Published June 23, 2024

One of the most important activities an organization, any size, for-profit or nonprofit is to include in its talent acquisition plan is an effective onboarding plan. When one thinks about the process of acquiring talent – recruiting, hiring, onboarding and retaining getting new employees off on the right foot not only makes sense, but is critical to job satisfaction even before they start work.

Onboarding also helps develop the organization’s brand. How? When an organization has a smoothly executed onboarding program, it has a vital impact on the employee’s integration into the team and it improves job satisfaction from the outset. Employees are engaged and in tune with their new jobs from before day one. Effective onboarding helps them understand the company’s culture and its goals.

Mitigates loss of employees in the 1st 90 days

An effective onboarding process mitigates losing employees in the first 90 days since they are better prepared and engaged. When onboarding is effectively executed, employees socialize with other team members from day one. When they mingle with others, they have a feeling of belonging. Employer branding becomes very marketable with effectively onboarded employees since they are able to communicate the employer value proposition even before they start work. History has shown that effectively planned and executed onboarding decreases turnover and increases engagement. Onboarding can be defined as integrating a new employee into the roles, responsibilities, and culture of the organization so they can hit the ground running rather than welcoming them and saying “good luck.” Having a well-planned, smoothly executed and welcoming onboarding approach assures having a healthy work culture.

Onboarding timeline. Most onboarding defines the expected tasks new employees undertake as part of their integration into the organization. Onboarding normally lasts 3-6 months. And in some cases, the onboarding timeline can be extended throughout the first year. The lapse time depends on the complexity of the business.

Onboarding checklist. The checklist can include everything from signing the offer letter to sharing training modules, procuring equipment, tools and opening online accounts. Some schools of thought consider the checklist broken into three categories: Preparation paperwork (before the first day), First day of work, and the Onboarding period.

Preparation checklist: Job description, payroll/benefits, employment contract (intellectual property, privacy and security, non-compete, disciplinary policy), role. Another thought about the pre-onboarding period: send a welcome letter, a video of their future team introducing themselves, practical information like where to go on the first day, who is their contact when arriving, who is their “buddy,” and provide a schedule of onboarding on day one. First day: Activities on day one: Setup, access to software and accounts, paperwork to be signed, roles & responsibilities (expected results, KPI, core values), introduction to team members & managers. In addition, on day one have a meet & greet, have the “buddy” conduct a tour, set up the tools and ID cards they will need to commence their work, share resources that are available and how to access them, commence training in snackable bites, orient the “newbie” to the indepth training and the phases.

Onboarding period: 1st 90 days covers the history of the business, current status review, 1:1 with the heads of departments/ owner. Daily check-in (What did you learn today? What questions do you have?), Weekly check-ins (at the end of each week – 30 min to 1 hour – use the blueprint of expectations from Day 1 and check in with core competencies to assure consistency with expectations. During this initial onboarding period, the role of the coach/buddy is pivotal. Some call them coaches. Some refer to the role as a mentor. Some call them buddies. Mentors for higher-level orientation. For this onboarding column, we’ll focus on the coach/buddy. The role of the coach aims to assist employees in assimilating the culture, work processes/practices, and identifying formal and informal networks, together with the strengths and weaknesses of the organization as quickly and effectively as possible. Like every other business operation, onboarding needs to be measured. PeopleSpheres identifies three metrics for onboarding programs: Clarification – if the employee understands their job. Confidence – measuring how effectively the employee is acquiring new skills. Connection – assessment of how well the employee can build effective relationships and access support.

Onboarding Checklist

• Share the good news! Welcome letter
• Assignment of a mentor/onboarding coach/buddy
• Schedule the first day – coordinate the welcome meeting
• Set up a welcome lunch with team members
• Introduction to the business
• Schedule regular check-ins
• Prepare paperwork – benefits enrollment, emergency contact info, employee handbook review, payroll enrollment, I-9 form, NDA, state tax withholding, W-4 withholding form
• Show the new employee the offices, including the employee workspace and the equipment they will need
• Provide uniform (if applicable)
• Make sure the employee has access to all communications platforms – emails, video calls and IM
• Review security expectations. Contributed by Marc L. Goldberg, Certified Mentor, SCORE Cape Cod & the Islands, www.score.org/capecod, 508/774-4884. Sources: Onboarding Checklist, BambooHR, Gallup, How to Improve the Employee Experience, PeopleSpheres – the people platform, What You Need to Know to Create a Effective Onboarding Process, Alexandre Diard