Employee onboarding: a guide
Master the art of employee onboarding with key strategies that can help you boost employee retention, engagement, and productivity from day one.
Smooth and comprehensive onboarding is crucial to laying the foundations for a productive and long-term relationship between an employee and their new employer.
According to research, employees who feel they had a good onboarding experience are 2.6 times more likely to be delighted in their job and are therefore much more likely to stay put. However, just 29% of new hires say they feel fully prepared and supported to excel in their new role after the conclusion of the onboarding process, highlighting just how important an effective onboarding strategy is for any employer.
In this article, we’re taking a closer look at employee onboarding, why it’s so important, and best practices you can implement for your new starters.
Why is employee onboarding?
Employee onboarding is the process of familiarising a new member of staff with their employer’s policies, their own roles and responsibilities, and the wider organisational culture. A successful onboarding process ensures that new employees:
- Understand their role and responsibilities
- Feel comfortable in the working environment
- Are familiar with organisational policies
Why onboarding is important
The first few days and weeks in a new role are pivotal for any new member of staff. Research from Totaljobs shows that almost a third of new employees hand in their notice within the first six months. A comprehensive staff onboarding process can make all the difference in ensuring new hires feel welcomed and ready to contribute, resulting in key benefits like:
- Loyalty and retention: When employees feel welcomed and valued, they are more likely to stay with the company. Comprehensive onboarding helps new hires feel like an integral part of the team from the start, thereby fostering long-term loyalty and retention.
- Quick integration: When a new employee starts, you want them to hit the ground running, not take months to begin producing results. An effective onboarding process ensures that employees are well-equipped with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to start being productive and contributing to organisational success.
- Employee engagement: When new hires feel supported and valued, they are more likely to be motivated and committed. This engagement translates into increased productivity and a stronger connection to their employer’s mission and values.
- Sense of community: By introducing new employees to the organisational culture and facilitating connections with colleagues, onboarding lays the groundwork for positive working relationships and a collaborative environment. A sense of belonging encourages teamwork and a supportive work atmosphere.
Best practices for employee onboarding
To ensure a smooth transition for new employees and to maximise the benefits that can come with the successful onboarding of staff, employers will need to implement a comprehensive process. Below we’ve outlined some practices you can use to get started.
Develop a structured onboarding plan
A well-structured onboarding plan is vital for guiding new employees through their first few days and weeks in a new job. This plan should outline key steps and milestones within the onboarding process, ensuring that no crucial elements are missed. This can include a schedule of:
- Meetings
- Activities
- Training sessions
Implementing this approach will help new hires better understand their role, meet their colleagues and become familiar with organisational policies and culture.
Customise onboarding for each role
While having a standardised onboarding framework can be useful, it can be helpful to customise the process for individual roles. Remember, different positions have unique requirements, and tailoring the onboarding experience ensures that new hires get relevant information and training.
Here it’s crucial to work closely with managers to identify the specific needs of each new role and adapt to the onboarding strategy accordingly, covering job-specific areas, such as:
- Skills
- Tools
- Expectations
Ensure access to necessary tools and resources
Providing new employees with the tools and resources they need to be successful from day one is crucial for both speedy integration and productivity. This requires ensuring that their workspace is set up and that they have access to the right:
- Technology
- Software
- Equipment
In addition to this, wherever possible new starters should be provided with comprehensive guides so they can start to learn more about organisational policies, procedures and contacts.
Evaluate and improve regularly
The onboarding process should never stay still. Employers should instead continuously evaluate and identify areas for improvement by collecting input from new hires about their experience.
For best results, regularly review the onboarding process in this way and make the necessary changes to address any gaps or inefficiencies. Keeping the process dynamic and response will help to maintain its effectiveness and relevance moving forward.
Stages of the onboarding process
Navigating the initial stages of onboarding sets the tone for a new employee’s journey. Let’s take a look at the different stages of onboarding and the steps you can take to ensure a seamless integration.
Before a new starter begins
Laying the foundations for onboarding success starts as soon as the job offer has been accepted by the candidate. In preparation for their start date, employers should think about:
- Documentation: Consider if your new starter has the all documentation they need. Package up essential HR resources and share them either in an email or by post. This might include contact details, company perks and benefits (including how to apply for them), company policies, plus essential contact information, for example for HR teams and Finance (if applicable).
- Software and tools: Get your new starter’s desk ready for when they arrive on their first day with all the necessary tech. This may require reaching out to IT teams to ensure that all the relevant log-ins are set up and the new starter’s laptop is ready to go on day one.
- Keeping in touch: Communicate with your new hire and give them an idea of what to expect on their first day. Will you meet them outside the building, or at reception? Do they need to sign into the building, or have ID to gain access? Be clear about the practicalities and logistics they should think about. This is also the time to give them an idea of who they might meet on their first day and let them know you’re looking forward to them joining the team.
Employees first day
A new employee’s first day at work is all about orientation and setting expectations. As a result, this should normally be comprised of:
- An office tour: Consider all the little things your new hire won’t be aware of. Maybe your office has locker spaces or maybe the bathrooms don’t have clear signage. Offer them a quick tour and flag these practical elements, as well as where different teams sit. If you work in a large office or have a lot of meeting rooms, consider mocking up a floor plan.
- Team introductions: Give your new colleague a chance to meet their teammates but avoid overly long sessions – you don’t want to overwhelm a new starter and there is only so much information you can take onboard on your first day. Consider asking each member of the team to provide an outline of their role, how they work with others in the team, current projects and how they will work alongside your new hire.
- Setting clear goals and expectations: Running through the job description again and contextualising it against wider organisational goals can help a new starter better understand the big picture and how they can contribute to it. This is also a good time to ask your new starter if they have any specific questions about their role.
- A team lunch: While your new starter should get to know their colleagues in scheduled meetings, giving them the chance to do so in a social and less formal setting is highly recommended. You can either organise a team lunch to officially welcome them or arrange to meet for drinks after work.
Employees first week
Moving onto the employee’s first full week in the role, employers can start looking forward to setting them up for success in the longer term. This is an opportunity to:
- Brief in the first project: Once they’ve settled in, the best way for a new starter to learn is to get them working on something. Give them clear direction and your recommended approach for the task, but otherwise let them use their initiative.
- Outline upcoming projects or tasks: Take some time to talk to your new team member about upcoming projects they’ll be getting involved with down the line. Even if they don’t start working on them right away, you can ask them to prepare themselves and start thinking about how they might contribute.
- Discuss probation requirements: New hires will often go through probation so their progress can be reviewed, a process which normally lasts between three and six months. The first week is an opportunity to explain this to them and outline any objectives they will need to hit.
- Gather feedback: Finding out how a new employee feels about their first week and the organisation as a whole allows employers to apply learnings to the onboarding process for future hires. Be clear that asking for this feedback is to help improve onboarding and ensure new starters have the information and opportunities they need to hit the ground running.
Maximising the impact of your onboarding process
Onboarding new employees is about setting the scene for long-term success and engagement. By focusing on continuous improvement and personalisation, organisations can give new hires the chance not just to assimilate smoothly, but to excel in their roles. Armed with a robust onboarding policy, employers can enhance their practices, cultivating a culture of support, development, and achievement right from the start.