Poor onboarding practices are causing major problems for new starts and IT workers alike, and experts have told ITPro enterprises simply cannot afford to botch the process.
Research from Nexthink found that bad onboarding techniques for IT and tech talent could cost US organizations $2.2 billion a year on rehiring costs.
The study found that 117,711 IT and tech hires have “underwhelming or terrible” onboarding experiences each year, with 29,428 leaving their roles as a result.
This is equivalent to 8% of IT roles projected to be created every year between 2023 and 2033, and represents a significant financial burden with the average cost of replacing a technical role estimated to be $76,703.
“The role of IT in securing and retaining top tech talent cannot be overlooked,” Tim Flower, DEX Strategist at Nexthink, said.
“It’s not just having the right device, but getting all the necessary permissions and installing applications, often with precious little guidance from hiring managers as to what is actually needed,” Flower added.
IT teams are often given just a matter of days to equip new starters, Nexthink’s research said, leading to rushed setups, issues with tech, and bad first impressions that affect staff retention.
Why is onboarding so important?
Onboarding needs to be a key part of businesses' digital employee experience (DEX) as it shapes new hires’ perception of the company from the outset, according to David Shepherd, SVP EMEA of Ivanti.
Ivanti’s research points to the fact that over half (55%) of workers have their mood and morale impacted by workplace technology, Shepherd told ITPro, demonstrating the effect that disjointed processes can have on employee satisfaction.
“Poor onboarding leads directly to reduced engagement, lower productivity, higher turnover rates, and ultimately significant financial costs for businesses,” Jochem van der Veer, Co-Founder and CEO at TheyDo, told ITPro.
“Disconnected teams and siloed information don’t just impact the onboarding experience, however – they create friction across the entire employee lifecycle,” van der Veer added.
Bad onboarding can also leave new starters feeling isolated, undervalued, and unclear about their role, according to Jonathan Evans, CEO of career consultancy, Discovery ADR. With no clear sense of how their role contributes to the organization, new staff will be less invested and enthusiastic, Evans told ITPro.
How can businesses fix onboarding issues?
A recurring issue experts brought up to ITPro centered around a lack of synergy between IT teams and HR departments. Enhancing collaboration between these two parts of the business can do a lot to improve onboarding experiences.
When these departments come together through shared digital platforms and regular meetings, Shepherd said, organizations can maintain efficiency in every technical detail, from hardware provisioning to system access.
Businesses should also consider moving from a “process-first” mindset to a “journey-first” mindset, van der Veer said, which involves focusing on employee experience and mapping out the entire employee lifecycle, from initial job offer through to career development and offboarding.
“This makes it easier to identify pain points, such as delayed equipment delivery or unclear role expectations, and proactively resolve these issues before they cause frustration,” van der Veer said.
Other best practices include prioritizing transparency from day one, regular check-ins, and personalized communication to support ongoing integration and satisfaction, van der Veer added.
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