Employee Onboarding Process Best Practices

Key takeaways

Effective employee onboarding contributes not only to the employee experience but also to improving the overall productivity of your new hire. Here are some important things to know:

• Employees who report having an exceptional onboarding experience are nearly three times more likely to claim they have the best possible job [1].

• Effective onboarding supports engagement and retention, which are key to the long-term success of employees.

• You can improve your organization's onboarding process by including structured training as part of a broader, well-designed onboarding system. 

As an HR professional, you can make a significant impact on the success of your organization, and employee onboarding is one area in which you can make a notable difference. If you’re ready to take the next step in your human resources career and want to develop in-demand job skills, earning an HRCI Human Resource Associate Professional Certificate is a great way to learn more about recruiting and training employees, fostering a strong workplace culture, and much more.

What is an onboarding process?

An onboarding process is a specific plan designed to set people up for long-term success, but it doesn’t just refer to employee onboarding for new hires; it can also include onboarding customers. Businesses can implement onboarding processes to teach their clients and customers how to use their product to get the most value possible out of their investment. This is important for both the business and its new client, as it’s important that they know how to use the product, while also supporting customer retention on the business side of the deal. 

Why onboarding impacts employee and business success

Having an effective employee onboarding process in place can have a significant impact on employee job satisfaction and overall career happiness. Exceptional onboarding processes result in employees who are nearly three times more likely to claim they have the best possible job [1]. This leads to an increase in output, allowing both your employees and business to reap the rewards of investing in employee onboarding. Onboarding can improve job satisfaction by fostering a stronger sense of belonging in the workplace, boosting employees’ confidence, and equipping them with the necessary knowledge to thrive. 

The benefits of onboarding aren’t exclusively for employees; the positive results of onboarding are also felt by your business, mainly through the maximization of resources. For example, a business that can limit employee turnover now has the benefit of avoiding the costly expense of replacing workers, while also supporting employee productivity so staff members can start making an impact sooner. Ultimately, investing in quality employee onboarding is less expensive than having to find replacements, which can enable your business to be more successful over time.

Employee onboarding process vs. customer onboarding process

Both employee onboarding and customer onboarding efforts are valuable strategies to garner long-term business success. While many organizations have an onboarding process in place for new staff members, taking the same intentional approach to customer onboarding is crucial for building a strong relationship with your client, allowing you to better understand their needs and how your product and service can solve their problems.

What are the four steps in onboarding?

The four steps in onboarding are preboarding, onboarding, training, and transitioning. In remote onboarding situations, it’s helpful to make some additional considerations due to the unique work environment. When onboarding remote workers, put extra effort into meeting frequently and ensuring expectations are understood, as it's possible that remote workers can miss out on some context that on-site employees have. The four steps in onboarding work include: 

1. Preboarding

The onboarding process begins with preboarding, where you might provide your new employee with important information and materials, such as a welcome package or employee handbook, prior to their start date. Details worth including here would be dress code and compliance policies and any login information they may need for their accounts.

2. Onboarding

During the initial onboarding stage, introduce new employees to other employees throughout the organization and provide more in-depth information about the organization's overarching mission and the work being done. This is also where you can provide more details regarding the employee handbook and expectations of your workplace, as well as address any remaining administrative tasks.

3. Training

The training phase is where you typically work to prepare your new employee with the knowledge and skills they need for their role. One way of doing this is through a mentorship program, which provides new hires with someone they can lean on for support during training. The training period is also an opportunity for you to address any potential skill gaps and implement the necessary learning opportunities to prepare employees with all the skills they need. 

4. Transitioning

As your employee acquires the skills and knowledge necessary for success in their role, you can begin assigning them more responsibilities and providing opportunities to collaborate more closely with team members. However, it’s important not to rush through this phase, as your employee should feel confident in their ability to meet expectations. 

In some instances, onboarding may not proceed as intended, so be prepared for such situations. Every employee is unique, and if you sense that the onboarding process isn’t unfolding as expected, you can always slow down and make adjustments. The sooner you recognize and address these issues, the better.

What are the 5 Cs of onboarding?

The five C’s of onboarding are compliance, clarification, culture, connection, and check back. Improve the success of your onboarding efforts by getting to know the five C’s:

• Compliance: Informing your new hire on key compliance information, such as policies, safety regulations, and procedures. You can efficiently take care of compliance tasks by having new employees complete what they can before work officially begins.

• Clarification: Providing a clear explanation of the expectations for employees in their role and your goals for them, as well as the goals for the organization. Tools such as videos or a list of standard operating procedures can be helpful in this case.

• Culture: Sharing the mission, values, and history of your organization so they know how to contribute to the desired workplace culture. Encourage employees to go beyond basic introductions and provide opportunities to get to know one another through activities like team outings or lunches.

• Connection: Building personal relationships early on with other team members allows your new hire to engage more effectively with the team and feel comfortable as they get acclimated. Something as simple as a small welcome gift from the team can make a positive impact.

• Check back: Having meetings with your new hire is a great way to collect valuable feedback and use the information you receive to make any necessary changes to your onboarding process. 

How long is the employee onboarding process?

A comprehensive approach to employee onboarding can take a full year. Implementing the onboarding process throughout an entire year, with regular check-ins, helps create stronger relationships and emphasizes continuous growth.

Onboarding process checklist

Creating an onboarding process checklist is a great way to make sure you don’t miss any important steps. One way to create your own onboarding process checklist is to break it down into different phases or time periods. For example:

Day 1

• Tour of the office.

• Complete HR paperwork.

• Introduce mentors and supervisors.

• Discuss company culture. 

Week 1 

• Confirm the employee has access to all account information.

• Discuss upcoming projects.

• Cover company policies.

• Implement training plans.

Month 1

• Conduct meetings to gain feedback.

• Ensure all necessary training and compliance work is complete.

• Assess training progress.

• Complete the onboarding survey.

Explore our free resources for human resources managers

Interested in pursuing a career in human resources? Stay current with HR trends, including trending skills, with our LinkedIn newsletter, Career Chat. Also, check out some of our free resources to keep learning more:

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