Driving Force Toolkit: Roadmap for Retention

While your immediate focus is on recruiting new drivers, you need to ensure your long-term plan is on how to retain them. Just like you need a roadmap for recruitment, you need one for retention too. Not only is the map important to outline your retention program but it is a tool you can and should use consistently.

Key steps in the roadmap

• New hire onboarding and orientation
• Assigning a mentor
• Communication plan
• Performance feedback
• Employee engagement
• Metrics for recruitment and retention efforts

You work hard to hire each employee. But the work doesn’t end after you make a hire. Now you need to make a great first impression and showcase that they made the right decision to join your organization.

Retention starts with a well laid out onboarding program that includes orientation to your company. A good orientation and onboarding program makes your new hire feel welcomed to the company as well as providing them the key information they need to do their job successfully. This is also a great opportunity to engage your senior leadership team to help set the tone and reinforce your culture.

Another measure showing new recruits your investment in their success is by creating a mentorship program with them and your top drivers. This mentor can be a senior driver that can show your new hire the ropes so that they feel comfortable and confident. As they progress in your company, a mentor can be invaluable.

Other key retention tools are performance feedback and open communication. Engaging with your recruit and providing ongoing feedback will drive continuous improvement.

The tools and tips provided in this roadmap will help retain more of your top employees.

What can I do with the roadmap?

• Begin to create your process for retention
• Share with employees and discuss the critical elements
• Use as part of your orientation and onboarding process
• Add to employee manuals
• Conduct a workshop with your recruiting and retention team to customize it for your company

Looking for more tips from your peers? Sign up for the Driving Force Taskforce webinar on April 21 at 2 p.m. EST.