PARIS, Sept 27 — Once hired by a company, new recruits go through a period of integration commonly referred to as "onboarding.”

This is a decisive period, not only for the new recruit, but also for the employer.

According to a recent survey, nearly three-quarters of employees know within the first month whether their new job is right for them.

More than a third of employees (36 per cent) know whether their new job suits them within a month of their arrival, according to a survey* conducted by software publisher Bamboo HR.

Some know even more quickly, taking less than a week to get a feel for their new duties, colleagues and superiors (29 per cent). A tiny minority (5 per cent) know by the end of their first day whether they intend to stay or engage in "job hopping.”

On average, companies have 44 days to influence the retention of new employees. But they need to make sure they get them on board faster than that, as first impressions are often difficult to change.

Almost two-thirds of respondents say that the image they had of their employer on the first day is still accurate today with their hindsight. Hence the importance of ensuring that there is no gap between their expectations and reality.

A job description that doesn’t match reality, working conditions that are different from those described during the job interview — there are many elements that are focused on during the recruitment process and yet which turn out to be a bad fit once the employee is on site.

These are the kinds of factors that contribute to new recruits’ frustration. For example, 23 per cent of employees surveyed said they had cried during their first week of onboarding.

And these types of feelings can quickly turn into more general regret, as 44 per cent of those surveyed said they had regrets or second thoughts about accepting their new position during their first week on the job.

Each new recruit costs a company between US$7,500 and US$28,000

So how can recruiters ensure that onboarding delivers what is promised and needed for new hires?

First of all, by ensuring that they get the timing right between easing new recruits into their roles and going too fast.

Almost all employees would like to be introduced to the missions and values of their new company as soon as they arrive (96 per cent).

They would also like to be briefed on the tools and software they’ll be using frequently, and to be sure of their social integration, although there are generational differences.

And since a new company also means new colleagues and superiors, forging connections becomes an important aspect of the first days at a new workplace. New recruits often fear that they won’t be able to find their place or make friends within a company.

That’s why 93 per cent of them would like to be supervised by a colleague during their first few days.

In reality, however, few companies include this social dimension in their onboarding processes.

Some 20 per cent of employees surveyed said that their company does nothing in particular to help new recruits make friends and find support among their colleagues.

These results show just how important the onboarding process is for managers and executives.

"Often on-the-job onboarding and training happens naturally over time but can come up short without a structured plan,” points out Anita Grantham, Head of Human Resources at BambooHR, in a statement.

"Even though [new hires] have signed an offer, you are still selling them on the company’s mission and future.”

Poor onboarding can have serious financial consequences. It is estimated that the recruitment and integration of a new employee costs between 7,500 and 28,000 dollars.

So it’s best to make sure that this money isn’t invested in vain. — ETX Studio

*The BambooHR survey was conducted between April 5 and 26, among 1,565 Americans over the age of 18 who work full-time in an office or on a computer, and 500 human resources managers.