It's important to provide new employees a positive first experience with their new organization so they get off to a strong start. One of the first experiences a new employee has with his new employer is a receiving a laptop and other tech tools needed for their job. While provisioning a laptop can be easily overlooked, any delay in providing it to an employee is likely to be received poorly. Not only does it delay onboarding tasks and productivity, but an employee may also feel slighted that the employer was not prepared for their arrival. Nonetheless, only 32% of companies have a structured onboarding process.
While a delay in providing a laptop may seem trivial, a negative first impression can ultimately be costly. Nearly 30% of new employees quit within the first 90 days resulting in significant employee turnover costs and lost productivity. The cost to replace an employee is between 50 and 200% of their first-year salary. A study by Zavvy.io finds that companies that employ a structured IT onboarding program achieve 50% greater productivity with new hires. In addition, 54% of companies studied reported a higher retention rate for new hires that have gone through a formal onboarding process.
in addition to providing the laptop, it's best to provide them with information on how to contact the IT help desk, ensure that their new device is functioning properly, and address any of their questions. This should lead to improved employee engagement and result in higher employee retention. Ultimately, this will pay dividends for the employee and the organization.