Liz Wool, RN, BSN, CMT, CCRA, Global Head of Training, Barnett International

More than one-third of employees make their decision to stay or go within the first month of employment, studies show. Given today’s scramble for talent, now is the time to leverage any tool that can help retain top performers, says Liz Wool, RN, BSN, CMT, CCRA, Global Head of Training, Barnett International.

Studies have also shown that a strong onboarding template, tailored to an individual employee, can cut retention by half and more than double that new employee’s productivity almost from day one, she adds.

“The first day on the job is the most critical day in terms of the employee’s lasting impression of his or her new employer,” Wool notes. Managers should show enthusiasm for their new employee with an air of excitement (“I’m so glad I was able to get your talents for our organization”) to an onboarding process that demonstrates the manager took the time to do it right. There’s nothing worse than appearing disorganized and making the new hire feel as though the manager threw something together haphazardly, Wool says.

Wool, who was trained as a nurse, draws on that experience when she helps develop onboarding programs. She suggests spending two to four hours before the employee’s first day to tailor a program, then devoting a few hours each week to checking in with the new hire. Wool advocates creating an onboarding program based on addressing the “four Cs”:

Compliance: Foster the employee’s understanding of the regulatory requirements of the position.
Clarification: Make certain, via job description and other tools, that the new hire has a clear sense of his or her specific responsibilities.
Culture: Help them understand the real day-to-day way to get things done.
Connections: Help them better understand and leverage the culture by working to connect them with established employees in similar and complementary roles. This helps everyone get “the big picture,” Wool says.

Wool, a top-rated speaker, will lead a session, Create an Onboarding Curriculum that Fits Your Budget, during the ACRP 2016 Meeting & Expo in Atlanta, Ga., April 16-19.

Need Onboarding Support?

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Contact Jenna Rouse, ACRP Director of Business Development, at jrouse@acrpnet.org or call +1.703.254.8109 for more information.