At the beginning of the series on tapping into a new and diverse labour pool, we pointed to the fact that Canada's workplace is becoming as diverse as its population. The 2006 Statistics Canada report stated that the visible minority population surpassed the 5-million mark, thus making up 16.2 % of the Canadian population.1
With the impending labour shortage, managers and organizations must now rely on the skills, knowledge and experience that diverse workers bring. Our series is designed to guide you through the steps of sourcing, screening and interviewing diverse individuals. Each of the issues contains practical tips and guidelines that will help you attract, and recruit diverse talent.
Attracting, recruiting and hiring a dynamic and diverse workforce is one component. Retaining that diverse workforce is another matter altogether. In fact, having a solid retention and on-boarding strategy is probably the most crucial investment that your company can make to ensure that it maintains the best and brightest employees.
Sourcing non traditional talent link to first issue, screening a diverse pool of resumes link to second issue and conducting inclusive interviews link to third issue are all important steps in recruiting and hiring a diverse group of potential employees. Your next step in the process is to ensure that these employees and their skills remain with your company.
Ever wonder why some of your great hires do not last in your organization? Research has shown that the first few months that a new employee has with your organization are the most crucial, as it can influence their long term satisfaction as well as their level of engagement. This is why an organization should always try to keep any promises made during the hiring process. This is done by having a strong, engaging and fulfilling on-boarding strategy.
Unlike most basic orientation programs, on-boarding strategies go the extra mile to ensure that new employees integrate successfully into the workplace. Gone are the days when orientation consisted of showing the new hire to their desk, giving them a binder of company policies and magically expecting them to become part of the team. This neglect leaves new employees feeing isolated, lost and abandoned, and these feelings may affect their productivity.
Studies show that some new employees feel that the attention they received before being hired is abandoned once they are on-board. This is useful information since the success of a company's on-boarding program translates in success at the retention level. A poorly planned or executed on-boarding program can turn an enthusiastic and carefully recruited employee into a turnover statistic.
Most progressive companies are beginning to realize this link, and as such, on-boarding programs are now becoming more popular among many HR teams. On-boarding is a gradual process that occurs in stages. Management literature suggests on-boarding starts during the first day of contact and should last between one and twelve months. Good on-boarding strategies allow employees to:
- Understand the organization and procedures
- Build effective working relationships
- Meet performance expectations
Here are a few tips to ensure that you create effective on-boarding strategies:
- Present the information in a variety of formats. On the first day company information is presented, however simply presenting the information in the company binder is not enough. As you recruit and hire from a diverse pool, consider the possibility that you will be presented with different learning styles. Materials should be presented using a variety of media including interesting videos and graphics. Materials should also be made in formats such as brail or audiotapes in order to be accessible to persons with (dis)abilities. This builds an inclusive atmosphere and new employees would likely want to remain at the organization.
- Assign a mentor for support and guidance. Can you imagine what it was like to be the new kid at school? Can you imagine the feeling of dread and intimidation? The first few days at the new company can conjure that same feeling. Assigning a mentor offers a personal touch to the organization. Your mentor will serve as a buffer between the rest of the organization and your new hire. The mentor should be willing to take on this task and provide constant feedback to the new employee. Research has shown that new employees are likely to be more productive in their initial stages with the help of a mentor. They themselves can become future mentors as they progress within the company.
- Explain the culture of the organization. When visiting a foreign country, you need to be taught the local language and customs. The same principle applies when starting at a new company. Every workplace has their own set of norms and language that is associated with the organizational culture. Without the proper tools, your new hire will be lost, confused and isolated. Good on-boarding tactics consists of providing a wealth of knowledge on the culture of the organization, as well as an introduction to the organization's language, or common acronyms that are used. It is also important that you show your new employees that your company is committed to creating an inclusive, racism-free environment as part of its overall organizational culture.
- Be flexible in providing reasonable accommodation. Hiring from a diverse labour pool means that there will be some employees who will require some form of accommodation, whether it is for health, religious or other reasons. Research has shown that employers who offer some flexibility in their accommodations have a higher retention rate. The sharing of information and requirements between the employee and the manager with respect to accommodation is important. This also extends to new hires whose first language is not English or French. Good on-boarding strategies offer language training programs for these employees.
Retaining highly qualified employees is a challenge for some companies. After the lengthy process of recruiting and screening through numerous applicants, companies should avoid the tendency to become lax once the new employee has been hired. Consider the following checklist to determine the efficiency of your on-boarding program.
✓ Does your organization proactively develop relationships with new employees from day one?
✓ Does your on-boarding program include orientation sessions with respect to the benefits of cultural diversity? Inclusiveness? Racism-free workplaces?
✓ Are you providing the new hire with access to a colleague who will give support in deciphering the unwritten rules and protocols in your organization?
✓ Are managers able and comfortable to introduce diverse new employees to the team?
✓ Are accommodation requirements communicated and discussed in a respectful and timely manner?
✓ Do you approach accommodation requests as an opportunity to review practices and procedures strategically for the benefit of all employees?
✓ Do you provide on-going feedback to the new hire during the first months?
Tapping into non-traditional sources brings new concepts and innovative ideas to the workplace. Therefore a strong emphasis should be placed on retaining these diverse talents. Organizations that wish to be progressive should move beyond the basic one-day orientation session, and develop a continuous program. It should be designed to ease the integration process of new employees from diverse backgrounds, so that they feel a part of the team, and are more willing to use and develop their expertise in your company.
