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Does Your Practice Struggle with Staff Retention? (Part 1):
Is your office’s idea of onboarding a one-time event or an ongoing process that truly integrates new employees?
By Jeff Welch, Favorite Healthcare Staffing
One of the most stressful things in the life cycle of an employee is the first day on the job. We’ve all been there. The first day on a new job evokes a range of emotions from excitement to nervousness. To help calm the nerves and acclimate new employees, high-performing healthcare practices and organizations make it a priority to offer a robust onboarding experience.
Even for smaller independent practices, effective onboarding not only welcomes new employees into the organization but also has been shown to lead to higher rates of employee retention. Research conducted by the job search and review company Glassdoor found that organizations with strong onboarding processes improved new hire retention by 82 percent. Ideally, the onboarding process should begin shortly after the offer of employment has been extended to the candidate. Candidates should receive information, tools, resources, and networking opportunities that help them navigate their new role.
However, if that onboarding experience is not provided, “it’s like blindfolding someone, throwing them into the middle of the ocean, then telling them to swim back to shore,” says Kristel Haynes, director of human resources at Favorite Healthcare Staffing. Effective onboarding ensures new employees will be set up for success. Ineffective onboarding, however, leaves them feeling alone and vulnerable. And if these negative feelings occur early in the employee experience, a new employee will likely become disengaged. Disengagement can then lead to an employee who seriously considers leaving the job.
So, what does an effective onboarding experience look like?
Dr. Tayla Bauer, PhD, of Portland State University, wrote a publication entitled Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success. The publication is used as an academic resource for the Society of Human Resources Management. According to Dr. Bauer, a successful onboarding program addresses the four C’s: compliance, clarification, culture, and connection.
In part 2, we will discuss the four Cs and how practices of any size can implement them into an effective employee onboarding program.
Many HR and organizational development experts recommend that companies assess their current onboarding efforts. The results might surprise you.
Is your organization’s idea of onboarding a one-time event where new employees simply complete necessary paperwork? Or is it a holistic experience that addresses compliance, clarification, culture, and connection? If it’s the latter, congratulations! Your organization has a process in place to help successfully retain new employees by making them feel like a member of the team. If not, part 2 provides practical advice on how to improve your employee onboarding.
References
- Bauer, Ph.D, T. N. (n.d.). SHRM Foundation’s Effective Practice Guidelines Series Onboarding New Employees. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/special-reports-and-expert-views/documents/onboarding-new-employees.pdf
- Dewar J. 10 Employee Onboarding Statistics You Must Know in 2021. Sapling website. www.saplinghr.com/10-employee-onboarding-statistics-you-must-know-in-2021
- North Carolina State Industry Expansion Solutions. The Four Cs: Onboarding that Saves Time and Reduces Costs. www.ies.ncsu.edu/blog/the-four-cs-onboarding-that-saves-time-and-reduces-costs
Posted November 10, 2021
About the Author:
Jeff Welch serves as director of learning and development as well as director of diversity and inclusion for Favorite Healthcare Staffing. He holds a bachelor of arts degree in broadcast journalism and speech communications from Western Kentucky University. Welch currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. He can be reached at jwelch5@favoritestaffing.com.
Edited for Physicians Insurance by Meghan Stanley. Please don’t hesitate to email Meghan at mstanley@mms.org with any topics you would like to see covered in this space.
About Favorite Healthcare Staffing:
MMS members receive preferred pricing for staffing and personnel services, including short-term coverage as well as temp-to-perm and permanent placement solutions, from Favorite Healthcare Staffing. If you have staffing needs, mention your MMS membership when you contact Favorite’s staffing experts via email at medicalstaffing@FavoriteStaffing.com or by phone at (781) 810-4016. You can learn more about Favorite Healthcare Staffing by visiting www.FavoriteStaffing.com.
