Recruitment and the onboarding process

Recruitment is costly: there are direct costs like advertising, agency commissions and referral bonuses, and indirect costs including the time spent on developing position descriptions, interviewing, assessing and reference checking. Depending on the industry and role there may be relocation expenses or legal costs that need to be factored in. So, when you find the right candidate, you want to ensure that your recruitment efforts pay off and that you break even on your investment.

The average Australian worker remains in the same role for just over three years. For younger workers, it’s even less time: people under 25 stay in a job for less than two years on average (Deakin University n.d.). If people feel that their expectations of the role and workplace aren’t met or that they’re not being set up to succeed in their role, they will leave earlier. This will mean that the people you’ve spent time and money on hiring are leaving before they’ve had a chance to provide full value for the company – and you’re back to having to recruit, hire and train a new employee.

Employee onboarding helps integrate new hires into your company’s culture and workflow, making new employees feel welcome and ready to contribute their best. Effective onboarding sets your new hires up for success from day one. It’s a process that should help new employees become effective team members quickly.

When onboarding is done effectively it will reduce:

• the likelihood of voluntary turnover (early exits)
• the time new employees need to become familiar with their role and the organisation.

It will help to improve:

• employee satisfaction, morale and engagement
• speed to competency
• productivity.

The dangers of ineffective onboarding

When onboarding isn’t done or isn’t done well, it leads to high disengagement and high turnover. The Harvard Business Review reported that 80% of new hires plan to leave due to poor onboarding, while only 7% of those who received effective onboarding and training planned to leave their job soon after starting (Tsipursky 2023).

Disengaged employees cost your business and lead to poorer business outcomes, making onboarding a crucial element to get right.

Key steps for onboarding success

A successful onboarding process starts well before a new employee commences and ideally continues throughout their first year. You should consider that the start of the hiring process is the start of onboarding and that the process is finished once an employee is fully settled into their role.

Onboarding involves administrative tasks, considering resource requirements, workplace culture, organisational needs and the individual employee’s needs. While key components like setting up workstations, providing tech equipment and introducing organisational processes will be the same for all employees, there may be team needs that will need to be tailored.

An onboarding checklist template or a digital tracking system maintains consistency and ensures all steps are completed. A well-structured checklist provides a clear road map for the onboarding process, making it easier for teams to manage and new hires to follow.

To develop an onboarding program checklist, it’s useful to consider the journey from the job offer to the

• first day
• first week
• first 90 days
• first year.

Let’s break down each step.

Pre-boarding

Pre-boarding is the phase that commences after a successful candidate has accepted your job offer until the first day at work. This time is often used to provide essential information (such as company policies and hire paperwork) that your new hire needs, but should also be used as a way of engaging the new hire and introducing them to the company culture. How can you welcome your new employee? Company merchandise? A thoughtful gift? A welcome message from senior management?

Using this phase effectively means giving your new employee the information they need to start their first day and getting them excited about joining your organisation.

First day

Think back to your first day in a new job in a new organisation. What were the things that made you feel welcome and reduced any first-day jitters? What were the things that made you feel anxious? Take time to focus on how you can create a welcoming atmosphere and support your new employee.

Preparing the existing team members about their new team member in advance creates a welcoming atmosphere. A structured agenda balancing introductions and essential activities sets the tone for a productive day. Your new hire has a lot to take in on their first day, so consider making it a shorter day, asking them to come in a little later (giving team leaders and the team time to prepare) and letting them leave a little earlier.

Essential activities to include in the agenda are:

• meeting the immediate team
• touring the workplace (including toilets, kitchen, end-of-commute facilities etc.)
• meeting with the team leader to discuss the first day and first week and key expectations
• ensuring the new hire has the tech and workstation correctly set up for their needs.

A warm welcome on the first day significantly impacts new employees’ perceptions and helps them feel valued from the start.

First week

The first week is all about helping new hires familiarise themselves with the team processes, company, and their specific role and job duties. Setting clear job expectations and performance goals early helps new hires understand their responsibilities and what is expected of them. It’s a good time to discuss what success will look like in their first 90 days.

Ensure that new team members have time to meet individually with key members of the team. Remember that during the first week, new employees are taking in a lot of information, so be careful not to overwhelm them. Consider how you can incorporate fun activities and some time out to balance this.

Regular check-ins during this period ensure new employees are comfortable and satisfied with their onboarding experience.

Consider setting up a buddy system and assigning a colleague to provide regular check-ins with their new team member too.

First 90 days

The first 90 days are critical for a new employee’s long-term success. Developing specific goals and milestones for your new team member to achieve and supporting them to do so is essential. Setting SMART goals and on-the-job employee coaching will ensure that new hires are on track to meet their performance expectations.

Regular employee coaching and one-on-one meetings with direct managers during this time will set the employee up for success and demonstrate to the new employee that the organisation and their manager are invested in them. This helps with job satisfaction and ensuring retention.

Using YakTrak will help embed coaching and on-the-job training into the daily experience of your workforce. Using it regularly within the first couple of weeks will signal to your new employee that you are interested in their progress, want them to hit their milestones and that the organisation cares about their professional development.

Example milestones and goals for the first 90 days for a person working in a new role in a contact centre include:

• Complete training on all the company’s relevant products and services within the first 30 days.
• Handle a minimum of 25 customer calls per day with a resolution rate of 75% within the first 60 days.
• Reduce average handle time (AHT) by xx% from the first 30 days to the final 30 days.

YakTrak records goals and the progress towards them ensuring that both the manager and their team member stay on track to achieve the first 90-day milestones.

Read Managing and reducing staff turnover in contact centres for more ideas on improving retention in contact centres.

One-year review

The one-year mark offers a good opportunity to evaluate the overall success of the onboarding process.

A final onboarding meeting at the end of the first year should wrap up the program and collect feedback from the employee. This shouldn’t be integrated or confused with an annual performance review. A one-year onboarding check-in provides an opportunity for the employee to feel as though their opinions and feelings are important and for the organisation to receive valuable insights into the effectiveness of the onboarding process, helping to improve future onboarding programs.

Want to explore more ideas on employee engagement and experience? Read Building the employee experience and Why change management consultants matter for more.  

Getting new hires up to speed

The 90-day plan for new employees provides a great opportunity to discuss:

• role responsibilities
• how success is measured
• training and coaching that’s needed.

Setting expectations for both the new hire and the new hire’s manager is critical to a smooth onboarding experience. What’s needed at the 30th, 60th and 90th day should change as your new employee gets up to speed.

Coaching during this period is key, offering opportunities to address capability gaps and set organisational expectations. When coaching is done on the job in micro-bursts, it can make a real difference to learning and training outcomes. With a platform like YakTrak, managers can set expectations and goals and employees can track their own practice. This helps to embed training as people practise on the job.

One-on-one time with managers is something that new employees particularly seek. This time with a people leader can be used to make people feel more connected and less overwhelmed as they navigate new systems, processes and responsibilities. It also provides the time for your new employee to talk about what matters to them and where they may be experiencing challenges in getting up to speed.

The role of technology in onboarding

Technology plays a pivotal role.

It helps to connect people and lift engagement. New employees should be able to access organisational information and training resources online and be able to explore them in their own time. Connecting people with the tools they can use to collaborate, get their work done and undertake training lifts engagement.

Technology also creates efficiency, reducing the HR workload by:

• centralising onboarding processes
• automating repetitive tasks
• ensuring a uniform experience.

Employee coaching software like YakTrak further supports onboarding and onboarding development by:

• enabling learning where it happens most – on the job
• motivating employees with regular tracking and feedback
• embedding coaching into the daily experience of your workforce
• creating a coaching culture.

Digital solutions ensure that your people have the resources they need to succeed in their roles and create a positive onboarding experience, for new employees and your organisation.

Automation reduces human errors, ensuring a more uniform experience for all new employees. By minimising manual tasks, automation reduces the risk of errors during data entry and documentation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the primary goal of an employee onboarding program?

The primary goal of employee onboarding is to integrate new hires into the company culture and processes, ensuring their successful transition. It ensures that a new hire has the information they need and is provided with the resources that will help them to succeed in their role. This foundational support is crucial for fostering long-term employee engagement and productivity. An effective employee onboarding program will improve retention.

How long should the employee onboarding process last?

The onboarding process should last up to a year, concluding when the new employee is fully integrated into their role. This timeframe ensures a comprehensive acclimatisation period.

What are the key steps in the employee onboarding process?

The key steps in the onboarding process are pre-boarding essentials, the first-day experience, first-week integration, establishing a 90-day strategy, setting up goals, employee coaching and training, and conducting a one-year review. These stages ensure a comprehensive introduction to the organisation.

How can technology enhance the employee onboarding experience?

Technology significantly enhances the onboarding experience by centralising processes, automating repetitive tasks, and providing a consistent experience for all new hires. This leads to increased efficiency and engagement during the onboarding journey.

What are some best practices for effective employee onboarding?

Effective onboarding can be achieved by aligning job descriptions with onboarding plans, utilising onboarding checklists, fostering communication and feedback, and cultivating a welcoming company culture. Implementing these practices ensures a smooth transition for new employees.

Deakin University (n.d.) What’s the ideal amount of time to stay at a job?, this.deakin website, accessed 6 December 2024. https://this.deakin.edu.au/career/whats-the-ideal-amount-of-time-to-stay-at-a-job

Tsipursky G (2023) A guide to onboarding new hires (for first-time managers), Harvard Business Review website, accessed 6 December 2024. https://hbr.org/2023/07/a-guide-to-onboarding-new-hires-for-first-time-managers