Onboarding programmes are often overlooked. After an intensive recruitment process, it feels like your problems are solved. But it’s essential to get onboarding right. Starting a new job on the right track is important for both the employee and employer.

In this blog, I’ll discuss why onboarding is important, key steps to onboarding, and best practices for getting it right.

What is onboarding? 

Onboarding and training are often grouped together. But these complementary processes are actually quite different functions within human resource management.

‘Inductions’ typically happen on an employee’s first day of work. Professional ‘training’ sessions are usually focused on one specific aspect of the job. But the purpose of onboarding is to integrate new hires into the organisation more broadly.

Onboarding programmes are a broader, more holistic and fixed-term process. These processes provide new hires with knowledge, resources, and support. The aim should be to shape your new starters into productive, engaged employees. Overall, onboarding helps to align all staff with the company’s culture and goals.

Onboarding begins the moment an organisation makes a job offer to a particular candidate. The process includes key steps like:

• Managing the resignation process with the candidate’s previous employer.
• Conducting various compliance and credit checks.
• Issuing and signing the new contract.
• Agreeing on a start date for that person and settling them into the business.

Why is onboarding important? 

Employers increasingly view the onboarding phase as a critical means of employee retention.

A strong onboarding process helps new employees to feel prepared, welcomed and valued, which in turn, helps to reduce turnover and improve productivity. Approximately 95% of respondents to a Hays survey cited onboarding as either “important” or “very important” for their organisation. Employers clearly recognise the benefits.

However, only 72% felt they were truly effective in this area of recruitment and management. This gap highlights the importance of refining the employee onboarding process. Only then can organisations hope to foster long-term employee satisfaction.

How to get onboarding right

Most comprehensive programmes last until the completion of a person’s probationary period in their new role. It may be 90 days, six months or even a year, but onboarding should continue long-term, with multiple departments engaging beyond a new hire’s first day. Here are some steps to ensure an effective onboarding process for new hires:

Who should be involved in onboarding new starters?

Getting onboarding right requires collaboration across multiple departments, including:

• HR.
• Payroll.
• Finance.
• Governance.
• Training.
• IT Facilities management.
• Security Procurement.
• Health and Safety.
• Operations.
• Line management.

Step 1: Preboarding

Onboarding begins even before day one. This is an important part of creating an onboarding strategy. Communication can prepare the new hire for what to expect.

Help your new employee understand how to prepare for their new role. Answer questions and handle the necessary documentation to ease the transition.

Step 2: Structured induction

Provide an organised induction on day one. Introduce the new hires to team members, company policies, and essential resources.

Remember: inductions don’t have to be confined to day one. Some organisations have adopted the policy of routinely conducting ‘light inductions’. This approach supplements any potential gaps for new employees who commence their employment before or after regular monthly inductions.

Step 3: Role specific training

Customise training based on the role and department to help your new hires feel confident in their tasks. Ensure that employees receive the most relevant information and skills needed to succeed. This approach to onboarding will increase your team’s ability to make meaningful contributions.

Step 4: Regular check-ins

Establish a system for regular feedback during the probation period. This will help new hires feel supported and enable managers to address any concerns early on. As onboarding more commonly extends throughout the probation period, HR departments and line managers should remain available. Regular reviews should run up to and beyond a probation review meeting.

Step 5: Cultural integration

Make sure your onboarding process reflects the company’s culture and values. In doing so, you’ll help new employees connect with the broader mission. Cultural integration can also apply when a new hire is moving from a different country. For example, many organisations provide detailed information on the practicalities of working in a new country. For new recruits from overseas, create a resource of helpful information. Address topics like: how to apply for a PPS, setting up a bank account and finding somewhere to live.

The depth and scope of your onboarding will often depend on the individual involved. Senior appointments come with a detailed knowledge of their particular industry. So they will likely require less detailed onboarding sessions. Whereas recent graduates, or someone moving from a different industry or country will need more support.

How to maximise the potential of your onboarding plan

Onboarding processes should be engaging and carefully considered. You should also seek to reflect the culture of the company. Here are some best practices:

Engage new hires: Make room in your diary for new recruits and encourage your team to do the same. This will make sure your new hires are appropriately engaged during the first weeks of employment. Feeling lost, unsure or ‘in the way’ is a dispiriting experience for new employees.

Ensure adequate resources: Invest in administrative tools and technology to empower HR teams. Let them focus on activities that add value, rather than laborious admin. HR teams are at the heart of onboarding. They need enough time and resources to oversee onboarding from start to finish. Without this input, there is a danger of neglecting your new starters.

Assign ownership: Effective onboarding can be a complex process spanning many departments. But it is important to assign ownership of the process to a senior individual in the organisation. This person must have the necessary authority to free up the required resources and personnel from multiple workstreams. Only then can you create a comprehensive and positive onboarding experience. By following these steps, you’ll help your new starters to hit the ground running. Assign clear roles and responsibilities to streamline your process.

And remember: onboarding involves much more than reading the employee handbook!

Find more tips on how to improve your hiring strategies with Hays: 

• 9 ways to improve your diversity recruitment strategy 
• 5 factors to consider when deciding where to hire tech talent 
• How to futureproof your business with early career talent