I could hear my heartbeat as I walked down the hall with a notebook in hand. Would my neck turn splotchy red as I asked questions this time? Clearly, I was feeling anxious.
I always thought I was a pretty good judge of character. I had done hundreds of interviews, but it’s always different hiring someone to work directly for you rather than interviewing someone on behalf of another leader.
I was a new manager and my last hire was a disaster. She didn’t even make it a year. It was hard for her and it was hard on me… professionally AND personally. When you care a lot about your work and your employee doesn’t stay with you very long, it makes you question a lot and become very introspective.
This time it was going to be different.
The Cost of a Bad Hire
No one wants to invest time, energy, and resources in someone just to have them quit in less than 90 days. The cost of a bad hire is both tangible and intangible affecting morale, team dynamics, and productivity.
You’re eager but nervous to hire someone for your team. I get it! I’ve been there too.
Over the years, I’ve honed in on actionable steps you can take to make sure you hire and retain a superstar employee. Check out these 5 reasons new employees quit and what you should do instead.
Why New Employees Quit
Let’s start with the hiring process. It’s very easy to make a bad decision and hire the wrong person if you don’t plan and prepare for the interview process. If you go with your “gut” or on someone’s recommendation, you could be missing the mark in a big way.
You hire the person only to find out they weren’t at all what you had hoped. You misunderstood the depth of their experience. Or, they didn’t fit with your company culture or team.
Avoid this mistake by preparing in advance before making a hire. Grab my free checklist “How to Hire Like a Pro” that covers the exact steps you need to take to hire a superstar employee.
Poor Onboarding
Another reason why employees quit is because they were not properly onboarded and transitioned into the team. Experts say it can take up to a year to fully onboard an employee.
The goal of onboarding is to help the person understand your expectations, job responsibilities, and the unwritten rules of the company. Do team members prefer to communicate over the phone, instant messenger, or idk millions of abbreviations via text. Lol
There is no one answer to how long an onboarding plan should last. A solid plan includes team introductions, information about the company culture, and intentional time spent between employee and manager to describe the job and expectations. Additionally, it’s good to review your policies and procedures, organizational holidays, standard hours etc. Some businesses partner new employees with a buddy so that they can easily ask questions as needed.
Mis-represented Job
A third reason employees leave early is that the job just isn’t as it was described. He thought he was going to be doing social media marketing, instead, he’s serving as a copy editor.
This can happen when a team is in flux or the organizational design hasn’t been finalized. Likely in these cases, the boss hired pre-maturely and the needs became clearer after the hire was made.
Avoid this by taking the time to define your organizational structure. Think about what it currently looks like and what you need it to look like in 12 months. Create a new position for the future world and not yesterday’s needs.
When new needs arise (and they will) talk to your new employee to gauge their interest and skill set. Understand your employee’s motivations and communicate new responsibilities by highlighting “What’s In It For Them.”
Unwelcoming Team
Natalie was hired into a new job. She was excited about her job, the boss, and the work, but she got the cold shoulder from other team members. In fact, she heard that they mocked her behind her back. It was clear that there were a lot of inside jokes. And sharing all of the details about the past just seemed to be a bother.
She would ask questions in SLACK and it took hours if not days before someone would answer, yet she saw that others got responses within minutes.
The fourth reason new employee leave is because they feel unwelcome.
New employees need to feel welcomed and part of the team. If you’re a solopreneur and this is your first team member, then make sure that you connect frequently especially at first.
If you have an existing team, give them ideas on how they can connect with and integrate the new team member. Have them work on projects together to increase collaboration. Or, assign a buddy to hardwire connections.
Poor Leadership
The final reason employees leave is due to their leaders. It’s been said, “employees don’t leave their job, they leave the manager.” (ouch) The boss plays an important role in how much an employee likes their job…or not. There’s a variety of reasons that could fall into this bucket…poor communication, not spending enough time with the new employee, lack of emotional intelligence etc.
Be sure to invest in yourself or your managers to develop leadership skills. Books, online training or in-person sessions can help you learn the skills to effectively engage with and lead your people. (in fact, there’s a lot of actionable tips and tools on Boss Brilliance that can help you)
Research indicates that 20-30% of new employees leave in the first 90 days! That number is scary and shocking! But the good news is, there are actionable steps you can take to mitigate your risk.
Take Action Now:
- Grab my free checklist “How to Hire Like a Pro” that covers the exact steps you need to take to hire a superstar employee.
- Create an onboarding plan for your next employee
- Create a future-focused job description for your next hire
- Establish a buddy for new hires and set expectations with your team about welcoming new members
- Identify a leadership book or training to sharpen leadership skills
Boss Brilliance where Entrepreneurs Learn to Scale their Business through their People
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