New global research from webonboarding launched today, reveals that businesses are failing to onboard new employees effectively, and in turn bringing costly implications. Almost four in ten of the 4,000 office workers surveyed across the UK, USA, Australia and New Zealand, admitted to having a serious problem during the onboarding process, highlighting the crisis hitting HR teams and prompting the need for a drastic change.
42% of respondents reported not having the basic equipment such as a computer or laptop ready for them on their first day, followed by 37% who didn’t receive full training. With businesses investing so much money into the onboarding process, it was surprising to learn that once they had recruited the ideal candidate they were failing to support and prepare adequately.
Through our research we found there was a prominent ‘onboarding gap’ – the grey area between recruitment and when the chosen candidate starts a new role – that somehow businesses have been mismanaging. Engagement is critical and even more so within the first month of employment. With 79% agreeing they would have settled into a new role a lot quicker had there been a better process and 15% admitted they had turned down a job due to issues, it’s not really something businesses can afford to get wrong.
Adam Reynolds, CEO of webonboarding, commented on the findings:
“The fundamental themes relative to businesses globally throughout the research were a lack of preparation, support and engagement. These are basic yet crucial steps needed to build the foundation of a positive working environment, a negative first impression will ultimately leave the new starter feeling like they have joined an unprofessional organisation.
Our aim with these results is to make businesses sit up and listen, presenting the hard facts of what could be going on in their organisation. It’s important to remember we wouldn’t treat our customers like this so why would we treat new staff with such disregard? These are issues that have previously been brushed under the carpet and now could be having a huge impact on company finances. With nearly two thirds of respondents admitting their current organisation needed to improve their onboarding process, it’s about time we look at how to do this.”
