Just 21 percent of employees strongly agree that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work, according to a Gallup survey.

A major part of the problem: many managers don’t give employees the frequency of feedback they want and need! Employees who’ve had conversations with their manager in the last six months about their goals and successes are nearly three times more likely than others to be engaged—and motivated—in their work.

Providing frequent feedback makes a ton of sense for employers, too. As coaches and human resources consultants, at Connect the Dots Consulting we’re often asked how particular situations could have been avoided or how employees could have been “saved.” Our answer is usually “feedback.”

To succeed with feedback, it’s important to start providing feedback from the very beginning of your relationship with an employee—during onboarding. Doing so has a number of powerful benefits, including:

1. New hires feel valued. Employees feeling valued supports retention and reduces turnover. When you provide feedback from the outset, it can help confirm to new hires that they made the right decision when they decided to join your organization. Plus, it shows that their performance and success matters to your organization, and sets the stage for frequent feedback, both in positive and constructive forms.

2. New hires become proficient faster. Early feedback allows you to identify and address performance issues and training needs quickly. This can include making improvements in how new hires are working together with and integrating with their teams. The end result: new employees become net contributors sooner and fewer new hires fail.

3. New hires adapt better and faster to your culture and their teams. Early feedback during onboarding differs from performance feedback in one key aspect: it allows new employees to see specifically how they are or aren’t integrating into the culture of your organization. Onboarding feedback goes beyond just the deliverables of the job and the metrics that are typically used in performance management to evaluate how well new employees are integrating into their new role, as well as how others are perceiving them. For best results, this feedback should be strategic and include data-driven insights. Surveys that measure fit and gather data about perceptions and conversations with peers, team members, the new employee’s manager, and any other key stakeholders can collect hard evidence of how a new employee is transitioning and integrating into the job.

4. It helps make feedback a habit, supporting a learning culture. Providing regular feedback—both formally and informally—is a great habit to get into. It supports employee performance and loyalty, and supports an open, honest culture that values learning and development.

Keep Feedback Going

Early feedback isn’t enough. It’s just a starting point. Feedback needs to be ongoing throughout the employee lifecycle. Once employees have completed your onboarding process, continue to provide them with performance feedback and coaching to promote engagement, performance improvement and retention.