Don't wait for the probation review to find out your new hire is unhappy.
Most SMEs have a probation review scheduled at three or six months.
The problem? By then, a lot has already been decided.
A new starter forms an opinion of the role, their manager and the business remarkably quickly. If something isn't working, a probation review can arrive too late to fix it.
CIPD research found that 41% of employers who recruited in the previous year had experienced new employees resigning within their first 12 weeks.
For a small business, that's expensive.
You've already invested time in advertising, interviewing, onboarding and training. If the person leaves after a few months, you're often back to square one, with the added cost of lost productivity and pressure on the rest of the team.
The good news is that preventing early turnover doesn't require a complex onboarding programme.
Three simple conversations can make a huge difference:
✅ Day 30: Is the job what they expected?
Ask:
• What's been different from what you expected?
• Do you have everything you need to do the job?
• Who haven't you met yet that would help you succeed?
This is where misunderstandings and unmet expectations usually surface.
✅ Day 60: Are they clear on what success looks like?
Review the role's key objectives.
The people who struggle aren't usually lacking ability. More often, expectations haven't been made clear enough.
This is also a good opportunity to gather feedback on the management and onboarding experience.
✅ Day 90: What comes next?
Talk about:
• What's gone well?
• What should they focus on next?
• What would make them more effective or more likely to stay?
By this point, most people have a good sense of whether they see a future with the business.
The biggest lesson?
Don't treat onboarding as something that ends after the first week.
Put these three conversations in the diary when the offer is accepted. Keep brief notes. Look for patterns across multiple hires.
You'll learn far more about your recruitment process from those discussions than you ever will from an exit interview.
A 20-minute conversation at the right time is a lot cheaper than replacing a new hire.
#Hiring #Recruitment #SMEs #HR #TalentAcquisition #Onboarding #Leadership #PeopleManagement #SmallBusiness #Retention