Owning Your Onboarding Process Is the Key to Success With New Hires

The importance of a successful onboarding process

An onboarding process provides a comprehensive overview of what employees can expect and what’s expected of them. A successful onboarding process can set up new hires for long-term success, extend employee life cycles, help team members adjust more quickly, and allow them to feel comfortable in their new positions sooner. Consider the following benefits of a successful employee onboarding process.

A successful onboarding process helps new hires acclimate quickly. 

HR professionals generally say a new hire can take three to six months to acclimate to their role, and this process isn’t always easy. According to BambooHR’s State of HR Report 2024, 35 percent of HR professionals struggle with creating an onboarding process that acclimates employees and helps them feel welcome and engaged as quickly as possible. 

However, a thorough onboarding process — one that goes beyond basic paperwork and administrative information — can get new hires up to speed more quickly, which boosts productivity significantly. In such a process, new employees aren’t immediately overwhelmed with tasks. Instead, they’re systematically familiarized with the company’s goals, procedures and philosophies. 

Biljana Rakic, vice president of human capital at Cake.com, emphasized the importance of social interaction in helping new team members acclimate more quickly. 

“We work a lot on social integration through our check-in meetings in the first two months of work, where we gather all new employees,” Rakic explained. “We tend to keep those meetings very casual, and our primary objective is to establish some social interaction among new employees from different departments. This is highly beneficial for new hires, as it gives them a sense of belonging and having a team. And they don’t have to talk about work, necessarily.”

A successful onboarding process fosters employee engagement. 

According to SHRM’s recent State of the Workplace Report, 81 percent of HR professionals said increasing employee engagement is a top-three priority. A robust onboarding process is an excellent way to facilitate employee engagement immediately. In such a system, a new hire quickly learns about the company, its goals and how the employee fits into the equation. 

Businesses that share long-term goals and missions empower their employees to contribute from day one because they feel like a vital piece of the puzzle. By demonstrating how each person’s role affects the business’s overall goals, companies ensure that their employees are more dedicated and motivated to contribute. 

A successful onboarding process reduces employee turnover.

According to BambooHR’s Definitive Guide to Onboarding in 2024, losing a new hire early can cost businesses between $7,500 and $28,000 in recruitment and other costs. However, a well-thought-out onboarding process significantly increases your chances of retaining new team members, thereby reducing turnover and driving organizational growth. 

“An ineffective onboarding process runs the risk of high attrition rates and getting locked into an endless turnover cycle of recruiting and hiring, which can quickly add up financially,” cautioned Becky Wallace, head of people at LearnUpon.

The onboarding period is a critical time that can shape your relationship with a new hire and influence their decision to stay or leave. According to the BambooHR State of HR Report, 70 percent of new hires determine whether a job is the right fit within the first month, with 29 percent making that decision within the first week. On average, companies have 44 days to make a positive impact on a new hire’s decision to stay for the long term.

A successful onboarding process strengthens the company culture. 

A robust onboarding process introduces new hires to the company’s core values, mission and culture. This approach helps align employees with the organization’s long-term vision from the start to foster a sense of belonging, reduce cultural mismatches and create a strong company culture.

Rakic said it’s important for new employees to foster relationships with co-workers to strengthen the company culture. “HR covers onboarding, and team leaders answer questions about how to do your job, but a work buddy can clue you in on other people,” Rakic explained. “They can introduce you, explain how certain things work in the company, fill in unclear information and encourage you to actively participate in company activities.” 

Indeed, BambooHR’s Definitive Guide to Onboarding noted that 87 percent of new hires hope to make a friend at work. Incorporating opportunities for connection into your onboarding process is a powerful way to achieve this goal while building a supportive and engaging workplace culture.

A successful onboarding process improves role clarity and job satisfaction.

Effective onboarding clarifies job responsibilities and sets realistic expectations for new hires. It ensures employees understand their roles and reduces ambiguity and confusion that can otherwise lead to frustration or mistakes. This clarity boosts confidence, job satisfaction and overall performance while minimizing early-stage workplace stress.

“As a practice, onboarding standardizes procedures and goals for new hires to help them understand exactly how they are expected to perform in their new role in a company,” Wallace explained.

A successful onboarding process strengthens the leadership pipeline.

A structured onboarding process that includes mentorship opportunities and professional development helps organizations identify high-potential employees early. By supporting skill building and fostering connections aligned with career growth, onboarding sets the foundation for preparing future leaders and ensures a motivated leadership pipeline within the company.

How to conduct a successful onboarding process

According to BambooHR’s State of HR Report, 1 in 5 HR professionals said onboarding and training new hires are top challenges. In fact, 44 percent of new hires have regretted accepting a job or had second thoughts, and 23 percent have cried during their first week. 

Consider the following tips for strengthening your onboarding process and smoothing the transition for everyone. 

Create a plan for remote onboarding. 

With the rise of remote work plans, businesses must adapt their onboarding processes to accommodate remote employees, which can present unique challenges. Without in-person activities like office tours, it can be harder to convey warmth and professionalism, which makes successful remote onboarding even more important.

Wallace advised creating a clear plan to maximize the effectiveness of remote onboarding. “Companies will have to consider some primary questions when developing their onboarding, like whether the training will be delivered primarily online or if a blended learning model of online and face-to-face training will be deployed,” Wallace noted. “Incorporating interactive opportunities can motivate new hires to consistently meet their onboarding goals.”

Consider the following best practices for successful remote onboarding:

• Use digital tools, like video conferencing platforms and online training modules, to create a structured, engaging onboarding experience.
• Set up one-on-one video calls with leadership and team members to help new hires feel connected and supported.
• Host virtual meet and greets or casual team chats to encourage a friendly, collaborative workplace atmosphere.
• Post easily accessible guides, resources and answers to frequently asked questions to ensure new employees have the information they need at their fingertips.

Prepare all tech tools and job documentation. 

A thorough onboarding process provides clear job documentation and tools that new hires can access when they need guidance about the onboarding process, their job functions, or the technology they’ll use. Gather essential information, such as examples of a predecessor’s work, instructions for accessing tech tools, and job-specific guidelines.

Wallace recommended using a learning management system (LMS) to guide employees through onboarding and beyond. “Automated notifications can help ensure that new employees are aware of their training requirements and deadlines,” Wallace said. “Even better, by integrating LMS and HR systems, organizations will be able to both measure the success of their onboarding programs and effectively manage the long-term education of employees.” 

In addition to providing onboarding and job-related documentation, employers should ensure that new hires are set up with the tools they need to perform their daily tasks, including the following:

• Email accounts 
• Slack for workplace communication
• Social media login credentials and style guides
• Search engine optimization logins and guidelines
• Password instructions
• Proprietary software training
• Login credentials and training guides for the best CRM software
• Project management tools 
• Video conferencing platform access 
• File-sharing accounts (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive)
• Access to the best accounting software 
• Client onboarding templates or instructions
• Marketing analytics tools and dashboards (e.g., Google Analytics, Semrush)
• HR platform logins 

Organizing everything in advance allows you to focus on meaningful interactions and training from the start.

Find overlap in must-do tasks and training opportunities.

Whether you hire experienced workers or recent college graduates, incorporate hands-on tasks into your onboarding process. New hires can gain valuable experience in handling straightforward tasks, such as shadowing a meeting and taking notes or completing some portions of client onboarding. This approach quickly familiarizes new hires with company processes while easing other team members’ loads. 

Create a culture of help and support.

New hires will inevitably have numerous questions, regardless of their expertise or suitability for the role. Leaders and experienced employees should be prepared to assist, troubleshoot issues, and guide new hires toward success.

Establish a system of help and support tailored to your workplace. For example, if you have new remote employees, you may need a messaging platform with specific hours dedicated to employee help and support. If your workplace is primarily in-person, establish office hours or institute an open-door policy, if possible. 

Routine check-ins are crucial for new hires. These regular meetings help employees feel heard, and they hold managers and leaders accountable for answering workers’ questions.

Don’t rush the onboarding process. 

When you onboard new employees, remember that everyone learns at their own pace. Don’t overwhelm your new employees with work on day one. Instead, gradually provide them with more assignments over time so they feel comfortable working with your standard processes and procedures. Allow employees to understand their new roles by providing educational resources, training and contacts for support in case they have questions. 

Investing in your new employees early on and ensuring they are thoroughly trained can benefit their professional development and increase their productivity, both of which lead to cost savings for your company.

Handle new-hire paperwork immediately.

Avoid roadblocks on the new hire’s first day by completing and submitting all necessary paperwork — including payroll forms, tax documents and nondisclosure agreements, if applicable — before their start date. Provide the employee with any necessary documentation in advance to ensure timely paperwork filing, and request any pertinent information that will enable you to prefill forms before they begin. 

Provide the new hire with an employee handbook upon arrival, and offer them resources in case they have questions. Delaying these tasks can cause trouble for the employee on their first day and hinder their ability to focus on learning their new role. 

Assign the new hire a mentor.

Assigning an experienced peer as a mentor can help a new worker adjust to their role. Establishing a mentorship program for new employees can improve the company culture by fostering personal connections among co-workers and providing new hires with a friendly face they can count on for questions and one-on-one support.

Rakic emphasized the importance of finding mentors for both remote and in-person workers. “I think it’s important for new employees to have someone who can explain a few things about the company in a casual setting,” Rakic said. “In an office, this would happen naturally, through watercooler talk, but watercooler talk doesn’t happen spontaneously when you’re a new remote employee.”

Rakic’s company uses a “work buddy system” that pairs new hires with established team members. “We pair new employees with those who’ve been with the company for some time to have scheduled watercooler talks via video chat,” Rakic explained. “This has proved very useful — it’s like new employees have their very own company insider to show them the lay of the land.”

Building success from day one

An effective onboarding process is a vital investment in your organization’s success. By providing new hires with the necessary resources, training and support, companies can set the stage for long-term employee engagement, satisfaction and productivity. A well-structured onboarding plan reduces turnover, boosts confidence, and ensures that employees are equipped to contribute meaningfully to the organization’s goals.

Amanda Clark contributed to this article.