Clearly hiring brilliantly is the first step towards retention. Hiring someone who doesn’t fit your culture or who has expectations or needs that you can’t fulfill is certain to cause turnover. But hiring brilliantly does not ensure retention. So what’s the secret?

There is no secret, no one size fits all way to ensure people you want to stay actually stay.  There are however some things you can do that may minimize the risk of you losing the talent you want to keep.

Onboard Right:  Too often we think of onboarding as the HR function of adding them to payroll, providing paperwork so they can secure benefits and all the administrative functions necessary when a new hire starts.  But that’s not what I’m referring to. Little things matter to people and how they feel from the moment they first arrive to your company matter.

When they first arrive do all the nice little things to make them feel welcome.  Is their desk/space set up for them to go to work? Do they know where to get supplies, where the lunch room is, bathrooms…all of those little things that matter and make people feel more at home?

Introduce them to co-workers and managers they will interface with within the first 2 weeks.  There is nothing worse than knowing people, who they are and what their role is relative to them.

Have a plan for someone to take them to lunch if not their first day within their first week.  And let them know where there are places to go for lunch outside of the office.

Discuss Your Expectations:  Discussing your expectations is more than simply talking about their specific job, though that is important.  The more they know about how you work and how you want them to work with you the more likely they will be able to meet that need, the happier you will be and the happier they will be.

Make sure they understand how you like to work.  For example are you someone who doesn’t like to see drafts and only wants the final product or do you want to see drafts along the way and what does that mean?

How and how often do you want communication from them?  Do you prefer email to phone calls? Is there a weekly meeting?  If you want lots of communication where they keep you informed of the status is that daily or weekly?  

Outline Your Goals for Their First 4 Months:  This is where you define what you want to see from them throughout their first 120 days.  What do you need them to learn, understand and be proficient in doing with your oversight, and by themselves?  And how will you know they have learned what you need them to learn? Saying “I want you to learn the software” doesn’t say anything.  Saying “I want you to be able to know how to add clients, pull reports, add notes…” that is specific. You don’t need to tell them everything the first week they are there but give them a sense of what you want of them in the first 120 days (big picture) and break it down into smaller bites.

Spend Time with Them Regularly:  Those first 3 – 6 months are critical for a new hire, and can make all the difference in their performance and long-term retention.  You have to meet with them regularly to help them feel connected to the company, and so they understand how they are progressing.

At the end of every week, at least for the first couple of months, ask how they are feeling about the job, company etc.  What’s working well for them? What would they life different?

And tell them how you see their progress and results…very specifically not “you’re doing a good job Jane” that tells them nothing. Share where you see they are making huge progress, and where they still need to focus.

When they make a mistake (and they will), be specific about what you wanted different.  Don’t expect them to figure it out and be frustrated with the ‘bring me a rock’ syndrome.

Make them always feel heard and appreciated.  You don’t have to implement their ideas if you don’t agree but hey need to feel like they have been heard.

Provide Reviews on Regular Schedule:

Everyone wants to know how you as their manager feel about their performance.  Having a regular schedule demonstrates you care about them, and their career. People don’t leave because of money or benefits or being 5 miles closer to home.  They leave because they don’t feel valued and supported. So what can you do to help them feel valued and supported?

At  6 months into their employment meet with them to assess where they think they are performance wise, and for you to share what you think.  

Annually discuss their performance, and what they want career-wise.  What would be a good next step for them? What would they like to learn, where do they want to be in a year, two?  Are their courses they want to take or additional education or certifications they want to secure?

Retention is a combination of hiring the right people for your organization, onboarding effectively, mentoring and coaching, allowing mistakes without fear of repercussions, opportunities for training and development…and more.  But they have to feel connected to the company, not their job or their manager. Otherwise, they won’t stay for the long term.