It is a fact that a company is only as good as its ability to retain its employees, and phenomenal visions are irrelevant without phenomenal people, right? It is up to the management and HR team to carry this responsibility on their shoulders, e.g. through various onboarding programs. When it comes to new hires, there is no time for a second impression; if a new employee feels bad, in discord with the values and mission of the company, if he/she comes across chaos and unstructured processes, it is unlikely that they will form a favorable view of their new business environment. Why is it important to constantly improve onboarding programs? The answer is quite straightforward, if we just look at the statistics and the latest research on this topic:

• 91% employees remain in the company when the organization has an efficient onboarding process;
• 69% of new employees remain in the company for at least 3 years when the organization has a well-structured onboarding program.

(Source Aberdeen Group) Although many companies refer to human resources as their most important asset, many organizations continue to invest only minimal efforts on onboarding. Bearing all this in mind, guided by the vision that human resources are not only part of the business, but the main drivers of the entire business, Transcom Serbia has decided to take additional step in this direction. A few months ago, as Country Manager of Transcom Serbia, I started to organize breakfast meetings for new employees. All those who became part of the Transcom team in the last months have been invited to share their first impressions of their new job with me. In a friendly atmosphere, new colleagues presented themselves in a completely informal and authentic way, exchanging first impressions about their work environment. After their introduction, I briefed them about the birth and growth of Transcom in Serbia, providing an overview of the company's history. I conveyed the mission and vision of the company, and stressed the need for strong teamwork and team spirit as a key requirement for companies and individuals to succeed. We can have the best strategy, but if we do not get feedback from the people who work with us, and have a will to improve things based on this, it is impossible for any strategy to take off.