Did you know that feeling appreciated at work has been shown to be the number one reason employees decide to stay in their current role? 

This goes for all employees, not just new ones, but considering the turnover rates for new employees is so high, the importance of making new hires feel supported can’t be overstated. 

The efforts made at the start to ensure your employees feel valued can have long-term effects on retention as well. One study found that “employees who go through strong onboarding are 58% more likely to remain with the company after three years.” Obviously, the onboarding process ecompasses a lot of things, but providing a supportive environment should be at the top of your priorities when bringing on new employees. 

On the other side of the data spectrum, when asked why they chose to look for new employment, the top reasons given by respondents of another survey included ‘career growth’, ‘desire for a better manager’ and ‘not feeling respected or valued in their current position’. 

Ensuring that your employees feel supported and valued, then, is a vital step in the onboarding process and will serve to create a more loyal and productive team overall. How though, do you best demonstrate to new hires that they are appreciated and that you care about them both as an employee and a person? 

You can start by establishing a more supportive workplace by investing in three key pillars – Clear Communication, Feedback and Recognition, and Professional Development Opportunities. 

Clear Communication 

While there should always be clear and consistent lines of communication in your workplace, it’s especially important when it comes to new hires. The amount of information new employees are asked to absorb can be very overwhelming and it’s imperative that managers not only make themselves available for questions/concerns, but they should also be conducting regular check-ins. 

Outlining the roles and responsibilities of the new hire is a very important first step in your onboarding plan, but that task might not be as simple as you initially thought. How you communicate with your employees has a major impact on the success of your onboarding efforts. For example, research has found that 70% of employees report they’d be “more likely to share insights with management staff if they could enter their comments and concerns into a web-based feedback platform.” Some of these platforms provide employees with the possibility to stay anonymous, which can help ensure that everyone feels comfortable speaking their mind. 

Then again, some experts believe that face-to-face communication is the best way to get your message across without the risk of being misunderstood. There are arguments to be made for and against all the major forms of workplace communication, which is why we recommend you ask new hires what method they prefer. Remember, this is about making them feel valued and setting them up for success, so it’s worth making the extra effort to provide the right communication tools for them. 

Feedback and Recognition

Now here’s an important question — Do you know the difference between regular feedback and meaningful feedback? 

Regular feedback is often impersonal, unfocused, and handed out to employees without much thought. This kind of feedback doesn’t carry the same weight as meaningful feedback does, and trust that employees can spot the difference a mile away. While providing regular feedback can help boost confidence and motivation amongst your new hires, your efforts won’t be nearly as effective if you’re not taking the time to cater your feedback to the individual. 

When done right, however, feedback and recognition can go a long way. 

Data from Gallup shows that “80% of employees who say they have received meaningful feedback in the past week are fully engaged.” 

Feedback is also a two-way street and should be used as such. Another study found that soliciting feedback from a new hire could improve a company’s relationship with that employee by a shocking 91%. 

Professional Development Opportunities 

One of the best ways to show your new hire that you value them, is to demonstrate the ways you plan to invest in their career long term. By offering professional development opportunities and ongoing training, you are signalling that you want them to succeed—no matter where they end up professionally. 

In addition to showing you care, research suggests “organizations that have made a strategic investment in employee development… report 11% greater profitability and are twice as likely to retain their employees.” Similarly, providing these opportunities is a good way to stay competitive in the job market. In one study, Gallup found that nearly 90% of millennials say that professional development opportunities were ‘very important’ to them. That means, it should also be very important to you. 

Other Considerations 

Much of the advice laid out in this article is aimed at outlining the basics of showing how much you value a new hire more broadly, but true, meaningful recognition and support are more personalized. None of the steps we’ve shared with you will have much of an impact if you don’t take the time to get to know your new employee as an individual. Ask them questions, discover their preferred methods of communication, what specific training they could benefit from, and ensure that you are showing appreciation in ways that will actually be heard/understood.

For example, remote workers are likely going to have different communication and training requirements than someone working in the office. You might also have to go out of your way a little to provide adequate feedback to WFH employees, considering you won’t be running into these individuals on a regular basis. 

While it might seem like a lot of work, the evidence shows that these efforts will absolutely pay off. Building a more supportive workplace environment is a win for everybody. 

That said, all of this starts with hiring the right people in the first place. 
That’s where we come in. At CyberCoders, our award winning and proven results speak for themselves. We are a leading, nationwide firm made up of dedicated recruiters who know how to find you a perfect match—someone who will truly earn the positive feedback you have been prompted to give them here. Check out our website today to learn more!