Set Your Employees Up for Success

It is no secret that many industries are feeling the pressure of intense competition to attract and retain qualified talent, and the Aviation industry is certainly among those heavily impacted by the current worker shortage. An experienced recruiter can help you to attract and ultimately hire qualified employees that fit well with your company culture – make sure that you are doing your part to ensure your new hires stay.

While turnover and retention are a fact of operating a business with employees, there are steps employers can take from the very beginning to give their new employees a sense of clear expectations and preparedness that will let your new hires know: this is a place they can feel comfortable working at for many years as they grow their careers.

How you set this tone begins during some of your very first interactions with your new employee, during the onboarding process. Onboarding goes far beyond the first-day office tour, completing tax forms, and validating parking.

As you introduce your new hire to their new colleagues, note personnel that will be important to them. Be sure they know not only who they directly report to in the company, but who they would go to if their supervisor were unavailable, who helps with technical issues, who orders supplies, etc. Consider adding a contact sheet to the employee handbook for easy reference, and having the new employee reach out to other team members on their own. This will convey to the new hire that you trust their ability to get their work done, while allowing them to meet their new colleagues and take ownership for some of their own onboarding.

A few other tips for creating a welcoming environment to encourage retention of your new hires:

• Set clear expectations of your employees for the short and long term.
• Be able to lay out a clear training plan.
• Let your new employees know that you are eager for them to contribute and assign a few tasks on their first day. Don’t overwhelm them, but don’t just assign busywork, either.
• Consider implementing a Mentor program, where longer-tenured employees can offer guidance to new hires.
• Check in frequently with your new hires, informally and in a more structured manner. A brief review every 90 days for the first year can help your employees grow in a way that aligns with the company goals.
• Give employees the opportunity to evaluate the onboarding process to learn what is and isn’t working for your organization.

When hiring is chaotic, it’s important to remember that a solid recruitment strategy is absolutely essential – and so is a solid onboarding strategy. By creating a process that works for your business and following it for every hire, you can be sure that you are doing your part to ensure a positive, long-lasting relationship between your employees and your company.

If you are a company looking for a direct-hire recruiting firm that understands the unique hiring needs of your company, click here to get more information.