By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN
Recruitment and retention are challenging today. Even excellent leaders find themselves with surging turnover rates and spend more of their time on recruitment. Yet, the leader’s role does not end with recruitment. Staff retention begins with a good onboarding experience.
Unfortunately, some nurse managers delegate these responsibilities to preceptors or unit educators, sometimes without good follow-up, especially with newly hired experienced staff. These staff can easily become sucked into the staffing vortex and miss key parts of the onboarding experience. A study published by the Academy of Management Journal found that your new hire’s first 90 days have an incredibly strong influence on their future progress within the company, and Forbes.com suggests that employees who go through a structured onboarding process are 58% more likely to remain with your organization after three years. Dissatisfaction with employment often starts when new staff members feel like they have been given a poor orientation to the unit.
Nurse leaders should have regular check-ins scheduled at the end of the first week with each new staff member. Examples of questions to ask on check-in include the following:
- Has our team made you feel welcome?
- Did you receive what you needed to begin work? (ex. new employee benefits information, ID badge, keys, email, and EMR access)
- Do you have questions that have not been answered?
- What challenges do you see in your new role?
- Is there anything we should change to help new staff better adjust to the unit?
Other steps to improve onboarding included the following:
- Become more intentional about how new staff is welcomed as an important addition to the unit.
When new staff joins your community, they have no history and may not be aware of important cultural norms, values, and behaviors. It is important for the nurse leader to make sure they are welcomed and introduced to others as a valued team member. Preceptors play a key role in the onboarding of new staff and should be carefully selected to make sure they are positive role models. New staff should be encouraged to ask questions and contact you directly with any concerns that they may have. There is a good reason why Gallup asks staff whether they have a best friend at work. It is because we are more likely to stay when we feel like part of the team.
- Ensure new staff is given a thorough orientation even if they are experienced.
New staff should receive orientation at both the hospital and unit levels. Key policies and procedures should be reviewed. A thorough orientation checklist provided by either the manager or unit educator should be used to ensure that all new staff receives the same information. Don’t skip steps even when you are short-staffed.
- Do regular check-ins on the progress of new staff members.
Nurse managers should schedule a meeting with new staff at the end of the first week, at the 30-day point, at 60 days, and at mid-year to see how things are progressing and to assess satisfaction with employment. This is a good time to assess whether expectations are being met, answer questions, clarify policies, assess challenges, and use the information to refine the onboarding process.
- Begin the professional development coaching.
In his work, the late Dr. Stephen Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, advised that we should begin with the end in mind. This is good advice in coaching new staff. Much of the first six months of employment is usually spent on performance coaching, but long-term commitment will be built if you include professional development coaching. Learn about each new staff member’s personal goals for their career and begin the individual development plan. Help staff to establish at least 2-3 personal development goals. The goals should include actions and a timeline. Every manager should have a list of professional growth opportunities available to staff on their unit, such as:
- Certification preparation classes
- Cross-departmental committee participation
- New graduate mentor
- Charge nurse classes
- Unit practice council participation
- Community leadership activities (heart walk, United Way drive, mission trips)
Preventing staff turnover is an ongoing challenge for many nurse leaders. Many decisions made about whether the organization is a good fit happen in the first few months of employment. Make great onboarding a key signature strength for your unit.
© emergingrnleader.com 2021
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