The first 90 days: how to make your new hire stay

When we sit down with a company to analyse a vacancy, we sometimes find it isn't the first time they've filled it. The previous person started well, came through the selection process with flying colours and left sooner than expected. When we pull on that thread, the problem is hardly ever the candidate. It's what happened between signing the contract and the end of their first few months. This guide is about that period: the first 90 days.

Why the first few months matter so much

A new hire is assessing the company just as intensely as the company is assessing them. They compare what they were told during the process with what they find. If it matches, they commit. If it doesn't, they start looking around, and if they're good, they'll have options.

On top of that, an early departure means repeating the whole process, and the role sits empty again. If you want to put numbers on it using your own company's data, our guide on what a bad hire costs sets out a method to calculate it.

The good news is that much of what happens in those months depends on decisions the company can take before the person arrives.

Before day one: onboarding starts during recruitment

From the other side of the table, we see it often: integration is won or lost during the recruitment process. If the job ad promised things the role doesn't have, no welcome plan will fix it. That's why it pays to check three things before the person starts:

• That what they were told is true. Duties, decision-making latitude, team, working arrangements. What was said at interview is delivered. In our guide on how to write a job ad that attracts talent we stress not selling a role that doesn't exist.
• That the line manager knows why this person was chosen. Which strengths they bring and which competencies they'll need support with. At Crearte, every candidate we put forward comes with a fit summary against the role's duties and its personal and technical competencies. That document is an excellent basis for planning their integration.
• That the time between acceptance and start date isn't silence. A message from their manager, practical information about the first day, some useful reading on the project. It's a period in which the person can still receive other offers.

The first day and the first week

It seems obvious, but it still goes wrong: have everything ready. Computer, access, email, workspace, tools. Someone who spends their first days waiting for permissions gets a clear message about how the organisation works.

The first week should have three simple goals:

1. People. They should meet the people who will be key to their work, not just their own team. A list of names, saying who each person is and why it's worth talking to them, saves weeks.
2. Context. Why the role exists, what's expected of it and what has happened before. If someone held the role and left, say so naturally.
3. A meaningful first task. Something real and well-defined that they can finish. It helps more than a whole week of introductions.

Assigning a go-to person who isn't their manager, someone they can ask the things they don't dare ask higher up, is usually one of the most useful and cheapest things you can do.

A 30-, 60- and 90-day plan

Splitting the first months into three stages helps both the company and the person know what's expected at each point. It doesn't need to be a long document; it just needs to be written down and agreed.

Days 1 to 30: understand

The priority is learning: the business, the team, the customers, the processes and internal relationships. It's too early to ask for big changes. A reasonable aim is for the person to finish this month with their own diagnosis of their area and a list of questions nobody had answered for them.

Days 31 to 60: contribute

This is when the first visible contributions appear. Small improvements, well-defined projects, decisions within their remit. It's the moment to check whether the person has the latitude they were promised and the resources they need.

Days 61 to 90: take ownership

By now the person should be working independently on the essentials of the role and have clear objectives for the months ahead. The third month ends with a formal conversation about what has gone well, what hasn't and what comes next.

Follow-up conversations that actually help

Follow-up meetings shouldn't be a formality. We recommend at least one at the end of each stage, with questions that go beyond “How's everything going?”:

• What's proving harder than you expected?
• Is there anything we told you during the process that doesn't match what you're seeing?
• What do you need from me that I'm not giving you?
• What have you noticed that we, out of habit, no longer see?

The second question is the most uncomfortable and the most valuable. If there's a gap between what was promised and reality, it's far better to find out in month two than in a resignation letter.

Listening also means acting. If one of these conversations raises something the company can fix, fix it or explain why not. Asking and doing nothing is worse than not asking.

Warning signs in the first few months

Some behaviours are worth addressing early, without overreacting but without letting them slide:

• The person stops asking questions without having gained independence.
• They're left out of meetings or decisions that affect their work.
• Their manager has no time for the follow-up conversations.
• Expectations clash over duties, hours or priorities.
• The team doesn't quite welcome them in, or they don't quite settle into the team.

Many of these signs can be put right if they're spotted in time. And if it's confirmed that the fit isn't working, handle it clearly and respectfully. On anything to do with the probation period or terminating the contract, the advice is always the same: check with your lawyer or employment adviser before making any decision.

The line manager's role

A good HR welcome plan helps, but whether the person stays depends largely on their line manager. They set priorities, provide context and recognise the work. If that manager has no time to devote to the new hire, it's worth knowing before you hire, and adjusting workloads or the start date.

That's why, when we run a recruitment process, we don't only talk to HR. We talk to the person who will lead the new hire, because their way of working is as much a part of the fit as the candidate's competencies.

Making a hire stay starts with choosing well

No onboarding plan makes up for a poor choice. If the person lacks the competencies the role demands or doesn't fit the team's way of working, the 90 days will only confirm what a good assessment would have predicted. At Crearte we assess by competencies using STAR and CAR interviews and critical incident analysis, with complete transparency about the process. If you want to strengthen that part, our page on candidate assessment explains how we work.

Choosing well and supporting well are two halves of the same job. The first reduces the risk. The second turns a good hire into someone who stays.

Frequently asked questions