You go through the entire process of successfully recruiting, hiring, and onboarding a candidate, taking valuable time, energy, and fiscal resources. And you think she is going to be a fantastic fit! But then, in less than three months, she is turning in her notice. So, what went wrong?

The onboarding period is absolutely crucial – especially in an industry like senior care, which is known for long hours and emotionally taxing work, often leading to burnout. In this article, we will go over some of the most important steps of the onboarding process that you cannot afford to overlook.

Be super clear about what the role and responsibilities entail

One of the main reasons that new hires jump ship so quickly is because they start thinking “this is not what I signed up for!” You need to be incredibly clear (arguably, this should be established long before the onboarding process) about exactly what they will be doing on a day-to-day basis and who they will be reporting to. By taking the time to have these detailed conversations, candidates will feel much more confident as they begin the onboarding process.

Give the new employee the time and resources they need

Do not just dump a bunch of materials and say “good luck!” You need to have a standardized system in place that ensures all new hires get the same onboarding experience, and have a chance to meet and get to know their new team. Do your best to not overwhelm them with procedural guides or expect them to learn everything overnight. All training materials should be easily digestible, and keep in mind that you can – and should! – send them things to read before their first day on the job. This will help jumpstart the training process.

Stay involved in this process and see what can be improved

This goes along with not just abandoning your new hire to “figure things out” on their own. Get regular check-ins with both the new hire’s manager as well as the new hire’s HR contact on the calendar as soon as you can. This way, the new hire can feel unspoken support and begin to prepare questions/points of conversation ahead of time. During these check-ins, be sure to ask who they have spoken to and who they still have yet to meet – this is important for them to feel integrated into the team.

 

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