How to onboard a new employee: expert tips for better engagement and integration

Your onboarding process is more than a warm welcome or first impression — it's a vital part of the hiring process. It has the potential to impact ROI, employee performance, company culture, and productivity.

According to Gallup, almost one in five employees reported poor onboarding or, in some cases, none at all. Moreover, 69% of employees are more likely to stay with the company for up to three years if they experience good onboarding.

Our recruitment experts share how to onboard a new employee, including timelines, frameworks, and FAQs.

How long does it take to onboard a new employee?

Effective onboarding starts with a mindset shift. Rather than viewing the process as a short-term plan to catch a new hire up to speed, we advise reframing it to instil a long-term sense of purpose and belonging.

The most effective onboarding processes start when you make an offer to your chosen candidate and can continue up to (or beyond) a year after their first day. It's also advisable to incorporate regular check-ins on a timeline that suits the candidate and role.

In addition to helping secure quality talent, your recruiter can act as an impartial intermediary during the first 90 days of your new candidate’s employment and collect valuable feedback on your onboarding process. David Shogelola, Practice Manager at Robert Half London, says, “We generally call the client regularly in the first three months to check in, as well as the candidate, too.”

Frameworks for best employee onboarding experiences

Experts advise building a customisable onboarding process using a framework that covers three to five core themes. These themes should be non-negotiable topics which are relevant to all areas of the business and its culture.

Examples include:

Company culture: activities that immerse the new hire in your brand, values, ethos, mission, and history to instil a sense of belonging and alignment.

Customer/client familiarity: tasks that encourage a new hire to learn more about your customer/client base.

Role remit: tasks which outline what excellence looks like in the role and how that pertains to your new hire's skills and goals.

Team integration: activities, meetings, and tasks which help a newcomer bond with their colleagues.

You can vary the tasks, activities, and challenges; the most critical aspect is ensuring that the themes align with company culture and represent a thorough (and welcoming!) curriculum.

FAQs: new employee onboarding

How do we prepare the team for the new hire's arrival?

Prepping your team for a new arrival should be part of your staff onboarding checklist and can make a significant difference to how quickly your new hire integrates. It's a great idea to announce a new hire as part of a team meeting, giving a clear definition of that person's role and how it will sit within the team and company dynamic. Let each team member know their part in supporting the new hire, so it becomes a team effort.

David says, “I’ve had instances where I would meet the candidate for a coffee before their start date to ensure they’re all set. I’ve also had a situation where a client invited the candidate to their social before their start date to help them integrate with the team in a more relaxed setting.”

What are the key priorities to cover during the first day?

To help your new hire feel as comfortable as possible, as soon as possible, we recommend using the first day as an orientation period which covers the basics without overloading them. This includes:

An office tour

Introductions to the team

HR paperwork and formal onboarding

A team bonding session or activity

A meeting to cover the role, expectations, and initial KPIs.

What is the best way to introduce the new hire to their role and responsibilities?

The first place to start when welcoming your new hire on their first day is to include a formal onboarding 1:1 meeting and a roster of tasks which help them make meaningful contributions while they learn the ropes. This includes:

Setting goals and performance objectives for the first 3 months, 6 months, and year.

Briefing the company/team’s current project roadmap.

Giving a list of immediate but meaningful tasks that help get them working.

Deliver quick, targeted feedback to establish performance expectations.

Scheduling intro/briefing meetings with various departments or stakeholders.

David recommends having a team member take an active role in the process, “In the first week, assign a buddy to help with day-to-day support. We’ve always had positive feedback from candidates whenever an employer has done this.”

What resources should be provided to help the employee succeed?

The first day of a new hire’s role is the most daunting, but there are a few simple things you can do to help them settle in:

A ready-to-go workspace, complete with any special equipment they might need.

A new starter pack containing onboarding documents and company literature.

A welcome email ahead of your new starter’s first day, including details on dress code, logins, schedule, etc.

An assigned point of contact to support their onboarding and transition.

An invitation to ask management/HR questions at any time.

Looking to continue learning about best-practice hiring processes? Visit our hiring insights hub for in-depth whitepapers, reports, and articles. If you’re looking for top talent to add to your team, list your vacancy or get in touch with our experts.

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