People don’t express what’s implied.
Meaning, we aren’t direct enough in our communication with people and rely on what’s implied and the context surrounding a conversation or relationship. This can lead to misunderstandings, misinterpretations and confusion.
For example, most employees don’t actually know why they were hired for a certain job. Sure, it’s implied that their prior experience, skills, grades and the way the interview went set them apart from other candidates, but no one directly tells them why they got the job. Because it’s implied. It seems like a simple question. But often gets overlooked.
Recently, a former manager told me I was hired because I didn’t come from the industry. I had a unique background, and they wanted an outsider who would ask questions and challenge the status quo.
Transparency leads to trust. And building trust at the start of your onboarding program is the start of the feedback loop that’s critical to workplace success.
So, if you want employees to be more engaged and successful in their roles, especially new employees, you should tell them why they were hired. And that’s different to what they were hired to do. But rather, focus on why they were chosen over other candidates. What was it about them that made them shine?
In this blog, we’ll explore why being transparent with employees is key to setting them up for success and how to review your onboarding program.
When you’re transparent and tell an employee why they were hired, it communicates to the employee what the organisation saw in them.
The employee learns what the organisation responded well to during the interview. Not only does this give the employee confidence, but it also tells them how to communicate within the organisation. It tells them which of their strengths to leverage. It also communicates that it’s encouraged to be honest and transparent.
But this should be a two-way street.
Ask the employee why they accepted the offer. There’s plenty you can learn about your organisation too, like what attracted them, how the interview process compared to other organisations, and what closed the deal.
Because what you think the selling points are about the organisation might vary from what candidates think. Beyond employees, it’s important to interview their managers too because they’ll have a hot take about the employee or onboarding process.
Transparency leads to trust.
But you need to create space to foster trust. Good working relationships start with an open and honest conversation about why the employee was hired and why the candidate accepted. But honesty doesn’t trump civility and politeness.
Don’t let the employee know they were a second or third choice. And don’t let them tell you they took the job because you were the only hiring manager to call back.
Instead, tell them why you want them to be successful with your organisation. If having a conversation with employees about why they were hired isn’t a part of your onboarding program, maybe it should be.
It’s the start of the feedback loop that’s critical to workplace success. And if you need to build more transparency into your onboarding program, assessing your onboarding program to build more trust and transparency is a good idea.
You might want to consider reviewing your onboarding program and the content within it once a year. An easy way is to integrate it into the budget review, as you might need to request more resources to grow or improve the program.
If your organisation onboards employees regularly, you might always be tweaking the content, so reviewing it annually might not be unnecessary. Once you’ve conducted a review, survey employees and see what they think about the onboarding process. These employees have a fresh perspective on your organisation, and the message employees should receive after onboarding is that your organisation is investing in their future.
To keep transparency clear and ensure employees are expressing what’s implied, use a combination of focus groups, online surveys and meetings to figure out how your onboarding program is performing.
It’s important to interview managers too. Include some questions about onboarding in your catch-up. Or even better, if you have a meeting to talk about new talent, ask them if they feel employees are coming to their department prepared. Share with them why they were hired and see if that matches up in the office.
Bring smart people into your organisation and then keep the smart switch on. Tell them why they’re special, and you’ll get the return you actually hired them for. And if you hide it, you’ll pay for talent that doesn’t turn up the way you want.
Martian Logic has been guiding HR teams in building accountable, transparent workplaces for years. Our intuitive HRIS covers everything from recruitment and onboarding to performance management and compliance, ensuring your organisation can identify issues early and tackle them effectively. With real‑time analytics and customisable workflows, our platform helps managers apply policies evenly so employees know exactly what’s expected—no guesswork involved. Ready to transform your HR strategy and foster a culture of accountability? Contact us today and discover how Martian Logic can boost engagement, retention, and long‑term success.