1. Be open and transparent around your company culture

It is not a shock to most that at least a one-quarter of new hires leave due to not liking the company’s culture

Firstly when a company lacks a distinct company culture, this can lead to the unknown and becoming unfit for the organisation.

Make sure you fit what you have defined your company culture to be. For instance, if you said your culture is results-driven, then this needs communicating from the beginning. Specific candidates will thrive on this culture, setting transparency out from the beginning sets the expectations, so there are no grey areas.

2.Give the right expectations of the job

Job descriptions are crucial for your candidate’s expectations of the job. Set realistic expectations and goals, detail the responsibilities of the day to day work, give a clear insight into the company culture.

Continue through the process, and when they start, reiterating the process, so they understand your expectations and what they can expect from you.

Did you know that around 40% of new hires quit their role due to not meeting their expectations.

If a candidate doesn’t like what they see in the pre-employment stage of the hiring process, they are likely not to continue it. On the other hand, a candidate who continues the process is more likely to match with the job you’re offering.

3. Make a 3-month plan

Three out of ten new employees leave a company within the first three months after starting a new job.

A new hire has to have a focus, so they understand how well they find their positions to align with the expectations.

Creating a three-month plan gives them an understanding of the goals set and the expectations on them. Be realistic, and within the three-month program hold one to one meetings regularly to make sure they are on the same path and enjoying what they are trying to achieve.

Following this guideline will help to make new hires feel engaged, valued and productive. As they have clear instructions and guidelines, hires will feel supported which will make them feel like they have landed themselves the job that they thought.

4. Allow new hires to bond with senior management

We have all heard the saying “people do not quit jobs, they quit managers.”

Approximately 35% of new hires quit jobs due to disliking their bosses.

You can address this at the pre-hiring stage. Ideally, the candidates would meet their line manager in advance to starting, Now, this, of course, isn’t in anyone’s hands. But you can still somewhat address it during your pre-hiring stage. For instance, you can arrange hiring rounds where the candidates get to meet and greet their potential future managers and bosses. That way, they’d know if they “don’t click” with their managers. If a potential candidate senses compatibility issues or feels that they might not get along so well with the managers, they could pull out from your hiring cycle during the pre-hiring stage.

Also, make sure your new hires get the time to connect with their managers. If you don’t plan for such bonding, they’d still feel a disconnect and quit — without fully understanding the chance to explore a working relationship with their managers.

5. Provide a great onboarding experience

If there’s one way to crush any potential “expectations gap” for your new hires, then it’s during the onboarding phase. This period is ideal for reassuring your candidates that they’ve landed themselves just the right job.

By making your onboarding consistent with the role, the company and its culture, you will reinforce how well their job expectations match with their job reality. You will also motivate and engage them early on.

You should find ways to make your culture shine through your onboarding. For instance, if you have a people-first culture, make sure that it reflects throughout your onboarding journey, and your new hires feel the consistency.

6. Career paths are set out

Before starting new hires in any position, before onboarding take care that you lay out what career path this could take a candidate. At least 20 per cent of new hires quit due to no clear career advancement.

Reinforce this at the onboarding process, and use the first few months to remind them what the path will continue to look like through success.

From the onboarding, you need to ask questions such as “Where do you see yourself in five years?”. Such questions help you better understand their career path is, and if it aligns with your role and business.

The key to getting this right from the outset is to be realistic to both the candidate and the position/business paths.