Most small businesses owners focus on the hiring process: finding suitable candidates, conducting interviews, and making an offer. Once someone accepts the offer, it seems the most challenging part is over.
But that’s not the case.
It’s precisely in the period between accepting the offer and starting the job that many new hires quietly change their minds. They continue interviewing. They have second thoughts. Also they receive a counteroffer from their current company. Some don’t even show up for their first day.
This is becoming an increasingly serious problem for small businesses competing with larger organisations that have established HR departments and well-defined hiring processes.
The Silence Problem
What happens after someone accepts your job offer? In most small businesses, the answer is nothing. Maybe a brief email confirming the start date. And then silence until the new employee walks through the door.
This silence is dangerous.
New employees are anxious. They’re leaving their familiar workplace for the unknown. Every day without contact is a day they question whether they made the right decision. Doubts creep in. Other opportunities start to look more appealing.
Large companies understand this. And they send welcome packages. They introduce new hires to their teams before their first day. They maintain momentum throughout the entire onboarding process.
Small businesses can do the same without huge budgets. All it takes is a little effort.
Start Before Day One
The best onboarding process begins even before the employee officially starts. A welcome email from the new manager. A brief video call to introduce the team. Access to basic information about the company, the role, and expectations.
These small details show the new employee that they are valued. That they are already part of the team. That they are being taken care of.
Practical tasks also help. Sending documents in advance prevents wasting the first day filling out forms and signing papers. Setting up email and system access beforehand lets the new employee start working from day one, rather than waiting for the IT department to do it.
Software like FirstHR helps small businesses automate this pre-onboarding process. Welcome emails are sent according to a schedule. Documents are collected before the start date. Nothing is overlooked because the system tracks everything.
The First Week Matters More Than You Think
Even after new employees start working, the first week is crucial in determining whether they will stay with the company.
A study by the Brandon Hall Group found that organisations with a well-designed onboarding program increase retention by 82%. The difference is simple: it all comes down to whether the employee feels welcomed, informed, and capable of doing their job.
Small businesses often believe that a friendly atmosphere compensates for a lack of structure. This is not true. New employees need clarity. They want to understand what success looks like. They want to feel productive, not lost.
A simple plan for the first week, with clear objectives and scheduled meetings, makes all the difference. It demonstrates professionalism without sacrificing the personal touch that makes small businesses so appealing.
The Cost of Getting It Wrong
Replacing an employee costs a company between 50% and 200% of their annual salary. For small businesses, losing an employee can derail projects, create extra burdens for remaining staff, and damage client relationships.
Most of these losses are preventable, not through expensive programs or specialised HR departments, but through basic communication and simple systems.
Companies that invest in onboarding new employees, even on a small scale, build a reputation as good employers. Word gets around. Hiring becomes easier. Retention improves.
Those who ignore this aspect continue to repeat the same costly cycle: hire, lose, rehire.