Your onboarding process is more important than you think

You’ve had a job opening in your company, found the perfect person for the role, and offered them the position. Now what? The onboarding process is a crucial step in ensuring that this person remains perfect for the role.

The onboarding process determines how a new hire integrates into an organization. It includes an orientation, learning about the company’s values and mission, and role-specific training. Onboarding isn’t just getting employees to fill out forms. It sets the foundation for employee success.

Let’s discuss some onboarding statistics and why it’s so important.

Employees Expect a Better Onboarding Process

It isn’t a secret that a solid onboarding process can impact employee turnover and help to retain talent. Despite this, 76% of the onboarding process is underutilized in their organization. What’s more, only 12% of their onboarding process was “great”.

Employers can’t overlook the importance of a good onboarding process. Employees expect it. According to, of employees who have “the best possible job”, 70% say they had an exceptional onboarding experience. With the current skills shortage, employers must do their best to attract the best possible talent – and it starts with onboarding.

If you’re not already convinced, consider these statistics. Satisfied employees are. Disengaged employees are much less profitable. To be exact, they cost employers 34% of their annual salary, or $3,400 for every $10,000 they earn, according to.

The Benefits of a Good Onboarding Process

Besides the fact that employees expect it, a good onboarding process has several additional benefits.

• Attract top talent that’s serious about their career with your organization
• Retain top talent by demonstrating that you care about their success and growth
• Increase productivity and growth with better-adjusted, satisfied employees
• Reduce costs with less absenteeism and turnover
• Strengthen team collaboration with all employees demonstrating role competence/confidence
• Improve compliance as new hires will be more familiar with your policies and procedures

Common Mistakes in the Onboarding Process

HR and managers are, understandably, swamped with responsibilities. Because of this, they may be inclined to cut corners when it comes to welcoming new hires to the organization. But as we’ve established, the onboarding process isn’t something to overlook.

Let’s discuss some common mistakes in the onboarding process.

• Delaying the process, leaving new hires feeling lost and uncertain
• Overloading employees with too much information or information that is initially irrelevant
• Being too vague about goals and expectations, leaving new hires without clarity
• Not welcoming feedback causing new hires to hesitate to speak up
• Not formalizing the process which leads to inconsistency or inefficiency
• Overlooking cultural adaptation which can result in new hires feeling excluded or uncomfortable

Measuring the Success of Your Onboarding Process

If you’re developing an onboarding process or want to update your existing one, read our article Onboarding Checklist: Welcome New Employees in 10 Steps.

Obviously, you want to ensure that you’re doing a good job of welcoming new hires. There are different ways to measure how successful your onboarding process is.

How satisfied are your employees? Start with turnover – has anyone left voluntarily in a short timeframe? Within the first few months of onboarding, ask for feedback. Ensure that you make them feel comfortable to discuss both what’s going well and what they’d like to see improved.

How have your new hires integrated into the company culture? Consider how engaged they are and whether they’re integrating into the team well. Analyze metrics such as productivity and results. If somebody’s falling behind or not engaging, it may be time to consider new inclusivity tactics.

Final Comments

Your onboarding process will be individual to your organization. There isn’t a recipe to follow. Ensure that it happens over an appropriate period of time, covers all essential aspects of the new hire’s role, and adapts to individual needs. It’s crucial to offer ongoing support and welcome two-way feedback. Employers have a lot to learn from new hires that can improve the overall success of the organization.

Don’t overestimate the importance of a warm welcome. The better integrated your new hires are, the more likely they are to thrive in your company. Thriving talent makes for a thriving business.