Onboarding is NOT Orientation

There is a common misconception that "onboarding" a new employee is the same as an "orientation." Orientation primarily is an administrative function such as signing up for benefits, dealing with payroll issues, getting an ID badge. Onboarding, however, impacts the business and affects the future productivity and retention of a new hire. Onboarding includes everything a new hire needs to reach their minimum productivity level as soon as possible in the organization.

According to a 2010 Aberdeen group study, organizations with structured onboarding programs enjoy a 60 percent year-over-year improvement in revenue per full-time employee and a 63 percent year-over-year improvement in customer satisfaction. Their study further explored companies ranked ”best-in-class” at onboarding -- defined as companies where 89 percent or more of the employees who had been with the company less than a year rated themselves as highly engaged. Eighty-seven percent of those employees achieved first performance milestones within the agreed to time period, and 67 percent of them achieved a rating of ”exceeds” in their first performance review.


When companies clearly understand the connection between onboarding and the operational and financial success of their organization, they are more likely to create a great program that delivers a solid return on investment (ROI) and many benefits, including:

• Engaged employees who are motivated and connected to the company culture
• Lower turnover and higher retention at a fraction of the cost of recruitment
• Employee loyalty and satisfaction
• Productive new hires adding to the bottom line quickly
• Employees who feel valued and have bought in to contributing from the start
• A better customer experience
• Increased revenue

There are five steps to consider to develop a world-class onboarding process:

Step 1: Begin the onboarding process before the new employee starts the job.
From recruitment, through signing, to onboarding, a company has an opportunity to make a great first impression and convince valuable new hires they made the right decision. To ensure that employees feel valued and important, the best time to start onboarding is before they start the job.

• Send a welcome package. This should include information about the business, a personal note, and perhaps a treat – such as a company-branded item or even product samples of what your company makes. This makes people feel valued and also allows them to formulate questions and gain context before they come to work.
• Publicize the arrival of the new employee. This includes sending an all company email, and if possible, post a picture or place an article in an internal newsletter. Ask new employees for some personal trivia they wouldn’t mind sharing with the company so there is a “fun fact” that people can ask the new person about when they meet.
• Initiate computer support and order business cards. I recall visiting a new employee that had been with an organization for a few weeks, and they still didn't have a business card!
• Set up the new workspace. Put some welcome notes on their desk. Make sure they have supplies they need and everything is working properly.
• Schedule onboarding meetings and lunches.  This includes meetings with senior leaders, managers and any direct-reports the new employee may have.
• Prepare an onboarding toolkit and itinerary. Make sure agendas and all planning is clearly outlined so that the new employee knows what to expect each day during the onboarding process.
• Assign a mentor. This would be someone who will serve as a trusted advisor during onboarding and help the new employee navigate through the procedures and politics of the organization.
• Ask the new hire questions. Take time to find out how new hires like to learn, what motivates them, and their expectations of training and communication from the company.

These are the things to prepare before they arrive. In my next blog, I will outline how to make onboarding part of your company culture.