Onboarding: Tips & tricks for evaluating and improving

Employee onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee into an organization, including providing the necessary tools, information and support to become productive and engaged in their role. Good onboarding is important to prevent employee turnover later on.

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The choice between online or offline onboarding depends on the nature of the work, the company culture, and current technological capabilities. A partially hybrid approach combines the best of both worlds.

A well-designed onboarding program yields numerous benefits:

• Increased employee satisfaction and engagement
• Faster time to productivity
• Improved retention
• Culture transmission

A well-thought-out checklist is invaluable for a successful onboarding program.

Administrative formalities

• Collecting and processing all required documents.
• Clarifying salary, benefits and HR procedures.

Team introduction

• Organizing a welcome meeting.
• Assigning a buddy or mentor.

Company culture and values

• Providing information about mission, vision and core values.
• Introduction to company culture and expectations.

Technology preparation

• Providing all necessary hardware, software and access rights.
• Training on internal systems and tools.

Training and development

• Planning relevant training sessions.
• Informing about professional development opportunities.

Workplace facilities

• Ensuring an organized workspace.
• Providing health and safety information.

Communication and expectations

• Clearly communicating role and responsibilities.
• Arranging regular check-ins.

Automating onboarding processes can yield significant benefits by increasing efficiency and ensuring consistency of information transfer. Using HR software and online platforms, organizations can:

• Send automatic welcome emails.
• Grant access to online training.
• Assign checklists and tasks to track progress.
• Build in feedback loops and evaluations.

Employee onboarding has a positive impact on employee engagement. According to research by Bauer et al. (2007), an effective onboarding process leads to higher levels of employee engagement, job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

The model often used to measure employee onboarding is the Three-Phase Model by Bauer et al. (2007): pre-employment, encounter and settling-in.

The 12 best questions

1. The organization gave me clear information about my role and responsibilities.
2. I received sufficient training and support.
3. I felt welcome and included from the start.
4. The organization provided me with the necessary resources.
5. I had the opportunity to build relationships with colleagues.
6. The onboarding process helped me understand the company mission and culture.
7. I received information about growth opportunities.
8. The program clarified performance expectations.
9. I felt supported by my manager.
10. I gained clear insight into policies and procedures.
11. I felt comfortable asking for help.
12. I had the chance to contribute ideas and perspectives.

Recommended 5-point Likert scale: 1 – Disagree / 2 – Disagree / 3 – Neutral / 4 – Agree / 5 – Strongly Agree

With Learned's onboarding paths, you can get employees productive in no time and reduce employee turnover. Learn more about what Learned can do for your organization.

Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D. M., & Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: A meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes, and methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), 707-721.