Onboarding: Why, How, and When (Plus a Detailed Onboarding Checklist)

The onboarding process plays a crucial role in setting the tone of the overall employment experience for new hires. A well-executed onboarding experience can lead to improved job performance, increased efficiency, and greater satisfaction, all of which contribute to higher engagement and retention rates. If your current approach to bringing on new hires is unstructured and unsuccessful, our onboarding checklist can streamline the process and ensure consistency.

What is Employee Onboarding?

Employee onboarding refers to the process that integrates a new hire into an organization. Personal interactions and administrative tasks are involved in bringing a new employee onboard successfully. Some of the most important elements in a comprehensive process include:

• Completing paperwork: Collect tax forms, contact information, direct deposit details, benefits eligibility, and any required certifications or licenses.
• Planning: Develop an organized, deliberate plan with frequent check-ins.
• Introductions: Introduce the new hire to their team and the full workforce.
• Questions: Provide easy access to channels for asking questions and getting information.
• Shadowing: Facilitate on-the-job training, whether in person or through video-based communications.
• Team building: Offer various opportunities to build rapport.
• Office equipment and software: Ensure all necessary equipment and software are set up.
• Meeting participation: Integrate new hires into communication platforms like Slack, Teams, and calendar systems.

Onboarding Influences the Employee Experience

The quality of the onboarding process can significantly impact the overall employee experience. Effective onboarding aligns with the expectations set during the hiring process and continues to shape the new hire’s journey within the company.

Best practices for onboarding include:

• A structured approach
• Establishing brand loyalty
• Personalization tailored to the new employee
• Enhancing team morale
• Setting the new hire up for success

An unstructured onboarding process can quickly diminish employee engagement. A too-short onboarding period may leave new hires unprepared for their roles. The goal of onboarding should be to ensure new hires succeed and feel comfortable in their new positions as quickly as possible. This requires a strategic approach, particularly with the rise of remote and hybrid work environments.

A Lack of Attention to Onboarding

The Aberdeen Group reports concerning statistics about the current state of onboarding among employers in the U.S.:

• Only 32 percent of employers have a formal onboarding program.
• 31 percent of new employees have left a job within the first six months.
• 53 percent of employees believe they could perform better with enhanced training.
• 5 percent of new hires didn’t understand their job expectations until after 90 days.

Gallup data also shows that only 12 percent of employees strongly agreed that their employer does a great job with onboarding. The study identified five common onboarding issues:

1. An unremarkable onboarding experience
2. Insufficient duration of onboarding
3. Lack of ownership of the process
4. Onboarding not reflecting company culture
5. New hires not seeing a future with the organization

With a better grasp on the areas of improvement, utilize our onboarding checklist to ensure a consistently positive experience for every new hire.

Basic Onboarding Checklist

• Before Day One
  • Send a welcome email and include any new hire paperwork that needs to be completed. Specify which documents need to be signed and returned and due dates. Examples include:
    • Tax forms
    • WOTC forms
    • ACA forms
    • Benefits enrollment
    • Direct deposit and payroll details
  • Share company information
    • Company directory
    • Notice of upcoming company events
  • Set up the email address and provide login information instructions and credentials for company software
  • Employee handbook review
    • Policies and procedures
    • Safety instructions
    • Timekeeping instructions
  • Set up all necessary equipment
    • Computer, mouse, monitor, mobile or desk phone, tablet, access to shared devices and drives, etc.
  • Send email with parking and building access info, reminder of dress code (if applicable), and work schedule
  • Create schedule so each team member can meet with the new hire during the first week
    • Notify all staff of the new employee and their start date
    • Assign onboarding tasks to those involved in the process. Use your onboarding checklist to monitor progress
    • Assign an onboarding buddy to provide support during the first week
• On the First Day
  • Greet the employee
  • Provide a tour of the workspace
    • Point out key spaces: workspace, break room, restrooms, etc.
  • Review or collect new-hire documents
    • Employee handbook
    • Benefits and enrollment options
    • Safety regulations
  • Job training
    • Provide necessary training documents or videos
  • Share schedule for at least the first week
    • Outline goals and projects for first month or longer
  • Plan get-to-know-you activity
  • Provide a welcome gift: company-branded apparel, water bottle, office supplies, etc.
  • Answer any questions the new hire has to help them feel comfortable
• After the First Day
  • Assign minor projects to build confidence
  • Set aside time for regular check-ins throughout the first 90 days to see how things are going and explore any needs
  • Assign additional training
  • Keep open communication between hiring manager/supervisor, HR, and the mentor to discuss progress and identify areas for improvement
    • Request feedback

Keep everyone on the same page with an automated and streamlined onboarding process! The onboarding tools in WorkforceHub make bringing on new hires easier than ever. And since it’s an applicant-tracking system, it’s also highly useful for finding and recruiting top talent. All data flows through the modules, eliminating duplicate data entry and time-consuming tasks. Check it out now with a free trial, and plug in your onboarding checklist to ensure consistency for every newly hired team member.