Hiring people takes time.

Not only does it require precious hours for leaders to go through applications and interviews to fill a position, it takes time to get a new employee fully acclimated to a job.

Hiring people takes money. It costs money to bring in interviewees. There’s a cost to putting new people on payroll and benefits.

So what can keep business owners up at night? Finding and hiring talent.

The acquisition of quality people is vital, but what may go unnoticed is the energy needed to get that person off to a great start.

Many know the risk of losing an employee within the first year, but few people realize just how many employees leave before they’ve even hit 90 days.

These early departures are disappointing and costly.

What happens when people leave? We’ve established that you’re destined to spend a lot of time and money. There’s more. When people leave, the remaining employees likely work additional hours. That can lead to burn out and stress on employees and family.

This is why the selection of talent and early cultivation are the most critical skills leaders need to have. Here are some tips to help you hire well and get those future star employees off to a roaring start:

— Don't rush the new employee into action. Employees do better if they learn about their employer. Take time to orient the employee to this history of the organization: why the organization exists, the roles of people they will be working with, where to go with questions and for information, safety rules and what they should expect the first 90 days.

— Assign a buddy. Pick out a peer for the new hire. I have seen these people called a buddy, a preceptor or a mentor. Many times, a buddy is not prepared for this role. Be careful who gets this assignment. The buddy needs to understand staff development.A new employee will tend to compare themselves to the person training them. If the current employee isn’t empathetic to being a newbie – explaining it took them time to learn everything they know, for example – the new employee often gets scared. They think they may not make it, so they quit. This is a big reason for early departures.

— Make it worth the trainer’s time. While trainers want the new employee to be successful, add some money to an existing employee for filling this important role. It doesn’t need to be a huge amount. Pay half of this during the training. The other half gets paid out at an agreed upon time (one year is the norm but it varies) if the new employee this person trained is still at the organization and is meeting expectations.

— Check in often. Be specific. Make sure they feel wanted, recognized and are comfortable. And after 90 days, survey the employee about the hiring and on-boarding process to what works and what needs to get better.Have an orientation or on-boarding graduation in which the employee receives a diploma and a pin. The buddy should also be recognized.

Organizations work very hard to attract and hire talent. We know it’s important.

But making the early work experience well thought out and executed creates less turnover and cultivates a better company culture.

Plan to attend, “Hiring Talent: Increasing the Effectiveness of Employee Selection” workshop, where you will learn key basics that every leader responsible for selecting, hiring, and orienting employees needs to know. Click here for more details and registration.