The silent crisis in your workforce might surprise you.
Imagine spending months searching for the perfect candidate, only to have them leave shortly after they arrived.
Studies show that 30% of employees leave their jobs within the first year, with many deciding to go within their first 90 days.
The reason?
A lackluster onboarding experience that leaves them feeling lost, unsupported, and disconnected.
New hires don’t leave because they cannot perform the job they were hired to do. They leave when they struggle to find clarity, connection, and confidence in their role during the critical first months.
And that’s something you can fix.
The first few months on the job set the tone for an employee’s entire experience at your company. If you want to improve retention, engagement, and workplace culture, you need to rethink your approach to onboarding.
Let’s break down why new hires leave and how you can stop the cycle.
Preparation is Key
When new hires feel unprepared, unsupported, or disconnected from their work and team, especially during their first few days in their new role, they may question whether they made the right decision to join your organization. If left unaddressed, this uncertainty can lead to early disengagement, low productivity, and turnover.
Here’s what’s pushing your new hires out the door:
1. A Disorganized First Day
No one wants to show up on their first day to confusion, a missing laptop, and no clear direction. An unstructured welcome quickly signals to a new team member that your organization isn’t invested in its employees.
Fix it:
- Set up a detailed first-day experience with a welcome email, workstation readiness, and scheduled team introductions.
- Provide a clear roadmap of what they can expect in their first week and share it with them on their first day.
2. No Sense of Belonging
The number one predictor of employee retention? Belonging. New hires disengage when they don’t feel welcomed or connected to their team.
Fix it:
- Assign a mentor or onboarding buddy to guide them through their first few months.
- Ensure their manager has a systematic check-in plan to provide feedback and encouragement.
3. Information Overload Without Clear Guidance
Many companies treat onboarding as a one-week crash course, flooding new hires with documents, policies, and training videos—only for them to forget everything by week two.
Fix it:
- Break onboarding into phases across the first 90 days instead of cramming everything into a single week.
- Focus on hands-on learning and gradually integrate employees into the workflow.
The First 90 Days: Your Retention Game-Changer
Many companies often overlook the importance of the onboarding process beyond the initial week. However, the first 90 days are critical for new hires. If employees feel stagnant or uncertain about their future within the organization, they can quickly become disengaged.
Research indicates that goal-setting, skill development, and continuous learning are essential components of workplace satisfaction. To ensure your new employee feels supported, you can integrate these factors into an onboarding process.
That’s why we created the PPCaDI 50-Point Onboarding Checklist — a proven framework to help you build a structured approach to welcoming new employees.
This free resource helps you:
Eliminate onboarding gaps with a structured 90-day approach. Boost retention and engagement by fostering workplace belonging. Reduce costly turnover and create a culture where employees want to stay.
Get Your Free 50-Point Checklist Here
It’s Time to Fix Your Onboarding Process
If half of your new hires leave within a year, it’s time to ask: Is our onboarding experience setting them up for success or pushing them out the door?
The solution isn’t complicated, but it does require intention. With the right onboarding strategy, you can create a workplace where employees feel valued, supported, and excited to contribute.
Start by downloading our free 50-Point Onboarding Checklist and build a system that retains top talent from day one.
