Peter Jones, founder of specialist recruitment agency Foyne Jones, says recruitment doesn’t stop when your employee starts work

Contrary to popular belief, recruitment doesn’t stop when your new employee walks through the front door on day one, with everyone relieved the vacancy has been filled and your headcount is back to full strength.

In fact, good recruitment is an ongoing process that requires huge attention over the first six months, as this will ensure that any new recruits are set up for success as they ‘bed in’ to your company.

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In my opinion, the quality of induction processes have never been so important in ensuring both employers and employees can put forward a strong and solid working relationship that will go distance.

Taking the time to identify the right on-boarding procedure for your business and staff will play a massive role in business engagement, retention and development which directly leads to your bottom line, overall morale and positive business culture.

Remote onboarding

With the growth in technology and hybrid working here to stay for the foreseeable future, remote on-boarding is a valid and enriching alternative to a group workshop at Head Office.

In that context, put yourself in the shoes of a new recruit and work out how you can best deliver the most worthwhile introductory experience you can.

Keep your processes clear and simple so that new starters know the valued part they will play in your company’s success and how that role can grow when looking at the bigger picture.

This also needs to be reinforced by line managers and colleagues, as it will take time for new information to be assimilated. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither are high-performance teams.

Some key questions to ask yourself are ‘How can I make this easier to understand?’ and ‘How can I help my new staff to empower themselves?’

This might include making checklists, helpful contacts, manuals and protocols available on a server and ensuring they are revised and up-to-date.

I appreciate tthis may take some time to sort out, but remember that this shows you are taking their future seriously from day one; as well as providing an important resource for self-study and regular business evaluation.

Reward staff

I think employers sometimes forget how anxious staff can feel during a traditional three-month probationary period, so make sure you are rewarding every positive step no matter how small as new teams adjust and start working together.

People aren’t robots and as Henry Ford once said, ‘If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself’.

By being understanding and accommodating, you are more likely to build loyalty and a good work ethic from the outset.

So consider how your induction processes are reflecting your company ethos today and how that is contributing to the business you have and/or aspire to.

At Foyne Jones we believe in going above and beyond the everyday, so we protect our client’s investment up to six months from start date to ensure that all parties are happy in the short, medium and long term phase of employment.

Read mone about why the kbb industry has a duty of care to attract the next generation of professionals.