How To Onboard a New Employee in 8 Steps

The comprehensive process used to integrate new employees into a company is called onboarding. The process typically lasts for six months to one year. Onboarding is an essential human resources (HR) function. Employees learn about the company, their roles and responsibilities, and their teammates.

A positive onboarding experience has many benefits, including boosting employee satisfaction, productivity, and retention. Devlin Peck reports that, “69% of employees who have an exceptional onboarding experience are likely to stick around for at least three years.” With 20% of employees quitting within the first 45 days, effectively onboarding new hires in a way that sticks is critical to preventing turnover.

The process includes many steps, starting with preboarding, which begins before the start date. Orientation is the second step of onboarding that happens during the first few days of work. It is the initial process of welcoming the new employee and handling essential first tasks, such as paperwork, procedures, and equipment.

Onboarding is often broken down into phrases by days: 30, 60, and 90 days. The first 30 days focus on getting oriented, days 31-60 focus on internal relationship building and the new hire starting to contribute, and days 61-90 focus on succeeding and contributing independently.

Employers need to balance the length of onboarding with the frustration employees may experience if onboarding is too long. The process should be personalized for new hires and their roles. Allow employees to complete some tasks at their own pace. Make the process fun and memorable so it does not feel like a dreaded chore. Avoid overwhelming your new hires with too much information at once.

As you tailor onboarding to your organization and the new hire, focus on the employee experience and internal communication. When each moment is planned with the employee experience in mind, it leaves employees feeling excited about being part of your organization. Here are the steps for human resources professionals and managers to use when onboarding new hires.

1. Conduct Preboarding

Preboarding, also known as pre-onboarding, refers to the activities that occur during the period between when a job offer is signed and when employees begin their first day of work. Communicate with employees to provide regular updates and anticipate the information they will need for their first day of work.

This is the time to address FAQs, establish a clear point of contact for onboarding, provide a schedule, and share a checklist for the entire process. When employees know what to expect, they will have less first-day jitters. From knowing the dress code to where to park on their first day, preparation is key to a positive start.

Onboarding software helps streamline and automate the entire process. For preboarding, software makes it easy to welcome new employees in advance, provide welcome packets, handle preboarding tasks, complete electronic forms, create onboarding checklists, schedule meetings, and get a jump start on training in your learning platform.

2. Run Orientation

The first week of work is a critical time for creating positive first impressions, especially since it is difficult to change first impressions. BambooHR reports that in the first week, 29% of new hires know if the job is the right fit, 44% already have regrets or second thoughts, and 23% admit to crying.

AIHR states, “At its core, orientation serves three main purposes: to welcome, inform, and engage employees as they begin their journey with the company.”

Run your orientation program during the first few days of work. Create an agenda in advance and share it with employees. Orientation may include a structured virtual or physical event for multiple new hires, or it may be planned activities for only one new hire. Break up the content into digestible pieces throughout the first week. Orientation can include the following items, depending on the number of employees.

• Welcome: Have some employees ready to provide new hires with a warm welcome, and consider giving them company swag as a welcome gift. Get their approval to post a welcome message on LinkedIn. Provide new hires with employee advocacy guidelines if they would like to take a photo and do their own social post.
• Introductions: Show your commitment to DEI when making introductions by including ways for employees to share the correct pronunciation of their name and gender pronouns if they would like to share them.
• Icebreakers: There are many ideas of icebreakers, depending on the size of your group. For small groups or just one person, ask some questions from Nectar’s list of 101 icebreaker questions. For larger groups or virtual events, choose icebreaker activities from WorkBright.
• One-on-one meetings with the manager: The first one-on-one meeting between the new hire and the manager should happen on the first day. Set up a schedule for recurring check-ins. These check-ins could happen daily during the first week and continue weekly throughout the first year. Some check-ins may be informal, not scheduled meetings.
• Tour: Provide new hires with either a physical or virtual office tour. Remember that remote employees value virtual tours to see physical offices.
• Assign workspaces and equipment: Ensure that the workspace is clean, has a welcome gift or note, and has the equipment that the employee needs. For remote employees, equipment can be shipped to arrive before their start date.
• Policies and procedures: Provide and discuss your employee handbook, which should explain everything from tracking time and attendance to pay and benefits. Explain best practices and where to find information, such as an employee portal and intranet. Describe your policies, including paid time off and acceptable use.
• Roles and responsibilities: Provide a detailed job description with roles and responsibilities. Ensure that new hires know what is expected of them. Provide an organizational chart that clearly shows hierarchies and responsibilities.
• IT: Take ID photos and issue badges. Help employees log in and show them how to use your systems. Explain your cybersecurity procedures. Technology issues can be a major source of frustration for new hires, so ensure the process runs smoothly and includes technology training.
• Communication channels: Introduce your internal communication channels and best practices. Explain which channel is best for each purpose.
• Surveys: It is a good idea to survey new hires at the end of orientation to get their feedback, so you can quickly act on it.

3. Introduce the Company Culture

One goal of onboarding is to successfully integrate new hires into your company culture. This is the time to share your mission, vision, purpose, values, company culture, and employee value proposition (EVP). Expand on what you hopefully already shared during the interview process and preboarding about your company culture.

It is an ongoing process to incorporate a new hire into your company culture, not a one-time event. Throughout the first year, focus on opportunities to promote a healthy company culture and build trust. A toxic company culture results in employee turnover. Use employee surveys to gather actionable insights into your company culture.

4. Establish Meaningful Connections

According to BambooHR, “1 in 5 workers (20%) say their company doesn’t do anything specific to help new employees make friends and find support among their coworkers.” Furthermore, employees value work friendships more than meeting the CEO. Employers need to prioritize helping employees establish meaningful social connections and integrating them successfully into the company. Here are some ideas to establish connections.

• Shadow a colleague: Employees can learn what to expect and how to do their job by shadowing a colleague with similar responsibilities.
• Assign a buddy:  Establishing a buddy program that pairs a seasoned employee with a new hire works well for establishing connections. The buddy can provide support and guidance. Buddies also serve as a point of contact for new hires when they have questions.
• Establish a coach or mentor: While a job coach can help train and improve skills, a mentorship is a long-term relationship to guide professional development. You may assign a buddy during orientation, but wait until a later date to assign a coach or mentor.
• Encourage informal coffee chats: A simple way to get to know peers is by chatting over coffee.
• Plan lunches: Onboarding should include some scheduled lunches to get to know key players, either individually or in a small group.
• Organize social events: From outings and sports teams to group volunteering, there are countless options to encourage employees to socialize outside of work.

5. Train Employees

Think of employee training as an ongoing process that works best when incorporated into your performance management system. Training begins during preboarding when you provide new hires with a personalized schedule and some training activities they can complete at their own pace. Initial training may include compliance and safety training, followed by training specific to the role. Training can focus on hard skills (technical skills) and soft skills, such as communication.

Some onboarding software allows you to use AI features to transform your existing materials into customizable and engaging video training programs. These interactive trainings can be role-specific, and you can check understanding using quizzes. You can also use integrations with learning management systems (LMS) to create training videos to be shared in your onboarding system.

6. Schedule Check-Ins

A key component of onboarding, performance management, and retention is regular one-on-one check-ins between managers and employees. This is where employees and employers can collaborate on continuous feedback and goals. They can communicate proactively, align expectations, identify skills gaps, address issues early, discuss priorities, support wellness, and provide resources.

Having weekly check-ins helps prevent employee turnover. Paycor reports, “45% of voluntary leavers report that neither a manager or company leadership discussed their job satisfaction, performance, or future at the organization with them in the three months before leaving.”

7. Encourage Feedback and Recognition

Encourage new hires to share feedback through various methods, including surveys and during one-on-one meetings. Providing opportunities to share feedback anonymously may help you get a more realistic view of the employee experience. Employers can use performance management software or employee recognition platforms to provide ongoing feedback and praise.

Employers and employees benefit from employee recognition and reward systems. Celebrating milestones helps to boost employee engagement. From employee of the month to bonuses, learn how to create an effective employee recognition program.

8. Provide Ongoing Learning and Development

Some aspects of learning and development (L&D) include continuous skill development, upskilling, and customized learning paths. By identifying and preventing skill gaps, you can equip employees with the skills they need for long-term success and growth within your organization. Part of professional development involves setting and tracking goals. Focus on objectives and key results (OKRs), which have two main parts: what you want to achieve and how you will measure it.

Regular check-ins serve as the foundation for learning and development. When employers discuss and track workplace goals and understand individual career goals, they can provide the necessary support and customized training to reach them. For example, L&D can foster management skills and provide new managers with the training and resources they need for success.

An effective onboarding program includes thoughtful planning and ensuring employees have the essential information they need initially, and then gradually providing additional information without overwhelming them. With fun activities, a personalized approach, a flexible training schedule, relationship building, regular feedback, and weekly check-ins, employers can boost the success of onboarding. By utilizing software and tracking metrics during the first year, you can build on positive first impressions and lay the groundwork for long-term success.