One Chance to Make Many First Impressions

This post was written by Jacob McNulty

According to a 2000 study by the Society of Human Resources Management:

“77% of employees go home early on their first day because the organization was not prepared for them – either because a new-hire training program wasn’t offered or because the organization didn’t have the necessary tools (i.e. computer, phone, etc.) ready.”

The first day(s) of a new-hires time are crucial for retention.  When someone walks in the door for the first day, they are constantly assessing if they made the right choice to join the company.  This Fortune article talks about how a well-planned new-hire integration strategy will impact the bottom line.

Considering how much people communicate these days outside of their local circles, making a good impression is even more valuable.  I just visited DoctorJob, where graduates and those new into the workforce share experiences, pose questions and offer warnings. 

A few years ago an employer could mess up someone’s first day and that person would probably complain to their network of friends through conversation or email.  Now if an employer makes a member of DoctorJob’s first day a nightmare, a lot of people are going to know about it.  Beyond just impacting the company from the perspective of the new-hire, this will certainly have a ripple effect for that company’s ability to attract new-hires in the future.  Think that will impact the bottom line?

The same is of course true for the reverse.  If a new-hire is impressed by how they’re received on Day 1, people are going to know about that as well.

There are tons of reasons to have a well planned on-boarding process for new-hires.  Now that people’s ability to communicate globally is expanding, the stakes are higher than ever.

Tags: business training, corporate training, development, learning, learning strategies, new employee orientation, new employee orientation program, new hire integration, new hire orientation, on boarding, onboarding, organizational learning, professional development, rapid on-boarding, workforce development