7 Key Reasons New Employees Fail – Blame Hiring Managers or Employers

New Hire Onboarding Failures

Key reasons new employees fail

It might seem infrequent.  Yet, the key reasons new employees fail during onboarding and probation are directly the fault of the manager and the company.

What?…

That’s what we see.  The top 7 key reasons new employees fail are:

  • Poor Recruitment
  • Incorrect or No Real Onboarding Process
  • Unclear  Explanation of New Hire Duties
  • Fuzzy Reporting Lines
  • No explanation of the Code of Conduct
  • Poor Performance Management
  • Changing  New Hire’s Position and Responsibilities

Let’s explore the 7 key reasons employees fail and how to offset them.

Hiring - recruiting mistakes

 

 

 

 

 

1.Poor Recruitment Practice is First Key Reason New Employees Fail

Grabbing the first person breathing who looked at your job and didn’t really match their interest, attitude and skills to the position.

2. Incorrect or No Real Onboarding Process

Not explaining the firm and how the candidate’s specific position fits into the bigger picture. You were not welcoming. You didn’t explain basic internal processes and rules and the person broke the rules.

3. Unclear  Explanation of Duties

You were not clear in explaining what had to be done, in what order and for what reason. If you are fuzzy, what hope has a new employee without your experience of the business have of getting it right?

4. Fuzzy Management Reporting Lines

Does your employee know who their direct report is or are they getting torn between different managers telling them different things?

5. No explanation of the Code of Conduct

There wasn’t a proper explanation what acceptable and unacceptable behavior was?

6. Poor Performance Management

When they were going off track, did you take time to bring them back gently on track or did you just ‘throw them under the bus?’ Did you give them feedback that there was a problem, or did you just dump them?

7. Changing  New Hire’s Position and Responsibilities Another Key Reason New Employees Fail

The person was hired for one position and you changed the role and duties after they started.

On Rare Occasions

Infrequently the  occasion arises where a new hire frankly doesn’t care about the job s/he was hired for or the company.  But these are less than 1% of all new employee failures.

If you find that you are having a number of new employee failures—then go back and check out where the problem really lies. You usually will find it is not with the individuals hired, but with the person doing the hiring.

Action Steps for New Employee Success

Key reasons new employees fail and what to do

So, what do you do about it? When you have a vacancy, start by being really clear on the role you want to fill. What precisely will they be doing? Who do they report to? What are they accountable for?

Next be clear on the person who will best fit your role – their skills, attitudes and attributes.

Once you have found someone – how can you make them feel welcome, important and valued? What do you need to tell them so they quickly understand your business and “how you do things around here”.

If they get off track – talk with them and explain what you really meant for them to do. Ask for feedback on your communication and act on suggestions to improve it. Guide them back on track as gently as possible.

Yes, all of this takes time. But so does having to constantly hire new staff. Where would you prefer to invest your time?

Need Help Recruiting and Onboarding?

So, for your next project, if you need help hiring qualified candidates, a project manager with the right experience and skill set, or if you’re looking for a professional staffing agency, give us a call.

Talk to a Flexicrew professional about your 2022 staffing needs and let them do the heavy lifting!

 

 

4 Simple Ways to Enhance Temporary Workers’ Onboarding

After the professional selection has been completed and suitable candidates for the open position have been found, a large number of managers think that this process of hiring a temporary worker has ended. The truth is, however, that this is how the recruitment process really – begins.

Getting started involves introducing employees to all that is important for them to know, in order to adapt to the new company, but also to learn how to meet the demands of the job itself and his or her workplace. Even if a temporary is a highly trained professional, he will need time to adapt to the new environment and to “grasp” all that is important for the functioning of the company in which he started working.

 

 

 

 

 

Here are 4 simple ways to enhance temporary workers’ onboarding and why it’s important.

1. Get temporary worker feedback on their onboarding process

When the temporaries enter their workplace, they should already know their working hours and all that matters, but this is also the moment when they should become familiar with the rules that govern the company (first with formal, in the form of rules, codes of conduct, etc.) and then with the informal rules of the group of people they work with. This will take time so that the employee not only remembers but also adapts to the rules.

2. Match temporaries with permanent staff mentors

It is advisable for a new employee to have a mentor, which can be his / her direct supervisor, as well as one of the colleagues with substantially more working experience. This person is tasked with introducing the new employee into the job, that is, to train him: to show him and teach him everything that is important for the proper and efficient performance of the job. First, it is necessary to know the job that the new employee has entered. Then a plan is drawn up – in addition to describing specific tasks that are waiting to be performed by an employee; it is also necessary to define deadlines by which time each segment of work or workplace will be “covered.” In this way, the pace of progress of the new employee can be monitored.

3. Do not give contingent workers non-productive tasks

Giving temporaries tasks in order “to just have something to do when there is no actual work” could damage their motivation. A vague job description or simple list of tasks that an employee needs to perform each day is often a reason to be demotivated. The tasks must be specific and related to the job description. Always explain the task as clearly as you can. If the behavior you want is actually a more complex chain of behavior, divide it into smaller and simpler behaviors. It’s better if you can reward the completion of each of a series of small steps rather than waiting for a person to complete the entire task. In other words, acknowledge the little achievement builds motivation and skills.

4. Don’t involve temporaries in many meetings

Temporary staff needs time to adjust to a new environment, so it’s important not to involve them in too many meetings. Even for the staff members that are tenured within a company, it is advisable to periodically gather and discuss current tasks, problems, and ideas, and also evaluate their work. Too many meetings could only confuse temporary workers.

Transform and Enhance Temporary Workers’ Onboarding Process

Let Flexicrew Staffing offer you some pointers on how to enhance temporary workers’ onboarding.  Contact us today.

How to Prepare for Holiday Hiring Facing Low Unemployment

Have you begun to prepare for holiday hiring?

Many businesses have a seasonal spike in the number of workers they need starting right about now.  Help Wanted ads are cropping up all over!

Employers who need to boost seasonal hires to survive the holidays are beginning their recruitment in earnest.

Holiday Hiring Perfect Storm

With low unemployment coupled with the ever-increasing growth in e-commerce,  how will you prepare for holiday hiring the number of workers you need?

Many well-known firms have long relied on seasonal teams to help manage their busiest time of year.  But as unemployment levels have fallen they have had difficulty attracting workers to the temporary, often low-paying positions.

Last year many firms reported a tough time with holiday hiring, and began to offer incentives and perks to overcome that problem. And with unemployment rates still low, employers need to realize they must provide “something extra.”   They need to differentiate themselves from other employers also seeking seasonal workers.

“Companies are fighting hard to retain and attract employees,” Andrew Challenger from Challenger, Gray and Christmas said. “They’re keeping them longer, and there’s less of this ‘hire a bunch at the holidays and dump them at the end’ because companies need them year-round.”

Prepare for Holiday Hiring Using Different Approaches

So, with the difficult hiring climate upon us, it’s time to prepare for holiday hiring using different approaches.  Get creative to see how you might improve your holiday hiring.

Reflect on these tactics for holiday hiring (and keeping) top-notch workers:

Prepare for Holiday Hiring by Contacting Quality Workers from Previous Years

Give preference to “same time, next year” candidates. Select candidates most likely to come back again next year for the busy season.  That could simplify your hiring for next year’s busy season.

Seasonal Has Become Permanent

Don’t assume you will keep seasonal hires just for the season. Some seasonal hires will be candidates for permanent positions.  Identify possible permanent hires early on.  Monitor their performance.  At the end of the busy season, decide if they’re qualified for permanent jobs.

Promote the opportunity for seasonal workers to become permanent and earn health care, retirement benefits and tuition assistance.

Prepare for Holiday Hiring and Rehiring

Assume employee turnover.  Some of your workforce will not hang in for the entire season.  That’s a given!   Prepare for holiday hiring expecting you’ll have to hire some workers to replace defectors during the season. Structure pay to reward seasonal workers who stay as long as you need them. You might consider weekly retention bonuses or provide a bonus based on production if they complete the season.

Don’t Skimp with Onboarding

Provide resources to successful onboarding your seasonal staff. Throwing seasonal employees into the job inadequately prepared could hurt your production and bottom line.

Extra Hours

Some businesses are offering extra hours to its own existing employees instead of hiring temporary workers, which could be difficult to find in tight labor markets.

Offering extra hours to current employees or to current temporary workers instead of hiring extra staff might help.  It avoids the cost of hiring or the risk of getting poor workers.

Pay vs. Cost of Living

Especially in a labor market that has a higher cost of living, people respond — as they always would — to jobs offering higher pay.

Companies able to offer more competitive wages or attractive employee perks frequently are more successful in quickly hiring their required seasonal staff.

Accurate, Up-to-Date Job Descriptions

Make sure job descriptions for seasonal hires are accurate, complete and up-to-date. Don’t just use job descriptions that are several years out-of-date. Have the supervisor who writes the job description follow an employee who does that job and update the description even for seasonal workers.

Bus Service

Offer bus service to help workers get to your site.  This will lower absenteeism and tardiness.  That will also help to lower the amount of firing and rehiring you need to do.

Hiring Attitude Plus Aptitude

Hire for attitude as much as aptitude. Frankly, most seasonal work is about being flexible and getting up to speed quickly, not a sophisticated set of skills. Look for reliable employees who stress safety and customer focus.

Retailers

Retailers can offer seasonal store and distribution center employees increased wages during peak weeks and offer employee discounts on merchandise.

Some retailers will also host after-hours events such as holiday parties for seasonal associates.

Customer Service

It is more important than ever for companies to provide good customer service.   They operate in a fast-changing, competitive market. The pressure is on to have a successful holiday season.  The hiring crunch has come at a time when customers want easier shopping and more fun during one of the busiest times.

Some employers are offering flexibility in some of its seasonal positions – the chance to work from home. For example, retailers are offering remote customer sales rep positions to seasonal employees.

Increase focus on service through new training, tools and technology.  Training programs will prepare them to better serve customers, especially during this busy season.

Expand Prospective Candidate Base

Reach out to students, working moms, retired persons or just people looking to make extra money for the holidays.  They might require use of flexible hours, flexible shifts or even part-time work to fit their outside schedule.

Single-Source Staffing Agency for Holiday Hiring

If you use staffing vendors, give one sole responsibility to hire for your peak demand. Staffing agencies may be swamped filling the seasonal needs of many clients at once. Tell one agency that you will give them all your seasonal business. They should be more willing to give you ‘first dibs’ on the best seasonal workers.

Your Turn

So, study these suggestions for holiday hiring and tell us what you have done to help overcome the seasonal crunch.

Want to find out how to access Flexicrew’s broad network of skilled workers and professionals?  Contact us today!