One-third of employees regret taking their job, report finds

The majority of new hires decide whether a company is a good fit after just one month of employment, a new study conducted by BambooHR, a Utah-based technology company, found. 

Many workers make the determination even faster, with 34% of employees reporting that they knew if a job was the right fit after just one week. First impressions matter, and the onboarding process is a critical time to make a positive impact on new hires. 

BambooHR found that on average, employers have about 44 days to influence a new hire and ensure high, long-term retention rates. Over one-third of employees say that they’ve had regrets or second thoughts about accepting their job offer within the first week of employment, BambooHR found. 

Most employees agree that their first impressions hold true over time. Nearly two-thirds of employees reported that not only were impressions from their first day of work still accurate, but they were also hard to change over time. 

Perfecting the onboarding process is a difficult task and most companies struggle to find the right balance. While the majority of employees are comfortable taking on their new responsibilities after just one or two days, about one-third of workers prefer a more gradual onboarding process, according to BambooHR.

The study found that younger generations are more eager to start work quickly. According to BambooHR, 22% of Gen Zers are comfortable getting to work right away, compared to only 12% of baby boomers. Onboarding preferences vary from one professional to another. “We find most employees like to learn on the job,” Anita Grantham, head of HR at BambooHR said. 

“It’s good to go over the important pieces, and especially any required legal portions, but a lot of onboarding actually happens on the job. Don’t force it.”

A seamless experience with technology, such as work computers and software, is one aspect of onboarding that is important to nearly 100% of employees. 

Over half of new hires reported that their biggest frustrations in the first few weeks of work included issues with technology and a lack of access to essential tools. According to BambooHR 97% of employees reported that training on the tools and software used by their company was important to them. Sixty-two percent of new hires said a lack of training on company products and services was their biggest frustration in their first weeks.

Related: 4 ways elevated onboarding boosts the adoption of digital health benefits

In addition to technical training, nearly all new hires expect an introduction to the employee guidelines as well as the company’s mission statement and values. It’s also important that companies not underestimate the value of workplace friendships. The study found that most new hires hope to make a friend at work and value opportunities such as shadowing a colleague or receiving support from an onboarding “buddy.” 

As employment numbers continue to grow in the US, it’s important that companies create an efficient and useful onboarding process in order to retain their new hires.