Ever hired someone, only to watch them leave before they even placed their coffee mug in the kitchen cupboard? You’ve invested months (and, honestly, thousands of dollars) in finding the right person for the position, only to watch them leave in a few months. That’s time, money, and energy down the drain. You are not the only one.
In fact, The Work Institute research shows that more than 37% of new hires walk out within the first year.
28-33% of new hires do it within the first 90 days.
If that stat doesn’t sting, here’s another: nearly half of employees who quit in the first year blame poor onboarding. So, let me ask you—are you still sure it’s their fault?
As leaders and entrepreneurs, we love to blame the hiring market for turnover. But here’s the hard truth: it’s not just the talent pool drying up; it’s how we treat the people we bring on board.
Let’s face it: most onboarding processes are an afterthought. We think a few forms and a quick office tour will cut it. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. If you’re losing new employees faster than you can hire them, it’s time to revisit your onboarding strategy.
The problem isn’t always the hire—it’s how we bring them on board. Instead of being more cautious when hiring, shift your focus to the onboarding process.
People leave when they don’t feel welcomed, supported, or see their purpose. How can we ensure they feel like they are part of the team from day one?
Tired of Losing New Hires? These 5 Moves Will Prepare Your New Talent for Success
1. Set Clear Expectations Early
Imagine walking into a new job and not knowing what “good” looks like. You’re unsure if you’re hitting the mark, which tasks are priorities, or how they will measure your success. It’s like being in a race but not knowing where the finish line is. This lack of clarity can lead to frustration and confusion and quickly disengages new hires. They’re left uncertain about their role and whether they’re doing things right.
A well-structured onboarding process should remove this guesswork by clarifying expectations from day one. Outline their role in detail, clarify main responsibilities, and define success metrics. When employees know exactly what’s expected, they have a direction and feel empowered to contribute meaningfully.
Example: Dropbox provides new employees with clear, structured goals for their first week, month, and quarter. They get a roadmap, ensuring no ambiguity about what they should work toward. This simple but effective approach helps new hires integrate faster and keeps them engaged because they know what they’re aiming for at every step.
Pro Tip 1: Hold a one-on-one meeting within the first few days to discuss your new hire’s goals. Ensure they understand how their role ties into the bigger picture of the company’s objectives. A simple, written roadmap with specific milestones for the first 30, 60, and 90 days can help them stay focused and align with your expectations.
Pro Tip 2:
Processes mapped in the Process Space®Platform allow employees constant access to company workflows. They can always check what they need to do next, how to do it and what the outcome needs to be. They also have a clear overview of the KPIs and can track their progress. Using the platform ensures that nothing slips through the cracks, and your new hire knows precisely how they perform from day
2. Create a Buddy System (Buddy ≠Mentor)
Starting a new job is always nerve-wracking—a new environment, faces, lots to learn, and new responsibilities. One way to ease the anxiety and help new hires settle in faster is pairing them with a “buddy.”
It’s important to understand that a buddy is not the same as a mentor. A mentor focuses on long-term career growth, development, and coaching. In contrast, a buddy’s role is more short-term and practical. A buddy is a seasoned team member, like a friendly guide offering informal support: helpful guidance, integrating the person into the team, helping them navigate the day-to-day logistics, answering questions, and introducing the new hire to the company culture.
This system makes the transition smoother and fosters a sense of belonging from day one. People tend to stay where they feel connected; a buddy can provide that much-needed connection. By having a go-to person for these small but crucial details, new hires avoid feeling lost or isolated.
The Buddy System Boosts Retention
Example: Companies like Google and Airbnb have adopted a buddy system to help new hires integrate faster. At Google, employees with buddies are 25% more productive, contributing to a retention rate of 90%, well above the tech industry average of 75-85%. Similarly, Airbnb pairs new hires with buddies for their first 90 days, helping them feel connected and boosting their retention rate to 89%, compared to the hospitality industry average of 70-80%. This simple practice can significantly reduce turnover by making new employees feel supported from day one.
Pro Tip:
Choose buddies who are strong communicators, friendly, and approachable, as they play an essential role in integrating new hires into the company culture. Their primary job isn’t formal training or mentorship but to act as a welcoming peer who helps the new hire feel like a part of the team from day one. They should be readily available for informal check-ins and share not only job-related insights but also the social and cultural aspects of the company. By fostering this connection, buddies help build a sense of belonging and trust, creating a supportive environment that significantly boosts engagement and long-term retention.
3. Offer Bite-Sized Training
When onboarding a new hire, one of the biggest mistakes you can make is throwing everything at them all at once. Imagine starting a new job and being bombarded with information on day one—policies, procedures, tools, expectations—it’s overwhelming. This overload leads to confusion and anxiety, leaving the new hire struggling to retain all that they’ve heard. Instead, break the training into smaller, more digestible pieces that gradually build over time. Think of it as feeding them information in bite-sized chunks so they can absorb and retain it better without feeling swamped.
Short, focused learning sessions are far more effective because they give new hires time to process what they’ve learned and put it into practice. This approach ensures they’re not just taking in information but understanding and applying it in real time.
Example: At Google, they’ve mastered this approach by offering “just-in-time” learning resources. Instead of overwhelming new hires with everything on day one, Google provides training materials that employees can access exactly when they need them. This allows new hires to integrate training into their daily work, making it feel less like a burden and more like a helpful tool.
Pro Tip:
Start by prioritizing the most important training topics for day one and gradually introduce more as the new hire settles in. With The Process Space®Platform, you can schedule the delivery of bite-sized training modules over time, ensuring new hires receive training in a structured, manageable way. Want to make it even more engaging? Use AI to create interactive video tutorials that offer step-by-step instructions for specific tasks, helping employees learn without feeling overwhelmed. This approach supports the seamless integration of training into the onboarding process, preventing information overload and promoting better retention.
4. Regular check-ins
If you wait until the 90-day review to ask your new hire how they’re doing, you’re already too late.
New employees need regular touchpoints to stay engaged and on the right path. Without frequent check-ins, minor problems—like confusion about tasks or challenges with team dynamics—can fester and lead to disengagement. Regular check-ins allow you to catch these issues early and offer the necessary support or adjustments to keep the new hires motivated and aligned with their goals.
These check-ins shouldn’t be just about work performance; they’re also a chance to discuss how the employee feels, what challenges they face, and how they adapt to the company culture. Consistent feedback fosters a sense of belonging and ensures the new hire knows they are valued and supported.
Example: At Shopify, managers schedule weekly 1:1 meetings with new hires during their first few months. These sessions ensure new employees feel supported, heard, and aligned with their goals and the company’s. This proactive approach significantly boosts engagement and reduces the likelihood of early turnover.
Pro Tip: Schedule frequent check-ins during the first few months—weekly or bi-weekly. These conversations don’t need to be long; even 10-15 minutes can make a difference. Ask open-ended questions to uncover potential challenges or concerns. Use these sessions to provide feedback and listen actively to the new hire’s experience, and make necessary adjustments. This regular dialogue helps new hires feel more connected, engaged, and supported.
5. Encourage feedback—early and often
New hires should feel empowered to share their experiences and ideas from day one. Waiting until the annual engagement survey to check in with them is a missed opportunity. Early feedback is essential to understanding how well your onboarding process works and where it might need adjustments. Create an open channel for feedback right from the start to make new hires feel heard and demonstrate that their input is valued. This can significantly boost morale and engagement.
Frequent feedback helps identify potential roadblocks or areas of confusion before they become bottlenecks. It’s an opportunity to learn what’s working well and what needs to be improved—whether it’s training, communication, or overall support. More importantly, responding to this feedback quickly shows that the company is proactive and genuinely cares about the employee experience. This continuous loop of feedback and improvement helps new employees feel more connected and fosters a culture of open communication and trust.
Example: Netflix fosters a culture where feedback is highly encouraged, even during onboarding. New hires are prompted to share their thoughts on how the process is going, and Netflix is quick to adapt based on their input. This flexibility keeps the company culture dynamic and ensures new employees are set up for success.
Pro Tip: Make it a priority to gather feedback regularly, starting from the first week. Put it in your schedule. Ask specific questions like “How are you finding the training process?” or “Do you feel you have the support you need?” and be sure to act on the responses. The feedback doesn’t need to be formal—informal check-ins work just as well. What matters is that new hires know their voice is being heard and that their feedback will lead to changes if necessary.
Why Onboarding Matters More Than You Might Think?
Do you still think onboarding is just paperwork and orientation videos?
Studies show that a well-structured onboarding process can boost retention rates by up to 50%.
How much talent and potential are you losing by not getting it right?
Don’t set them up to fail with outdated, disorganized onboarding plans. In today’s fast-paced world, employees don’t have time to feel lost—and neither do you. A structured, supportive onboarding process isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s the difference between retaining a great employee or watching them walk out the door. Create a clear, engaging, and tailored experience from day one.
With tools like The Process Space®Platform, you can present how your company operates by mapping all of its processes in one place. This gives you a deep understanding of every function within your organization. While the platform isn’t solely focused on onboarding, it allows you to incorporate onboarding seamlessly into your overall business operations. New hires can be introduced to the company’s workflows from day one, creating a smooth and efficient experience that aligns with how your business functions.
Ready to stop watching your new hires walk out the door?
How about starting with a fresh look at your onboarding process?
Book a free consultation and see how we can turn things around for your team. You’ll walk away with actionable insights:
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