What Is Onboarding, and Why Does It Matter?
In its simplest terms, onboarding is the process by which new employees are introduced and integrated into an organisation. It can sound like a minor part of employee attraction and retention, but a well-run onboarding process can be the difference between developing a motivated future leader and losing a new hire within the first month.
Onboarding is the foundation for a new employee's future success. It shapes their early impression of the organisation, how it works and how it treats its people. Research has repeatedly found that a significant proportion of job seekers leave a role within the first 90 days, often citing company culture or a mismatch between expectations and reality. The same research suggests a similarly significant proportion of organisations still take a passive approach to onboarding.
Recruitment: The Foundation of an Effective Onboarding Programme
Onboarding doesn't begin when a new employee walks through the door on day one. It starts during recruitment.
Recruitment is not simply a case of posting a job advert and waiting for the best candidates to apply. Getting the best response requires real thought about the strategy behind it. First impressions count, and many of them are formed during the recruitment process itself.
Things worth considering when developing a recruitment strategy include:
- Reviewing every candidate touchpoint, website, social channels, job adverts and job descriptions, to ensure the content, tone and description of the vacancy are accurate and persuasive
- Building in a task or test at an appropriate stage of the process, giving both the organisation and the candidate a chance to see how each other works
- Sharing copies of policies likely to matter to candidates, such as appraisal, remote working and annual leave policies
- Reviewing employment processes, procedures and policies with HR before the campaign begins
Meet and Greet Before They Start
A first day at a new job can be a daunting prospect. An informal office visit before the start date can ease that anxiety on both sides.
Where possible, schedule the visit for a time when other members of the new employee's team will be around. The exact plan will vary by organisation, but useful basics to cover include:
- A tour of the building, including the specific location where the new employee will be working
- Introductions to colleagues encountered along the way, within reason
- An informal team lunch or gathering, kept low-key rather than turning the new employee into the centre of attention
The First Day
New employees usually put real thought and preparation into their first day. It's reasonable for the employer to do the same.
A new starter pack, ideally provided in advance rather than on the day itself, is a useful way to set expectations. It might include:
- An itinerary for the first week
- Company email address, phone number and access details for internal communication tools
- An overview of the ongoing projects the new starter will be involved with
- Copies of key company policies and procedures
- Practical information about the premises and surroundings: on-site facilities, catering, nearby transport, a site map
Beyond the welcome pack, the first day itself needs planning. It should reaffirm the new employee's decision to take the job, not send them running for the door. The day shouldn't be overwhelming, but it also shouldn't leave them sitting idle. Arranging an introductory meeting with their line manager or another senior colleague early on gives space to address initial questions and run through expectations for the first few months.
Other things worth arranging for the first day include:
- A proper introduction to the team they'll work most closely with, whether through an informal lunch or a structured icebreaker
- A fully set-up workspace: computer connected to the network, email live, phone connected, supplies in place, and access to the software, files and shared drives their role requires
- A run-through of the parts of the employee handbook most relevant to their role, along with background on any projects, clients or accounts they'll be working on
Ongoing Support
The first few weeks and months are critical for retention. This period shapes how a new employee sees their long-term prospects with the organisation, whether they can picture a career there, or whether it starts to feel like a stepping stone to something else.
Onboarding shouldn't stop after the first week. It should continue to cover:
- Introductions to other important stakeholders across the organisation
- Information about potential progression, both within the role and more broadly across the business
- Any further training required for the role
- Clear expectations, targets and KPIs, reviewed regularly rather than left to drift
- Regular check-ins to surface early issues and confirm the new hire has the equipment, resources and support they need
Final Thoughts
Effective onboarding starts well before day one and continues well beyond it. Getting recruitment, the early welcome, the first day and ongoing support right gives new employees the best possible chance of becoming committed, productive members of the team, rather than becoming one of the early leavers that a passive approach to onboarding tends to produce.
Talk to Maxwell Stephens
If you are hiring in Facilities Management and want a view grounded in actual placements rather than survey averages, talk to our team. We have recruited exclusively in FM since 2006.
