Onboarding can be a long and stressful process – but it can also be your opportunity to show new hires what you are about. This is especially important given the number of new hires that leave an organisation before the 90 day onboarding process has even finished, which Forbes estimates at around 17%. 

In order to reduce such turnover rates, one way to make new hires feel more valued is to introduce recognition and reward into your onboarding process – and here are 6 ways in which you can do so. 

1. Firstly, take the time to understand the needs and desires of your new employees

In order to ensure that you provide the most meaningful employee rewards that have a lasting impact on new employees, it is crucial to understand exactly what it is that they want or need from a rewards programme. This will help you to build a better understanding of who your employees are, and what they require. 

2. Introduce yourself before the day of the onboarding 

Studies have shown that employees don’t leave companies, they leave managers. In fact, PR Newswire reports that 57% of employees have left a job due to their boss, and another 32% have seriously considered it.  

These statistics show just how important it is for management to make employees feel recognised and appreciated by their superiors from the get go. The best place to start with this is to make a good first impression, by reaching out even prior to any onboarding taking place.

3. Give people a proper welcome into the team 

People want to feel like they are part of the team – and, let’s be honest, everyone loves a freebie! In order to welcome people to the company, give new hires a variety of branded items. This can be anything from travel mugs to water bottles, pens to notepads, or even a shirt or hoodie. 

4. Provide catering and refreshments for training days 

Though onboarding involves some practical training, it also requires some potentially intensive training days. As people may end up sitting in a room for hours at a time, this can get a bit boring, to say the least. 

Reward employees for undergoing such training by providing them with free food, tea and coffee throughout the day. 

5. Get to know each individual new starter 

Everyone is different, so treat them as such. Don’t lump everyone in together and expect to really understand their motivations. Instead, take the time to truly get to know each and every new employee. This will ultimately make them feel more valued and seen within the company. 

6. Gamify aspects of the onboarding process 

And finally, don’t be shy about giving out rewards once employees complete certain tasks of the onboarding process. One way you can do so is by gamifying some aspects, encouraging friendly competition, breaking the ice, encouraging collaboration, and allowing you to reward the winners with something meaningful. 

As you can see, there are several ways in which businesses can make the onboarding process a little less intense, without compromising on the quality of the training. With a little reward and recognition, the whole process can run a lot more smoothly.