de Starting a new job at a company is often a significant source of stress for new employees. This is hardly surprising, as interviews can never fully convey all the nuances of the internal culture and work environment of a company. New hires typically have to get acquainted with these aspects on the job.
To help employees adapt more quickly, companies implement an onboarding process that guides them through both the formal and informal stages, introduces them to the team, and even helps them accomplish their initial tasks.
In this article, we will explore how to improve the onboarding process so that your new employee feels comfortable and is eager to stay with the company beyond the probation period ⬇️
Why Onboarding Matters
After a candidate successfully completes the interviews and signs the contract, they step into an unfamiliar work environment. They don’t yet know the company’s values, rules, or who to turn to for help. If left to figure it out on their own, they won’t be able to fully focus on their responsibilities.
Here’s why onboarding is crucial:
1. Rapid adaptation: Onboarding helps new employees understand their role and tasks more quickly. The sooner they get settled, the sooner they can contribute to the company.
2. Lower Turnover: If new employees feel supported and start their job with confidence, they are more likely to stay with the company. This reduces the need for constant recruiting and training.
3. Increased Motivation: When employees feel valued from day one, they are more likely to take initiative and meet their goals.
4. Fewer mistakes: Inadequate training can lead to costly errors. For example, a new employee might issue an incorrect invoice to a client, not being aware of all the pricing details, which could result in lost revenue or overspending.
Effective onboarding ensures a smooth transition and lays the foundation for long-term success. A structured process helps new hires quickly become productive members of the team.
Steps in the Onboarding Process
Let’s say you’ve hired William. He’s passed the interviews and accepted the offer. Now it’s time to start the onboarding process. Here’s what you need to do:
1. Prepare for Day One to make William feel like a valued employee even before he arrives at work.
- Send him an email with his start date, schedule, and key contacts.
- Prepare his workspace, install the necessary software, and set up access.
- Request the required documents from William, such as his bank details.
- Send him his employment contract so that he can review it in advance.
- Share a presentation about the company, its history, and its mission.
- Add him to the company’s work chats and introduce him there, asking everyone to greet him.
2. Kick-off Meeting. On William’s first day, organize a meeting with his manager. This is where he’ll learn about the company’s goals, team structure, and work culture.
3. Assign a Mentor. A mentor is someone who helps a new employee get used to the job. They should introduce the employee to the company’s life, answer all their questions, and support them during the first few weeks.
4. Team Introductions and Office Tour. Introduce William to key team members and give him a tour of the office, including his workspace, break areas, and other important locations.
5. Set Up Access. Ensure William has access to all the necessary tools, systems, and project management software. Also, provide training on any unfamiliar systems.
6. First-Week Plan. Provide William with a clear plan for the first week, outlining initial tasks and goals to help him adjust to the work pace.
7. Regular Feedback. Regular check-ins help track progress and address any issues before they become bigger problems. Feedback is also essential for improving your onboarding process.
8. Celebrate Achievements. After William’s first month, recognize his progress. Acknowledge his accomplishments and praise him, provide detailed feedback, and outline the next steps in his work.
Onboarding for Office, Remote, and Hybrid Employees
The onboarding process varies significantly depending on the work format. Office employees typically undergo traditional onboarding, which includes in-person introductions at the workplace and participation in offline events, such as office tours or team-building activities.
For remote employees, the focus should be on digital tools, creating a virtual environment that fosters engagement and connection with the company. This is achieved through video conferencing, collaboration platforms, online training, and continuous communication via messengers.
Hybrid employees require a balance between in-person and remote onboarding. Initial training can begin in the office to help them get acquainted with the team and processes, while the rest of the onboarding is conducted through remote tools. Hybrid employees also need systems that allow them to plan their office visits a week or even a month in advance.
Technologies for onboarding new employees
Technology is very helpful for new employees to adapt to their jobs more quickly. Chatbots, office management systems, and video calls help with communication and answering questions. These tools make work easier and faster, and employees feel more engaged and productive.
Learning Management Systems (LMS)
These are programs that help companies train their employees. With them, you can create courses, assess knowledge, and store training materials.
How it helps with onboarding: The system makes the learning process convenient. New employees can learn at their own pace and get accustomed to the new environment faster without getting distracted from their work tasks.
How to use: Companies can add courses on their rules, culture, and necessary skills. After the training, employees can take a test to show that they have understood everything. To make learning more engaging, companies can add rewards for achievements.
Examples of LMS: TalentLMS, Cornerstone OnDemand, Docebo, SAP Litmos, Absorb LMS.
Chatbots
These are programs that can talk to people through text or voice. They use artificial intelligence to answer questions quickly.
How it helps with onboarding: Chatbots help new employees get the necessary information in real time. For example, they can answer questions about company policies or what to do on the first days at work.
How to use: You can create a chatbot and give employees access through messengers or other company platforms. The chatbot can answer questions about work schedules, office policies, and procedures.
Examples of chatbots: Leena AI, Slackbot, Workbot (for Workplace), Espressive, Tidio.
Office Management Systems
Software that helps organizations efficiently manage workspaces, team coordination, and resource booking: workstations, meeting rooms, parking, and other office areas.
How it helps in onboarding: These systems help new employees see their schedule and know when they are working from the office or from home. They also help quickly understand where meeting rooms, the kitchen, and other office areas are located.
How to use: Employees can plan their own schedule, track the schedules of colleagues they need, book workspaces, and see which meeting rooms have scheduled meetings they are invited to.
Examples of office management systems: UnSpot, Teem, iOffice.
Video conferencing platforms
These are online services that allow people to communicate through video calls, even if they are in different locations.
How they help with onboarding: Video calls allow for introductory meetings, training sessions, and team interactions, which are especially useful for remote employees.
How to use: Regularly schedule video calls for new employees so they can meet the team, learn about company goals, and receive necessary training. Recordings of meetings can be used for further training or for those who couldn’t attend.
Examples of video conferencing platforms: Google Meet, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, BlueJeans.
Feedback platforms
These tools help companies collect feedback from employees, including their opinions on the onboarding process.
How they help with onboarding: Collecting feedback helps identify areas for improvement in the onboarding process, making it more comfortable for new employees.
How to use: Conduct regular surveys among new employees after key stages of onboarding to understand what works well and what needs improvement.
Examples of feedback platforms: SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics, Culture Amp, 15Five, Peakon.
Mistakes that make onboarding experience new employees difficult
A poorly managed onboarding process can leave new employees feeling lost, stressed, or even drive them to quit. To avoid this, try not to make these mistakes:
Information overload: don’t overwhelm employees with all the company’s policies, rules, and guidelines on the first day. Introduce information gradually so they can absorb it at a comfortable pace.
Misuse of resources: Some companies may use too many tools for onboarding, which can overwhelm employees with unnecessary information.
For example, if a new hire has to complete training on multiple platforms at the same time, it can confuse them and slow down the onboarding process.
Lack of agreements for inexperienced employees: There's always a risk that a new hire may be poached or relocate. If you're training inexperienced students or interns, consider an apprenticeship agreement to ensure they stay after onboarding, or you may lose money.
What is an apprenticeship agreement?
An apprenticeship agreement is a contract between an employer and a trainee that is part of an internship program. It typically outlines:
1. The duration of the training program;
2. The salary and working conditions;
3. The obligations of both parties.
The conditions for completing the program will include an obligation to work for the company for a specified period. Mandatory work after completing an internship is common in industries where companies invest significant resources in employee training, such as tech and engineering companies, aviation, and other complex industries.
How to know if your onboarding system works: 10 ways
We've compiled 12 ways to tell if your onboarding system is working well. It is better to apply several methods at once to get a detailed picture of the real situation.
1. Collecting Feedback from New Employees
Create standardized surveys for new employees to complete at different stages of their onboarding (e.g., after 1, 3, and 6 months of employment). The questions may cover the following aspects:
- Training Quality: How useful and understandable was the initial training? Were there enough examples and practical exercises?
- Information Accessibility: Was it easy to find the necessary information about corporate policies, procedures, and resources?
- Support from Colleagues and Management: Did they feel supported and assisted by the team and their manager?
2. Analysis of the time from hiring to independent work
Gather data on the amount of time new employees take to reach expected productivity levels. The data may include:
- Number of tasks or projects completed
- Quality of work performed
- Adherence to company deadlines and standards
Then, compare the actual onboarding time with the company's established goals and standards.
3. Assessing Employee Turnover Among New Hires
One of the best ways to measure successful onboarding is by tracking employee turnover. Track how many employees quit during or right after their onboarding period. If it’s high, something needs fixing.
To assess employee turnover, you can compare it to the national average. For example, in the U.S., the average turnover rate from 2023 to 2024 is around 13.5%. If the turnover rate in your company is higher than the average, it could be a sign of potential issues within the organization.
How to calculate the employee turnover rate
To calculate the turnover rate of new employees, use this formula: divide the number of newly hired employees who left during a certain period by the average number of new employees in the company during the same period, and multiply by 100%.
For example, if 5 people left the company over the course of a year and the average number of new employees was 50, the turnover rate will be:(5/50) x 100% = 10%.
4. Mentor Evaluation
A mentor plays a key role in the onboarding process of new employees. Their task is not only to share knowledge but also to help solve practical problems, provide regular feedback, and support the employee throughout all stages of the onboarding process.
Ask employees to evaluate their mentor's work at the end of their onboarding and write a short summary of the steps they went through together. This will provide more detailed feedback on the performance of each mentor across different departments of the company.
5. Analyzing Integration into Corporate Culture
Evaluate how quickly and successfully new employees become part of the team and adapt to the corporate culture. It’s important to monitor how well they embrace the company’s values, participate in team projects, and build relationships with colleagues. This indicates successful social adaptation.
Another sign of successful integration is active participation in corporate life: attending events, taking part in team-building activities and corporate meetings, and offering suggestions for improving company processes. Such interest in the company’s life demonstrates engagement and a desire to grow with the team.
6. Assessing Knowledge and Skill Acquisition
To evaluate the acquisition of knowledge and skills by new employees, use testing and certification. Testing includes online quizzes to check theoretical knowledge and practical assignments that allow solving real work tasks. Certification is conducted based on objective criteria with feedback provided on the results.
If test and certification results show a high level of acquisition, it means that training programs are effective.
7. Comparing with Key Performance Indicators (KPI)
To evaluate how well new employees are adapting, you need to compare their results with key performance indicators (KPIs). During onboarding, set specific goals, such as reaching a certain sales level, completing a project on time, or mastering necessary skills, and set deadlines for achieving them.
8. Analyzing Costs and Return on Investment (ROI)
To assess the effectiveness of the onboarding system, conduct an analysis of costs and return on investment (ROI).
Start by calculating the amount saved due to reduced employee turnover. For example, if the turnover rate for new employees dropped from 30% to 10%, you need to calculate how much money was spent on recruiting those 20%.
Savings = Number of retained employees × Average cost of hiring one employee
Example: If these 20% retained employees amount to 50 people, and the average cost of hiring one employee is $1,500, the savings would be:
Savings = 50 employees × $1,500 = $75,000.
Include in the onboarding expenses: materials, system costs, mentor salaries, as well as the time spent on employee adaptation. After that, you can calculate ROI using the following formula:
ROI = (Savings on hiring and recruitment − Onboarding costs) / Onboarding costs
Example calculation. If the savings were $75,000 and the onboarding costs were $24,000, then:
ROI = ($75,000 − $24,000) / $24,000 = 212%
A positive ROI (in this case, 212%) means that the investment paid off, and the company is saving twice as much on hiring as it spends on onboarding.
9. Feedback from Managers and Colleagues
It is important to consider the opinions of both managers and colleagues. Managers monitor how quickly the employee masters their tasks and meets the company’s work standards.
It is also crucial to assess how well the new employee interacts with the team: whether they can communicate effectively with colleagues and actively participate in teamwork.
For example, an employee might quickly adapt to the job but have a difficult personality. They may constantly argue with the manager or colleagues, be rude, and not follow corporate ethics. This is a warning sign that it may be time to terminate the employment relationship.
10. Considering Individual Employee Needs
To make the onboarding process more effective, it is essential to consider the individual needs of each employee. This is especially important for highly qualified employees, who are very costly for the company. For such people, you need to create personalized onboarding plans that take into account their experience and skills.
Key Points on Onboarding
- Onboarding helps new employees get used to their jobs faster, reduces stress, and increases productivity.
- The onboarding process includes several stages: preparing for the first day, an introductory meeting, assigning a mentor, introducing the new employee to the team and office, setting up access to systems, creating a first-week plan, providing regular feedback, and celebrating achievements.
- It’s important to consider that the onboarding process should differ for employees who work in the office, remotely, or in a hybrid format.
- To ensure successful onboarding, various technologies can be used, such as Learning Management Systems (LMS), chatbots, office management systems, and video conferencing platforms.
- Regular feedback, analysis of time to reach productivity, and tracking employee turnover are key indicators of how well the onboarding system works.
