A Simple Framework for a Better Employee Onboarding Process

Imagine a new hire, let’s call her Sarah, starting her first day at a promising new company. Her heart is racing with excitement and nerves. The next few days will set the tone for her entire employee experience.

Fortunately, Sarah’s new company has a thoughtful and comprehensive onboarding program. She’s warmly greeted by her manager and introduced to a structured training plan that will guide her through her first few months. By the end of her first quarter, Sarah is integrated into her team, contributing innovative ideas and exceeding her initial performance goals.

A smooth start like Sarah’s is the result of effective employee onboarding, the structured process of integrating an employee into a new role. To ensure a comfortable transition for your employees, we’ll explore the importance of a strong onboarding process and how to build one.

The Current State of Employee Onboarding

Not all new hires are as fortunate as Sarah. Starting a new job should be exciting, but a poor onboarding experience can quickly turn that excitement into frustration.

A recent Paychex survey found that 52% of new hires feel under-trained after onboarding, with even higher rates for employees at small companies (66%) and remote workers (63%). Inadequate onboarding, on the other hand, can lead to disengagement, which, according to Gallup, costs organizations roughly 18% of a team member’s salary. Furthermore, Hays’ Staff Engagement Report indicates that 51% of staff members would go “above and beyond” in their work if they had a positive onboarding experience. 

Perhaps most alarming is the impact on retention. When onboarding fails to meet a new hire's expectations, the next step for many team members is to leave. In fact, half of newly hired employees consider leaving their jobs, and this number rises to 80% among those who feel under-trained due to poor onboarding. According to Fortune, 80% of new hires who receive a poor onboarding experience plan to quit, especially if they’re remote workers.

Despite the importance of effective onboarding, many organizations struggle to get it right. Paychex recently revealed that only 52% of new hires feel satisfied with their onboarding experience, with 32% finding it confusing and 22% disorganized. The challenge is even greater for remote workers, with 36% reporting a confusing onboarding process. For all staff members, but especially those who work from home, effective onboarding is fundamental to building a positive workplace culture.

However, when you onboard new hires well, you go beyond welcoming them by setting the stage for a motivated and productive work experience. Paying careful attention to an onboarding strategy can give your organization a significant edge in team satisfaction, productivity, and retention.

Want a head start? Our free onboarding checklist walks through each step covered below.

Onboarding vs. Orientation: What’s the Difference?

While both orientation and onboarding aim to integrate new hires into your organization, they serve distinct purposes:

• Orientation is a point in time, typically a week-long introduction that provides a broad overview of the organization and ensures all necessary paperwork and logistics are properly in place.
• Onboarding is a journey, an ongoing process that prepares employees to be high performers. When onboarding goes well, team members feel a sense of belonging and learn how to succeed in their new roles.

Both orientation and onboarding are necessary in helping new hires acclimate to their roles in your organization. Despite their differences in duration and depth, both programs share a common goal: to create a sense of belonging and prepare new hires to contribute effectively from day one. And because onboarding is a journey, it works best when it flows straight into onboarding and professional development training that keeps new team members growing well past their first week. 

5 Key Benefits of Effective Onboarding 

1. Improved Engagement 

According to Bamboo HR, 89% of employees report being engaged at work following an effective onboarding experience. Onboarding training sets clear expectations, provides necessary resources, and fosters a sense of belonging—all proven drivers of employee engagement. 

2. Increased Retention 

The first few months on the job are critical for retaining new talent. A Click Boarding study found that employees are 58% more likely to stay with a company for three years if they have a structured onboarding experience. 

3. Enhanced Job Satisfaction 

When new employees feel well-prepared and supported, they’re more likely to be satisfied with their roles and the company as a whole. Gallup found that 70% of employees who had exceptional onboarding experiences say they have “the best possible job”. These same employees are also 2.6 times as likely to be extremely satisfied with their workplace and, consequently, far more likely to stay.

4. Accelerated Time-to-Productivity

An effective onboarding program can help new hires become productive team members, shaving months off their time-to-productivity and improving ROI for each one. 

5. Stronger Team Dynamics

Effective onboarding also strengthens team camaraderie. By fostering a sense of community and belonging, onboarding training can improve team collaboration and cross-functional cooperation.

The Most Common Employee Onboarding Challenges

If effective onboarding provides such clear benefits, why do so many organizations struggle to get it right? Onboarding often falls by the wayside amid other business priorities, resulting in ineffective programs for new hires.

As you design your onboarding process, consider these common roadblocks for new hires: 

• Lack of structure: Without a clearly defined onboarding program, new hires must navigate the process on their own. This can lead to inconsistencies, gaps in training, and a disjointed employee experience.
• Outdated content: Onboarding materials that are not regularly updated can quickly become obsolete and fail to address evolving needs.
• Information overload: Many organizations include too much content, overwhelming new employees. A survey by Glean reports 81% of new hires often feel overwhelmed with information during their onboarding process.
• Insufficient training time: Rushed onboarding schedules often don’t allow enough time for new hires to fully absorb and apply the information they’re receiving.
• Poor cultural integration: Focusing solely on role-specific training without addressing company culture can result in employees struggling to understand and adapt to their work environment.

These onboarding challenges have clear consequences. So, how can organizations overcome them and design onboarding programs that set new hires up for success?

How Different Teams Fit Into Onboarding

Effective employee onboarding takes careful planning and execution, but it doesn’t have to be difficult, especially when it’s a team effort. Here’s how different teams at your organization can contribute to an effective onboarding process:

Human Resources

HR is often the first point of contact a new hire has with your organization. Generally, HR oversees onboarding across all departments to create a consistent new hire experience.

Throughout the onboarding process, your human resources department should strive to:

• Create a smooth entry experience for new hires
• Ensure onboarding practices align with company values
• Collaborate with other departments for a well-rounded onboarding journey
• Communicate the company’s vision and values clearly through onboarding materials

Learning and Development

New hires will likely retain more from an engaging, interactive training module than a wall of text about company policies. This is where your learning and development team comes in. They’re responsible for designing memorable in-person sessions or online training materials that your organization can use to onboard new hires. 

Work with your learning experts to:

• Design comprehensive training programs for role-specific and organizational knowledge
• Use training techniques to enhance teamwork 
• Create engaging, interactive learning experiences for diverse learning styles
• Measure onboarding effectiveness and track learning

Not every organization has a learning and development department. If you are looking to incorporate high-quality training materials into your onboarding process, consider investing in a training platform with ready-made modules that you can tailor to your organization’s needs.

Leadership

Your organization’s leaders oversee onboarding to ensure new hires are gaining the skills they need to find success. 

To demonstrate your organization’s commitment to new hires, executives can:

• Participate in meet-and-greets or welcome addresses
• Help shape a positive company culture
• Model organizational values and good communication skills

Managers bring clarity to expectations and everyday work by:

• Working with HR to prepare clear job descriptions and performance metrics
• Outlining role-specific training schedules
• Conducting regular check-ins and feedback sessions
• Pairing new hires with experienced mentors

A Framework for Effective Onboarding

1. Set Clear Goals

Start by defining what you want to achieve through your onboarding process to integrate new hires into your work environment.

To create an initial plan, you should:

• Outline how you will introduce your organization’s mission, vision, culture, policies, and procedures.
• Establish a timeline (usually 1-12 months) based on job requirements.

2. Choose the Right Platform

To keep your onboarding process organized, consider using a learning management system (LMS).

Look for a platform that can:

• Centralize all materials in one easy-to-access location.
• Assign specific content to relevant employees.
• Track completion and generate progress reports. 
• Allow for easy content updates and edits.

3. Develop Engaging Content

Think of your content as building blocks for your new hire’s success. 

Your onboarding materials should include:

• Training modules/tutorials covering essential topics.
• Company policies, role-specific tasks, and professional development opportunities.
• Diverse presentation methods to keep new hires engaged.
• Well-paced delivery of information to avoid overwhelming new hires.

4. Establish Support Systems and Appreciate New Hires

Help new hires feel supported from day one by encouraging them to connect with and ask questions of those around them.

To establish a culture of collaboration, try:

• Pairing each new hire with an experienced buddy or mentor for ongoing guidance.
• Recognizing employees’ efforts and accomplishments from day one to let them know you value their contributions.
• Arranging informal meetings with team members and key stakeholders.

5. Foster Cultural Integration 

Help your new employees feel at home in your company culture.

Your training should include: 

• Interactive scenarios demonstrating company values in action.
• Learning topics on workplace equity and inclusion.
• Shadowing opportunities with leaders who embody company values.

6. Evaluate and Improve

Look to continually refine your onboarding process. 

Improve your onboarding efforts over time through:

• Regularly scheduled check-ins with new hires (weekly is a good start).
• Clear communication about formal and informal feedback channels.
• Assessments to measure training effectiveness and job performance.
• Feedback from managers and mentors to identify areas for improvement.

Employee Onboarding FAQs

How long should employee onboarding last?

A typical onboarding process lasts between 90 days and one year, depending on the role's complexity. A position with a shorter learning curve may need only a couple of months of structured onboarding, whereas a role that involves strict compliance requirements or complicated equipment might benefit from more comprehensive training.

How do I measure whether my onboarding process is working?

Your organization can measure the success of your onboarding process by tracking new hire retention at 90 days and 1 year from the start of onboarding, assessing the time it takes employees to reach full productivity, and monitoring completion rates for all required training modules. Low retention or training completion rates signal a need to reassess your onboarding process, but evidence that employees stick with their training and their work indicates successful onboarding.

How can technology help with onboarding?

A centralized training platform can help your organization centralize all of its training content and keep track of assignments, progress, and completion for each new hire, keeping important onboarding materials and information from getting lost in spreadsheets, shared folders, and email threads.

Getting Started

Effective onboarding plays a critical role in building a thriving workplace culture. To help you get started or enhance your current onboarding process, we’ve prepared a simple checklist that walks through the basic steps of creating a successful onboarding program. You can add or subtract tasks to fit your specific needs.

Every step to improve your onboarding process is an investment in your organization’s future. By continually enhancing your onboarding training, you can position your organization for long-term success and create a workplace where employees like Sarah can thrive from day one.