Bad onboarding makes people quit jobs quickly

Around half of employees have quit jobs within one month because of a poor initial onboarding experience.

That’s according to research from New Process Bliss, which says alarming five in 10 workers have quit their jobs because they felt let down by the onboarding process of their new employer.

Reasons that left workers feeling unwelcome were being left waiting in reception, not being introduced to colleagues or not being offered a tea or coffee when they arrived.

One in five workers were faced with confused colleagues not realising they were joining the company, while 12% found that the person who hired them had left.

“These are worrying findings – the research found that 74% of people believe that if employee on-boarding is done badly, it can have a serious effect on what that person thinks about a company,” said Alister Esam, CEO, Process Bliss. “This would seem to ring true with around half of UK workers leaving so early on in their employment. Employee onboarding doesn’t have to be so onerous though, and with a clear and repeatable checklist, many of these issues could easily be avoided.” 

Some workers were left without the tools to carry out their jobs as two in 10 had no phone, computer or IT kit ready for them when they started, while 13% said that their boss shouted at them or was rude on their first day.

The research also revealed the inconsistency of their current employer when it comes to employee onboarding. 55% of respondents say that employee onboarding seems to vary with each new starter that joins. More than two-thirds (67%) say that employee onboarding at their company could be improved and 77% believe that employee onboarding is an essential element of welcoming new employees to a company.

7% of respondents say they have quit a job on the very first day, while a further 15% have left in the first week. Beyond poor employee onboarding, other reasons given for quitting so early into a new role were not getting on with the boss (29%) or colleagues (17%) and feeling early on that the role just wasn’t right (32%).

“Most entrepreneurs and company bosses would say that attracting and retaining talent is an on-going challenge for the business, so it’s strange that many companies do not appear to spend the time to properly onboarding their new hires,” continued Alister Esam. “First impressions in a job are incredibly important so it’s worth putting in place the right measures and processes to ensure that all new-starters are welcomed in the right way, ensuring they get off to a good start in their new role.”