The Onboarding Mistake That Costs You A Year

Most onboarding programs teach the job in a technical manner. Almost none (and I’m talking about all sizes of companies) onboard the relationship. That one miss or big mistake can cost you a year for a good or talented employee. 

New hires get logins, org charts, processes and procedures. What they don’t often get is the human foundation. They need to understand how to give effective feedback and how conflict gets handled with finesse and productivity. They need to hear what “good” looks like in practice and how to reach out to their manager. 

In the first 30 days, people are forming beliefs they may never fully update. They’re deciding whether it’s safe to ask questions and whether managers really mean what they say. They’re learning whether their manager will advocate for them and whether they belong. 

If the relationship isn’t built early, the employee spends months guessing, and guessing creates hesitation, and hesitation creates underperformance. Many underperformers get labeled “not a fit,” but maybe you simply needed to teach them how to be successful in the culture that’s already been built. 

Onboard the relationship early by setting communication norms and clarifying expectations. Schedule one-on-ones and go over the unwritten rules. You can teach tools later, but trust has a window.