How to Create an Effective Onboarding Process

The onboarding process gives employees the knowledge and support needed to ‘get up to speed’ as an enthusiastic team member. But ideally, it also lays the foundation for employee engagement and development throughout a person’s tenure, helping you to build a motivated, high-performing workplace culture. 

Ineffective onboarding can have the opposite effect, because it gets the relationship off on the wrong foot. When new hires don’t fully grasp where they fit within your organization and what it takes to belong and be recognized, disengagement and turnover can follow.

Avoid wasted recruitment spend, and improve time to productivity, by learning how to build an effective onboarding process for new hires. 

What is Employee Onboarding?

Starting a new job is daunting. So many new faces, unfamiliar ways of doing things, and high expectations. Onboarding helps new employees make the transition with confidence. 

There are many logistical elements to onboarding. New hires might need a laptop, uniform or access to a work vehicle. They might need instruction on how to use certain equipment, what your cybersecurity policies are, or when to submit their timesheets. 

But there’s more to it if you want employees to feel deeply embedded and inspired. A robust onboarding process helps employees understand:

• How their role responsibilities and individual goals underpin the high-level vision, brand, strategies and objectives of the organization
• What values, cultural norms and attributes they need to cultivate to fit in, successfully navigate relationships, and make an impact    

While onboarding usually involves a series of steps performed over a specific timeframe, it isn’t really a discrete piece of work that ends abruptly. Done well, an onboarding process creates a seamless bridge between your talent acquisition and talent management strategies.

Why is Onboarding Important?

Organizations risk undoing the benefits of a cost-effective recruitment process if employees form a negative impression early on. 

Around one in five new hires will leave within 12 months of accepting a job, according to analysis of cross-industry data by the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC). Excessively high new hire turnover increases recruitment and training costs, and it can be a sign you’re not investing enough in your HR initiatives, according to APQC Principal Research Lead, Elissa Tucker. 

“For example, cutting too much from training and development may result in a subpar onboarding experience that both increases time to productivity and leaves employees less engaged and more likely to leave as a result,” Tucker said.

Conversely, effective onboarding can:

• Create the foundation for high engagement and job satisfaction.
• Set clear expectations for improved productivity and accountability.
• Clarify best practice behaviors for a safer and more ethical culture.

For example, organizations that have been affected by candidate ghosting might benefit from comprehensive onboarding that includes a pre-boarding stage, because forging bonds with a new hire increases their commitment. A poll by job board Indeed found 70% of U.S. employees think ghosting, including not showing up on the first day, is fair.

How to Build Your Ideal Onboarding Process

Onboarding will look different depending on an organisation’s size and industry, and the employee’s role and experience level. New hires in entry-level roles with a large on-the-job training component may need a longer onboarding period. 

Common Onboarding Mistakes to Avoid

The biggest mistake to avoid is failing to offer or delaying employee onboarding until it’s too late to make a difference.

Also, don’t fall into the trap of believing that only junior team members need a thorough onboarding process. Global analytics firm Gallup identified a substantial drop in manager engagement and wellbeing in its State of the Global Workplace 2025 Report. Gallup suggests that providing basic role training for every manager is the most achievable opportunity to cut disengagement and lift productivity. 

If you’re hiring people to lead and develop others, onboarding is the best time to help them understand what ‘best practice’ management means in your organization — and show them that they will be supported and given opportunities to develop too.

Onboarding Checklist Template

Here is an example of an onboarding checklist for a new hire’s first 30 days:

Kick-Start Engagement With Effective Onboarding

Not being equipped to help new hires land on their feet negates the time, money and effort spent on finding and hiring talented people in the first place. Employees will integrate faster and build lasting relationships that help them feel motivated and loyal to your organization when you get onboarding right.