turnover by highlighting the specific needs of organisation’s new hires.
This research demonstrates the specific needs of onboarding new hires based on the employee education levels. These illustrate areas to focus on in the onboarding process.
In 2014 great{with}talent researched an overall sample of 7,490 new hires to test their staff engagement levels. This chart shows the number of new employees who are actively leaving, at risk and engaged dependent on their employee education level.
Read: Why Staff Leave Based on Employee Education Levels.
All Other Employees
Beginning with employees who have ‘other’ education levels, this batch includes 1,054 employees who have joined an organisation in the past 12 months. This group also has the smallest percentage of involuntary leavers.
The top reason these new employees gave as a staff turnover driver was the pay and benefits package (36%). Whilst the nature of the work itself (34%) came in second place.
This is the only group where these issues ranked in the number one and two spot. The former, however, was of average concern.
This shows that this group has less qualms about the onboarding process yet they value pay and benefits above other factors. Meanwhile, the latter was highest amongst this batch.
This may show that employment which requires lower employee education levels isn’t as stimulating. Low cost rewards and recognition ideas can go a long way to making more menial tasks meaningful.
Read: New Customer Service Employees and Staff Engagement 2014.
Similarly, potential for progression through the organisation (33%) was listed as a lower concern. Yet, it’s clearly still an issue.
The key is to have an honest conversation during recruitment and the onboarding of new employees. By giving new starters realistic expectations they won’t be disappointed.
Meanwhile, training and development opportunities (30%) came in fourth as a concern. This is significantly higher than the average and any other group.
Contrary to popular belief, training does not have to cost a lot of resources. Shadowing and mentoring can provide new skills and direction.
These development opportunities can also help staff know immediately how to plan the trajectory of their career and the skills they need. This can make them indispensible to the organisation and lower employee turnover.
Unfortunately, work-life balance (27%) also made the list. Though, lower than the average this issue can be dealt with through flexible working to combat long working hours.
A-Level Employees
This group includes 487 A-level employees. They, on the other hand, only flagged three main staff turnover drivers. Potential for progression through the organisation (41%) came in first place.
As aforementioned the best approach to tackle this issue is prevention. By being honest with potential employees about opportunities staff engagement will be higher.
It’s also important to inform them of the skills they need for progression. By knowing this immediately new starters can work towards goals, build skills and ultimately add value to the organisation.
The pay and benefits package (35%) was also an issue. This area was lowest amongst this group ergo small changes can go a long way.
It’s always imperative to stay as competitive as possible on pay. Additionally, alongside low cost benefits, there’s also unusual employee benefits.
By thinking outside the box an organisation can offer things staff wouldn’t get elsewhere. This can reduce early attrition and increase employee loyalty.
Lastly, the nature of the work itself (29%) where this group gave an average percentage. By improving the above areas, this issue itself can be decreased as an employee turnover driver.
There are also small and simple ways to make work fun. These low-cost and in-office changes can improve morale and build teamwork.
Degree and Above Employees
This group includes 4,780 degree and above employees. They cited potential for progression through the organisation (48%) as a much bigger issue. This is a cause for concern.
As previously mentioned honesty, staying competitive, mentoring and shadowing can all improve this area. Yet, there are other approaches at hand.
If promotions are not available then a lateral move in the organisation can benefit the company and the employee. It allows for skill-building and the new hire may find another area offers more opportunities and is better suited to their needs.
During the onboarding orientation new hires should be informed of such opportunities. Moreover, they should be told of the benefits and how this move would make them more indispensible to the organisation in future.
Likewise, the pay and benefits package (37%) and work-life balance (28%) were slightly higher in these results. This highlights the trend that talent are more willing to leave employment and evidently this includes early attrition.
Read: Onboarding Best Practices for Managerial and Professional Employee Engagement 2014.
The key is to highlight all these areas during the recruitment and onboarding stages. They can also be tackled through feedback such as staff surveys to fulfil the specific needs of these employees.
Fortunately, the nature of the work itself (27%) has improved in this group. Furthermore, training and development opportunities (27%) are also less of a concern.
These issues, however, have still been noted. As a result, any improvements will further increase staff engagement.
By tailoring employee engagement strategies to different groups this can improve their effectiveness. This includes higher productivity, improved customer service and lower staff turnover.
These results show that different demographics do have different needs. By targeting each group with specific employee engagement initiatives organisations can get the most from their investments.
Contact great{with}talent and increase “speed to performance” of new staff with their onboarding tool:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rlwqY3BNeA](Main image from Sparks IT Solutions)