If your company is growing rapidly, congratulations! That means demand is high for your product or service, and you are hiring a ton to keep up. The downside? Less time to successfully integrate new employees into your culture.
While resources are strained during times of rapid growth, don’t overlook new employee integration, which goes beyond setting up equipment and benefits. In fact, a strong employee experience is more important than ever; our research shows that 65 percent of adults look at new jobs within 91 days of starting a new job, and 44 percent subscribe to job alerts, employed or not.
At Indeed, we have expanded rapidly over the last several years. Here are five best practices we have used for maintaining corporate culture and retaining employees:
- First impressions begin before day one: Your new hire made a big decision to leave somewhere else or move to a new city to join your company. Recognize the significance. We send new employees an Indeed welcome kit before their first day, letting them know we are excited to have them join our team and what they can expect when they arrive on day one. A handwritten note from a hiring manager has a similar effect.
- Build the brand: You likely have a good plan in place to onboard employees with healthcare plans and equipment, but you also need a plan to teach employees about the company’s history and brand. Employees are your best brand ambassadors, so make sure they understand the company so they are consistent when speaking about it to clients, family, and friends.
- Train managers: Your recent growth may mean you are promoting employees to manage people for the first time. Don’t overestimate the readiness of those individuals. Just because they are stellar at their job doesn’t mean they are good people managers. Make sure managers are prepared to be the gateway to a great employee experience.
- We’re all human: No one wants to feel like “employee number X.” Get to know new hires, what motivates them, and who they are as people. When it comes time to recognize achievements, tailor rewards — tickets to see a beloved sports team, a family activity for someone who has been working late on a project, or a lunch reservation to a favorite restaurant. It shows you care about them as individuals and are not just giving generic recognition.
- All work, some play: Your company is growing, so that means you are busier than ever. But don’t let that sideline all the fun. Our developers ring a gong when someone deploys their first line of Indeed code. This always elicits a big round of applause and lots of smiles. Think of small ways to have fun throughout the day to keep everyone motivated.
You worked very hard to get new employees to join your company, so you must work just as hard to retain them — especially in the beginning. Your effort will help keep all of your employees engaged and motivated as you continue to grow.