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A Welcoming Departure for New Arrivals
Alternatives to the common assumptions baked into employee onboarding and the long-term benefits of a more welcoming approach.
I recently moderated a panel discussion on the challenges of managing the “extended workforce” — essentially guns for hire who, on balance, prefer flexibility and variety to the tedious certainty of a weekly paycheck.
While several participants wanted to discuss the mechanics of hiring, retention, compensation, etc., I was more interested in the “collateral” issues: how does a company project a coherent culture when the workforce is so decentralized? Does company culture even have any meaning for gig workers? We take it for granted that employees seek recognition for outstanding work, and that it’s important for management to find ways of rewarding them with an approving gaze and metaphorical warm embrace. But what about gig workers who are there primarily to meet their obligations, get paid and move on?
This got me thinking about a broader issue: the assumptions we make in so much of our decision-making, from candidate selection, to, per the above, recognition, to where it may have the greatest negative impact: the way new employees are onboarded.
A report by BambooHR found that the top three reasons why new employees leave a company within the first six months are lack of…
