Why the first 6 months matter for new team members.
The first 6 months for a new employee matter.
At TALY, the first experiences of a new employee, through the recruitment phase and into the new role, is what we’re obsessed about.
For any new employee – and their leader – this is the critical moment to set the foundations for success. First impressions matter, and time spent in ensuring a great experience for all those involved will pay huge dividends, both practically for business outcomes and for the human side.
Why? Day 1 is peak engagement
The employee is setting off on the next step in their career. They’ve sweated over the decision. They’ve told all their friends and family. They are looking for the new and exciting thing that is going to shape the next phase of their working career – that’s a lot of energy!
So this is an important time for them, when emotions are high and the experience is being closely evaluated.
For leaders to get this right, they need to see and understand the unique personality, mindset and ways of working of their new team member. If you don’t understand someone, how can you connect with them?
Over the coming month, the TALY team is focusing on the most important time in connecting a new employee with their new team, leader and organisation – the first 6 months. Today, let’s start with why it matters…
Get in touch to find out more about how you can use TALY profiling to give you the insights you need to build great teams - from recruitment onwards! Or Book a Demo today to see how easy it is to start using TALY in your business.
What is the first 6 months all about?
The employee experience is broad. It starts the moment a new employee checks out your job ad or hears about you, and runs right till they day they move on. It’s full of millions of tiny little interactions that drive rational and emotional perspectives and outcomes – and most importantly, human interactions.
At TALY, we focus on 4 key moments and sharing personality insights to drive great outcomes in these moments.
The interview process – from application right through to the final decision and pre-onboarding.
Onboarding – the first critical weeks when the new team member is welcomed into the fold.
Feedback – the interactions the new employee has with their team and leader that create alignment.
Ongoing connection and coaching – the interactions that maintain alignment to shared goal.
As we all know, this is a complex time. Some companies have highly developed processes and ideas right across this experience, and others are more fluid and ad hoc.
For the new team member, they need to understand their role and how they can make a contribution from a practical perspective (speed to competency) and they need to form an emotional connection (values alignment and culture).
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing stories and ideas on how leaders can build a strong understanding of their people to create the best employee experience for new team members.
But before we get to that – in case you aren’t a believer already – we want to share a little on just WHY this time matters so much.
What impact does the first 6 months have?
Well, a lot. But we’ve tried to distil the importance down to just 7 key ideas.
INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY AND RETENTION
For a business, kind of important right?
Engaging employees early in their tenure significantly reduces turnover rates. According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), organisations with strong onboarding processes improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.
GET PRODUCTIVE FASTER
New hires who are well-integrated into their roles within the first six months tend to become productive faster. Gallup's research indicates that engaged employees are 21% more productive than their less engaged counterparts, highlighting the long-term benefits of early engagement efforts.
INCREASED EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Early engagement fosters a sense of belonging and commitment. A report by the Wynhurst Group found that employees who went through a structured onboarding program were 58% more likely to remain with the company after three years.
STRONGER COMPANY CULTURE
Introducing new employees to the company culture early on ensures they understand and align with the organisation's values and mission. This alignment is crucial for maintaining a cohesive culture, which is linked to higher overall performance and employee satisfaction.
BETTER JOB SATISFACTION
Employees who feel supported and valued during their initial months are more likely to experience higher job satisfaction. According to a report by BambooHR, employees who had effective onboarding experiences were 18 times more likely to feel highly committed to their organisation.
REDUCED LEARNING CURVE
A comprehensive onboarding process helps new hires quickly understand their roles, responsibilities, and the tools they need to succeed. This reduces the learning curve and accelerates their ability to contribute meaningfully to the organisation.
POSITIVE IMPACT ON TEAM DYNAMICS
Engaging new employees early helps them build strong relationships with their colleagues, promoting teamwork and collaboration. Effective integration can lead to a more harmonious and productive team environment, which is critical for achieving long-term business goals.
This is particularly true as more workplaces recognise the benefits that diversity can bring to their organisation – while integrating teams of diverse mindsets and personalities takes deliberate action.
Driving great outcomes in the first 6 months.
It’s clear that those first experience for a new employee matter, and can set the agenda for ongoing success – both in the role and for the culture.
To be successful, it all starts with understanding. A new employee wants to be seen and understood when brought into the team, and leaders need to understand their new team members to be able to engage them and get them firing.
Of course, starting with personality is a great way for leaders to get the understanding they need to succeed.
If you want to find out more about how you can leverage personality insights to help leaders drive a great employee experience, get in touch today. It’s easier than you think!
The TALY approach to personality profiling brings together a unique mix of Five Factor and Emotional Intelligence profiling to help organisations, hiring managers and teams to make better decisions about recruitment and teams.
Get in touch to find out more… we love talking about this stuff! Or Book a Demo today to see how easy it is to start using TALY in your business.