Experts Contribution BeSocial itself employs 60 people in Bochum and advises furniture retailers on the topics of onboarding and employee retention.
Letters against fear
The shortage of skilled workers has long since arrived in the furniture industry. And it is hard on the nerves of some personnel managers when they spend a long time searching in vain for qualified personnel for vacant positions.
It is all the more frustrating when the new employee, who has finally been found, drops out in the run-up or does not even show up for the first day of work.
Benjamin Homann, Managing Director of BeSocial, currently supports over 90 furniture stores across Germany in recruiting specialist staff.
What reasons can it have?
The obvious explanation could be: we are dealing with an unreliable person who could not have been used anyway. But it is not that simple. After all, the now unfortunately but not "new" Employee previously met their own criteria and was employed for many years in a non-tenured position with a competitor.
What are his reasons for this short-term withdrawal of his decision to pursue new directions in his professional biography? As always, in such a case, it is also helpful to first look for the reasons in yourself and ask the question: What did I omit to encourage him in his original decision? What’s often more important to employees in these tough times than pay, vacation or opportunities for advancement: job security.
On the one hand, there will be concrete reasons for the desire to change the workplace. On the other hand, this "courage" the concern about giving up a secure situation and taking the risk of a completely new requirement among previously unfamiliar people. And this fear is not at all out of the world, even if the ink is dry under the new employment contract. Especially when there is no word from the new employer until the agreed start date.
And that really does not have to be! I would like to mention two measures for the time between the employment contract and the start of the job, which we have successfully recommended to our partners in the furniture industry.
1. the welcome letter
Mail from the new employer before you have even started your job? Unusual. But enormously effective in nipping any budding doubts of the prospective new employee in the bud. It is more than a friendly gesture. The new colleagues get involved, give practical tips for the first few days and express their joy at soon being able to welcome him as a new colleague in the team. This creates an early feeling with the "newcomer, To be immediately involved and needed.
2. Call from the boss
No less surprising than a letter, but even more authentic and personal. Fifteen minutes that should be very well spent. It’s important to talk not only about future tasks, but also about private matters, such as family or hobbies. Also this contributes already before the actual beginning of work pleasantly to a familiar contact with one another. The only thing that matters here is that the new colleague feels encouraged in his decision and welcomed as a person in the new team. Previously emerging insecurities disappear without a trace.
Two rather small measures with manageable effort. But not to be underestimated. This should significantly minimize the new employee’s doubts about their decision. And the surprise "last minute" jumping off remain a very rare exception.
Of course, it will continue to be the case that one or the other employee will find out that it does not fit in everyday life. That’s what a probationary period is for, after all, and great value should be placed on its design. But basically it must always be the goal from day one that no one leaves the team that you would like to see exactly there.