Why many Australians report their first day at a new job as a disaster

• Six in 10 Australian managers have had a new employee resign during their probation period due to poor onboarding processes.

• Nearly half (43%) say they have even lost an employee during the first month because of it.

• Yet 98% of businesses say their onboarding is sufficient.

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Many Australians bail out on a new job soon after they’ve been hired.

Some turn up to a new office to find they haven't been allocated a workstation and then have to chase paperwork and fill in forms for the rest of their first day.

Research by recruiters Robert Half found that 59% of Australian managers have had an employee resign during their probation period due to poor onboarding processes, and 43% lost the new employee during their first month.

According to the survey of 460 Australian hiring managers, almost one-third (28%) believe their current onboarding process is “excellent”, while half (51%) say their onboarding process is “good”, and 16% say it is “sufficient”.

Robert Half say there appears to be a disconnect between employers who think they have an efficient onboarding process and employees leaving the organisation due to a poor processes.

Australia’s hiring managers say it takes an average of five months for new employees to gain a level of proficiency where they can independently and successfully manage their responsibilities.

“While having a well-developed recruitment strategy is essential to attract and secure top talent, the job isn’t done the moment the employee signs the contract. It is equally important to train and retain the staff member," says Andrew Brushfield, Director of Robert Half Australia.

“Companies who fail to deliver on an efficient onboarding process have a greater risk losing the employee early on which in turn leads to lost productivity, additional costs due to having to replace an employee and damaged team morale among existing staff who have to manage the additional workload until a new staff member joins the team.”

“As part of a successful onboarding strategy, employers should make the new employee feel welcome and provide him or her with the necessary tools to be able to do the job.

"New starters also need adequate and regular guidance on job requirements and goals, and managers need to check in frequently to see if they have questions or concerns."