How many of you are frustrated when you hire someone for the job, who was great during the interview but then left just a few months later? How about having new employees who were enthusiastically excited for the job only to lose that excitement within the first 90 days. Are you tired of the constant struggle and time-consuming challenge of always having to hire new people because of turnover?
These challenges aren’t new and are very common in the workplace. Many of my clients and small business owners seem to blame some of these challenges on the new hires with such comments like, “Doesn’t anybody want to work anymore?” or “The work ethic today is not like it used to be.” or “Today’s workforce is a bunch of babies who want to be pampered and only care about the paycheck.”
Well, I guess some of that may be true. Today’s new hires certainly have lots of options, different demands and many are just looking for a better employment experience. I always say that a manager’s job is to create a work environment where their people want to do the job and not feel like they have to do the job. That starts with the new hire experience. Here are some interesting statistics that every manager should be concerned with.
Onboarding and the new hire experience is a major driver for employee retention and in 2025, new hires set their standards high. When experiences fall short, consequences come fast. Nearly 4 in 10 employees (39%) have second thoughts about their new job during onboarding. A third (32%) of new hires walk away from onboarding disappointed—for Gen Z, that number jumps to 40%.
Between having to get the new hire up and running fast, complex employee needs, and major shifts in how we work, onboarding has become a critical moment in the employee experience. So how does your new hire onboarding experience stack up to these key takeaways:
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• 27% of employees are not satisfied with their onboarding experience.
• First impressions are still everything: 39% of employees had second thoughts about their new job during onboarding.
• Over half of all employees (52%) find that onboarding focuses more on admin and paperwork than on practical job training.
• 1 in 3 new hires feel lonely. Gen Z is especially impacted—41% feel disconnected during onboarding.
• Onboarding overload is a significant challenge, with 42% of employees feeling overwhelmed by too much information too soon.
Today’s employees expect more. From compensation to workplace culture, the bar has risen on what makes a job worth hanging onto.
Onboarding is now a make-or-break moment for employee expectations and employee retention.
Here are a few tips to help you reduce high employee turnover, particularly during the new hire experience:
- Provide a new employee with a sense of belonging. – Creating a culture of belonging begins on day one. A culture of belonging supports employee wellness and improves workplace engagement. If you want your new hires to feel a sense of belonging, personal interaction is key. The top driver for feelings of belonging among new hires is being welcomed by their team and by their manager. For younger employees, focus on open communication.
2. Don’t overwhelm your new hire with information. – New hires want to feel prepared, but what often happens they are given too much information all at one time. I understand the need and urgency to get a new hire up to speed and there is a lot to learn but many employees cite “too much information” as one of the hardest parts and frustration in the first few weeks of training.
3. Don’t make the experience too long or too short – Your timeline is one of the biggest success factors of onboarding. Keep things too brief, and new hires will be unprepared. But run onboarding for too long, and employees will feel restless and worn out. One way to help you decide is to ask for feedback and stay in touch with your new hires early and often in the beginning. Every new hire is different. Some need less training while others need more.
New hires can be the new lifeblood and added energy to any business. Taking your time and hiring the right person who will be the right fit for your business can be rewarding. However, what is the reputation of your new hire experience? Is the word out that your business is known for just throwing new hires into the fire, not caring about their experience, overloading and rushing the process, lack of communication and support? Don’t let the bad first days turn into a last day. Be new hire ready on the first day and make your employee’s new hire experience a meaningful one to stop high turnover and increase retention. Now that would be “MAGICAL”
Need help with your new hire onboarding experience? How about creating Customer Loyalty and Effective Leadership, an Employee Experience Strategy to serve your customers and blow away your competition? Contact John today for a FREE Strategy Session Call or let’s talk about an affordable training workshop for your team. It will help you achieve the profits and goals you always dreamed of. Contact John at info@johnformica.com or (704) 965-4090.
John Formica is America’s and Australia’s Customer Experience Coach, team culture experience expert, keynote speaker, and Top 10 Global Thought Leader and Influencer on Customer Loyalty. For information on customer experience programs, leadership training, team culture, business growth, how to find and hire great people and tailored training programs just for you or to book John to speak at your next event, contact 704-965-4090 or visit our website at JohnFormica.com.