A third of French management resign following poor workplace integration

If executives today have the power to choose their company, they also have the power to leave. In order to avoid undermining the efforts made to attract and recruit them, companies have every interest not to miss the first step: integration. 

But are they aware of it? What are their practices in this area? Have they established onboarding processes? Are they really effective? Cadremploi brings elements of answers in its latest survey of 1012 French executives.

The manager and the team: the first benchmarks given to the new collaborator

Businesses primarily play the card of proximity rather than solemnity when it comes to welcoming a new recruit. Indeed, 77% of managers say they have been welcomed by their superiors and not, for example, by human resources.

In this line, companies favor communication with direct employees, since 87% of respondents were presented to their team and 83% to their entire service. On the other hand, this tendency falls to 63% when the question concerns other services of the company.

If the reception is well done, it is also well anticipated: 83% of executives declare indeed that their arrival had been communicated upstream to their teams and 80% to their service. However, like the previous item, efforts have to be made at the company level as a whole, since only 47% of managers believe that their arrival was communicated to other departments.

Integration paths that are not systematic

Although the first steps in the company seem rather well mastered, the rest of the program is however less obvious: only 46% of executives believe they have had a real integration course upon their arrival while a majority states that their employer does not organize a dedicated day (57%) or does not have a formal process in place (54%).

Moreover, when this path exists, it is globally classic and struggles to go beyond the inevitable: the visit of the premises (69%), the presentation of the company by a member of the management (56%), the presentation (55%) and/or a breakfast or lunch with all newcomers (52%).

Activities with recently arrived employees are more marginal (18%). This is also the case for corporate sponsorships that are currently practiced by only 11% of companies according to the executives interviewed or the organization of events such as afterworks to promote team cohesion (29%).

In general, it should be noted that today it is the large companies that formalize the most this type of onboarding process; a trend that seems logical since it is they who have the most comfortable means, both human and financial, to deploy actions of greater scope.

Deficiencies that can unfortunately be expensive

While the results of the survey make it possible to take stock of the onboarding processes implemented in companies, they also demonstrate the importance that must be attached to it: 33% of managers say they have already resigned following poor integration, 65% of which occurred within 6 months of their arrival.

Beyond integration paths, there are other processes that deserve to be implemented in a more systematic way. This is particularly the case for the mid-term interviews conducted during the trial period which make it possible to identify any possible blocking points and solutions to remedy them. But as of today, only 35% of managers have already had this type of appointment.

Cadremploi's Research Officer, Elodie Franco Da Cruz, commented on the report: "While they realize the importance of integrating new employees, companies still seem a little shy on the subject. However, setting up real onboarding processes is nowadays a key element for the retention of their talents but also a lever to develop their employer brand. Companies have a real card to play: in a context of the talent war, they have every interest to invest more on the subject to stand out from their competitor."

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