Looking for ways to onboard new employees? We share insights and tricks that you can use at each stage of the employee lifecycle.
Onboarding is a critical component of the employee experience.
In fact, nearly 1 in 10 employees has left a company because of a poor onboarding experience.
Related: More onboarding statistics that will shock you
Creating an onboarding experience might sound like a lot of work, but start off small and simple and you can quickly iterate a full end-to-end experience that drive new hires into high flyers.
We’ll run through:
- What employee onboarding is
- Why onboarding new employees is so important
- 27 easy ways to onboard new employees effectively
Let’s get started.
What is employee onboarding?
Employee onboarding is a comprehensive process that integrates new hires into an organisation, ensuring they have the tools, knowledge, and support necessary to become productive members of the team.
It encompasses a range of activities, from initial introductions and orientation sessions to job-specific training and ongoing support.
Effective onboarding not only familiarises employees with company policies, culture, and expectations but also fosters a sense of belonging and engagement.
By providing clear guidance and resources, onboarding helps new employees quickly adapt to their roles, thereby enhancing their confidence and competence.
Ultimately, a well-structured onboarding programme contributes to higher job satisfaction, increased retention rates, and overall organisational success.
Why is it’s important to onboard new employees well?
Starting a new role comes with many difficulties. As a new starter, you need to get used to a new job role, new teams and colleagues, new technology and new processes.
Starting at the beginning isn’t easy, so the first few weeks, and even months, can be hard for a new starter.
But it’s not just making a new role easier that’s a big benefit of onboarding.
Here are a few other reasons why onboarding is so important:
Boosts productivity
Effective onboarding equips new hires with the necessary tools, knowledge, and skills, enabling them to perform their tasks efficiently and contribute to the team more quickly.
Enhances employee retention
A positive onboarding experience helps new employees feel welcomed and supported, reducing turnover rates by fostering a sense of loyalty and commitment to the organisation.
Facilitates cultural integration
Onboarding introduces new hires to the company’s values, culture, and expectations, helping them align with the organisational ethos and seamlessly integrate into the team.
Improves job satisfaction
Providing clear guidance, training, and support during the onboarding process enhances job satisfaction by ensuring employees feel competent and confident in their roles.
Reduces costs
By minimising the learning curve and decreasing the likelihood of early departures, effective onboarding reduces recruitment and training costs associated with replacing staff.
27 ways to onboard new employees
Onboarding doesn’t have to be stuffy documents and boring processes.
Related: Create onboarding checklists for each stage of the process
Creating the right learning content and innovating onboarding initiatives allows you to create a stronger learning culture and establish a positive experience for new employees:
💡 Pro Tip
Want more tips about onboarding? Read our onboarding best practices blog to see what you can take from tried and tested onboarding processes.
Pre-boarding
The trick to a good onboarding process is one that starts before an employee’s first day.
When you’re considering pre-boarding, think about these options:
1. Welcome email
Send a welcome email with essential information about their first day, including start time, dress code, and agenda.
Allow your employee to feel fully prepared for their new role and know what to expect on their first day.
2. Prepare workspace
If you have an in-office worker, then make sure their workstation is set up with necessary equipment, supplies, and access to systems.
If they’re remote, then make sure that they receive a laptop or computer, and any other necessary technology, in plenty of time for their first day.
3. Send a welcome kit
Provide a welcome kit with company swag, useful tools, and a welcome letter. This helps people to feel part of something bigger, and creates a positive association to your brand from the get-go.
It’s also important to remember that your employees are your advocates. Good employee experiences help you to get better talent in the future, and to retain your best employees.
4. Employee handbook
Provide a comprehensive employee handbook that includes policies, procedures, and company information. Sending this out in advance gives your new starter plenty of time to read through it.
5. Training materials
Ensure they have access to training materials, user manuals, and other resources.
You might want to consider a learning management system at this point. This is a central hub for you to house all of your learning content, and create a positive learning environment. You can also consider onboarding software too.
Related: How a Totara LMS can help you achieve your goals
6. FAQ document
Create a FAQ document that covers common questions new hires may have. This saves managers having to repeat information via email and equips new starters with all they need to know.
First day
7. Warm welcome
If your employee is working on site, then greet them personally, introduce them to their team, and give them a tour of the office.
If your new starter is remote, you could still consider an ‘in-office’ day for their first day, to help them become familiar with their team. If not, then give them plenty of time to settle in and read through key documents before bombarding them with meetings.
8. Onboarding buddy
Assign a mentor or buddy to help them navigate their new environment and answer questions.
This is a great way to share knowledge across the business. You can also consider an engagement tool as part of your LMS or HR software to allow users to share resources, partake in forums and more.
💡 Pro Tip
Totara Engage is a learning experience platform that allows users to add learner engagement options including playlists, curated resources and forums.
Learn more about Totara Engage
9. Orientation session
Conduct an orientation session covering company culture, mission, values, and an overview of different departments.
10. Access and credentials
This is a simple one. Ensure new starters have access to all necessary software, accounts, and systems from day one.
11. Tech training
Provide training on the company’s technology stack and any specific tools they will use in their role.
Run them through which tools their team uses, and which the organisation uses, so that they can easily become familiar.
12. IT support
Make sure they know how to contact IT support for any technical issues.
First week
The first week is never going to be productive. Most likely, your new starter will spend the majority of their time completing statutory and mandatory training.
But there are a number of key actions that you can complete to help new starters settle in quickly.
13. Job-specific training
Provide training relevant to their role, including systems, processes, and tools they will be using.
House this learning within a learning management system in order to create a learning culture, and standardise training.
14. Set clear expectations
Discuss their job responsibilities, performance expectations, and short-term goals.
15. Regular check-ins
Schedule daily or bi-daily check-ins to address any questions or concerns and provide feedback.
16. Company values
Reinforce company values and culture through regular communication and activities.
First month
As your new starter gets more familiar with their job role, there are a number of tasks that you can do to help onboard new starters and ease that learning curve.
17. Integration activities
Plan team-building activities or lunches to help them get to know their colleagues and integrate into the team.
18. Continuous training
Offer ongoing training sessions and resources to deepen their understanding of their role and the company.
19. Feedback loop
Conduct a one-on-one meeting at the end of the month to discuss their experience, any challenges they’ve faced, and areas for improvement.
Ongoing support
The learning doesn’t just end. Your employees will continually be learning, developing skills and improving their effectiveness in their role.
As such, there’s a number of tasks you can put into place to support better learning.
20. Regular reviews
Schedule regular performance reviews and feedback sessions to monitor progress and set new goals.
Related: Why giving feedback on learning is important
21. Professional development
Provide opportunities for professional growth, such as workshops, courses, or conferences.
22. Open communication
Encourage open communication and make sure new hires feel comfortable reaching out with questions or concerns.
Related: How to give feedback in the workplace
23. Inclusion
Ensure they feel included in all team and company-wide communications and events. Look into engagement options to ensure that you’re providing a good employee experience.
24. Recognition
Recognise and celebrate their contributions and milestones. This doesn’t have to be monetary. Even gamification elements in an LMS can have a huge impact.
Related: New feature; points and leaderboards
Feedback and improvement
It doesn’t end there. No process is perfect first time, or even fifth time round!
You need to keep reiterating to ensure that you’re creating a good quality process for employees to engage with.
25. Surveys
Conduct onboarding surveys to gather feedback on their onboarding experience. Use that insight to tweak your onboarding process and create a better flow from new hire to high flyer.
26. Iterative improvement
Use feedback to continuously improve the onboarding process. Whether it’s the training you offer, or your policy for remote working, you need to take on board what your employees are telling you, and use it for good.
27. Engagement metrics
Track engagement and retention metrics to assess the effectiveness of the onboarding process.
By implementing these strategies, you can create a comprehensive and effective onboarding process that helps new hires feel welcomed, supported, and prepared to succeed in their new roles.
Wrapping up
And there you have it.
27 easy ways to create an onboarding experience that will go down well with your employees.
Learn more about what we can do to support your onboarding efforts. And remember, we’re a leading partner of Totara that works hard to build custom learning solutions.
Book a demo to see it in action, or check out our Edition to see how we differ from other Totara partners.
FAQs
What is onboarding and how is it different from orientation?
Onboarding is the comprehensive process of integrating a new employee into the organisation, covering culture, role responsibilities, systems access, mentoring, and relationship-building over several months.
Orientation is just the initial paperwork and introductions in the first days.
Effective onboarding builds role clarity, self-confidence, social connections, and long-term engagement
What should new hires expect on their first day?
Cover practical first-day details including: where to go, arrival time, who to meet, office access or parking info, dress code, equipment setup, lunch plans, and who to contact if there are issues. These small details ease nerves and set a positive tone.
How long does onboarding take?
While orientation may last a few days, full onboarding typically spans 3 to 12 months.
This ensures key phases like pre-boarding, initial training, socialisation, mentoring, and performance check-ins are covered, usually culminating in a 90-day or even year-long integration process .