Employee retention is more important than ever these days, especially in the lawn and landscaping industry. Treating employees well, fair pay and benefits and company culture all play a role in keeping employees long term. Another factor plays an important role, as well: onboarding. According to a Harvard Business Review article, companies with an onboarding process have a 50% better new hire retention.
The Society for Human Resource Management says onboarding is more than a polite, first-day orientation. It involves having conversations with coworkers, learning how the company operates, follow up, review and feedback. The onboarding process helps new employees feel welcomed and like they have the tools to do their job well.
SingleOps recently published a guide on how to recruit and retain employees and in it discusses the ins and outs of onboarding. Suggestions include:
- Think through bottlenecks in the application process and reduce or eliminate them.
- Reduce the amount of paperwork in the hiring process.
- Explain the company's core values.
- Be honest about the workload and hours.
- Walk new employees through day-to-day processes, such as where to park, clocking in and out, where to enter the building, etc.
There are many other resources to turn to for business advice, such as local business groups and colleges, financial institutions and larger, national organizations, such as the U.S. Small Business Administration.
