Employee onboarding is an integral part of ensuring that new hires are familiarised and integrated successfully into the workplace. Not only does it involve the formalities of starting a new role, such as completing necessary paperwork or introductory training, but it also involves creating an environment where employees are comfortably integrated into their team and organisational culture.

Like first introductions, an employee onboarding process sets a precedent for new hires, shaping the way they view and feel about an organisation. This initial introduction is a long-lasting experience that stretches far beyond the initial days when starting a new role.

Research suggests retention rates are 82% higher in organisations with a strong onboarding process.

In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at what onboarding is and how you can implement a robust onboarding programme that will increase employee satisfaction and reduce first-year turnover.

• What is onboarding?
• What should employee onboarding cover?
• Why new employee onboarding is important
• What makes a good onboarding experience?
• How to improve the onboarding experience

What is onboarding?

Employee onboarding is the process of introducing and integrating a new employee within an organisation when they start a new role. It encompasses everything from completing necessary paperwork and training through to introductions to their team, the role and the organisation.

The onboarding process typically begins once a job offer is accepted and can extend through the first several months of employment. The onboarding process is designed to equip new employees with the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviours so that they can integrate seamlessly into their role, team and the organisation.

What should employee onboarding cover?

The exact specifics of what an employee onboarding process should cover will differ according to the company’s industry, culture and objectives. Generally speaking, employee onboarding can include:

• A comprehensive introduction to the company, teams and key contacts
• Role-specific training
• Technology, tools and systems training
• Policies and procedure training
• Soft skills training
• Ongoing check-ins, feedback and support
• Administrative tasks e.g. completing any necessary paperwork

Why new employee onboarding is important

The onboarding process sets a precedent for your organisation and it will be the first introduction your new employee will get to their role and the company.

Therefore, having an effective onboarding process in place is paramount for ensuring employee satisfaction, high productivity and keeping turnover rates low. Benefits include:

• Improved employee retention rates
• Increased job satisfaction
• Increased productivity
• Enhanced company culture
• Improved team dynamics
• Maximised return on investment

Hear from our expert

What makes a good onboarding experience?

Employees rarely remember what they learned on their first day – but they do remember how they felt. New hires who receive meaningful recognition are 4.6 times more likely to feel inspired and inspired new hires are 3.3 times more likely to stay at their organisation.

To better understand what makes a good onboarding experience and the positive effect it can have on employee experience, BIW Insights Lab conducted an extensive Global Employee Experience Benchmarking study.

In total, 2,140 employees across 18 countries from organisations with at least 1,000 associates were surveyed in an attempt to understand the current employee experience, gain insights into how to improve it and create better outcomes for employers.

Comparing the experiences of those employees planning to stay versus those who were not, they were able to identify certain onboarding experiences that increase the likelihood of retention. These include:

• Building excitement for Day 1
• Introducing employees to others
• Receiving a role overview on Day 1
• Keeping Day 1 active
• Providing a challenge
• Supporting mistakes
• Showing employees their future
• Connecting employees to the organisation’s purpose

The survey results revealed four key factors for a successful onboarding experience; connection, consistency, community and celebration through recognition.

Connection

Connection certainly happens on that first day, but it starts before new employees even start. Connection begins on what we call Decision Day which is all about new employees asking themselves if they’ve made the right choice by accepting a job with your company.

To feel properly integrated within a company, it’s crucial that new employees form a connection with their manager and colleagues, and align with the organisation’s mission, vision and values.

Our research found new hires who are reminded of how their presence impacts the mission of their company are 2.1 times more likely to want to stay.

This connection, along with having a clear plan for their first weeks, can help new employees feel integrated and confident in their decision to join the company.

Consistency

Consistency comes after connection. Companies with the most success in improving retention build multiple checkpoints and connection opportunities.

BI WORLDWIDE’s research found that employees who are more connected to their managers are 5.7 times more likely to feel inspired at work.

However, most managers aren’t given the tools and training they need to personalise their engagement with their team members which can be a blocker when trying to achieve an effective onboarding experience.

We worked with a healthcare client who wanted to increase recognition in an employee’s first year and onboard employees to their mission. We helped support managers recognise their employees more frequently by sending out a monthly email that reminds them of the people on their team, celebrating key milestones along with questions to ask them and information to help assess the employee’s overall engagement. By the end of the year, all managers with a new hire had recognised that person within their first 60 days.

Following this success, they designed a year-long new hire campaign that ensured each person received a recognition moment from a leader at least six times in their first year. As a result, they not only improved retention at every key inflexion point, but they also saw employees and their managers engaging with recognition earlier and more frequently in their first year.

Community

Community is how you get your employees to stay. Our research found that those who experience fair and consistent recognition are 7 times more likely to feel they belong.

Managers and peers can also build community with someone newer to the organisation by sharing other areas in the organisation where they can build on the belonging provided by recognition.

If employees are considering leaving but have a manager, team or employee group that makes them feel they belong, the connection to the community is a key factor. Examples of programmes that build community are employee resource groups, mentorships, community affiliations and sponsorship. A well-trained manager can identify those that new hires might be most interested in and share information about participating in them early.

Another way to ensure employees feel connected from day one is by having a designated onboarding buddy. These buddies can support new team members and help train and mentor them. They can also clarify tasks and roles and provide a safe place for the new hire to ask questions. By building connections early on, a new hire is more likely to feel a connection to the company as well.

Celebration through recognition

How to improve the onboarding experience

Prepare in advance

First impressions are everything and the same can be said for employee onboarding. Before a new employees arrival, you should ensure you have everything needed for a successful onboarding. This includes all the relevant documents, training materials and equipment that the employee will need to hit the ground running. Having all of this in place will show your new hires that you are prepared for their arrival, boosting their faith and confidence in your organisation.

Personalise the onboarding plan

For new starters, onboarding can be an overwhelming experience, particularly if there is a lot for them to grasp and take in. To ensure that the onboarding is as successful as possible, you should consider how you deliver all the information. For example, some individuals may prefer written information, whereas, for visual learners, training videos may be more appropriate. Delivering the information in different ways can help them retain information more effectively.

Set milestones and provide feedback

Providing employees with clear and achievable personalised goals is another way you can make the onboarding process less overwhelming. With manageable goals, they will be more likely to succeed, helping them gain confidence and see their progress.

Regular and constructive feedback will also help them recognise their achievements, further encouraging them and improving employee motivation overall.

Collaborate with multiple teams and seniority levels

Onboarding new employees is a team effort and often involves multiple departments and individuals at different levels of seniority. Including other departments and those from upper management in the onboarding process will encourage new employees to make broader connections outside of their department.

This can help to foster a more collaborative working environment regardless of their position within the company and eliminate preconceptions and intimidation they might feel.

Reward and recognise achievements

Rewards and recognition don’t just have to be for big milestones. Fostering a culture of recognition through day-to-day achievements is a great way to foster a positive work environment.

By cultivating a culture of peer-to-peer recognition for both big and small wins, organisations can create a positive and rewarding work environment that encourages continuous growth and success from day one. This can be done through simple quotes of appreciation during one-to-ones and through employee recognition programmes.

Monitor and adjust if necessary

To ensure that your employee onboarding process is as effective as possible, it is important that you continually monitor and adjust the process according to the progress of your new hires. This can be done by regularly assessing the progress of your employees through the process and also by asking those involved in the process for open and honest feedback.