As an employer, there is little more frustrating than employee attrition. Hiring new employees for the same positions over and over costs you money and valuable staff time. It’s even more frustrating, however, when you suspect that the fault may not lie completely with your new hires. If you’re not thinking of how you can make new employees’ transitions easier, then you’re setting your new hires up to fail. Staffing Partners’ decodes six important secrets to new hire success.

Hire For the Job, Not the Job Description

One of the most common complaints supervisors hear from new hires is “this isn’t what I was hired for.” Unfortunately, that’s often the case. If you’re advertising for jobs using outdated job descriptions that no longer reflect a position’s duties and responsibilities, you’re setting you and your new employees up for dissatisfaction out of the gate. Before you advertise for an open position, retool the job description to make sure it really describes the job.

Be Positive But Honest

The outdated job description is not the only bait-and-switch tactic employers unwittingly use to disenchant new employees — a job description that emphasizes the best parts of the job while barely touching on or ignoring altogether the less-attractive aspects is a recipe for failure. Don’t sugarcoat the job in order to make it more appealing to prospective employees. Be upfront about unpopular shifts, travel, and limited advancement opportunities.

The Employee Handbook Does Not Equal Orientation

If your workplace’s idea of employee orientation consists of handing the new hire all required paperwork and a copy of the employee handbook, then you’re shortchanging your employees. Make orientation a lasting and important part of your hiring process.

Orientation is a Process

A new hire orientation should last at least a week. One day can consist of training on policies and procedures, for example, while another two-to-three days can be spent with the new hire shadowing current employees. Take time during this process to speak to the new hire more than once about his or her experience.

Assign a Mentor

When at all possible, assign new hires a go-to person who can answer questions and address concerns about the position. Assigning a mentor who is responsible for being a trusted resource can help new hires adjust both to the job and to the company culture.

Go to the Pros

You can increase your new hires’ rate of success by letting staffing professionals do much of the legwork for you. Staffing Partners can help you to find the best candidates for your staffing needs by narrowing a huge field of applicants down to the cream of the crop. Talk to Staffing Partners today about your staffing needs and how they can help you get the best employees for your organization.