ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Hiring new employees doesn’t stop on the first day. Retailers often miss engaging their new employees. But not if they remember “people before paper,” Merit Gest, president of Merit-based Professional Development, said during yesterday’s NACS Show Speaker Chat: Welcome Aboard!

Gest emphasized that “the sooner new hires fit in, the more they are willing and able to give their A-plus effort.” She discussed how a lack of training for managers in how to onboard employees contributes to employee turnover. “You need manager buy-in that onboarding is important,” she said.

One attendee asked how to increase employee engagement. Gest suggested taking out the information about company culture in the employee handbook and creating a separate manual on company culture. “This sends a message that your culture is so important, it deserves its own manual,” she said.

Gest also pointed out that onboarding needs to start by getting management buy-in. “Have a training session that uses your own data along with industry data that shows the cost of employee turnover,” she said. “Then ask your managers questions on how that turnover impacts their day-to-day jobs. If you start there, then talk about the importance of onboarding, you will get managers on the same page about its importance.”

On March 7, tune into NACS Show Speaker Chat: Trendspotting: A Customer’s Perspective for a chance to ask speakers your questions on new employees. NACS Show Speaker Chats will run weekly on Tuesdays at 2:00 pm EST through March 21.