So, you’ve just hired a fantastic new team member—congratulations! Now the real work begins: onboarding! The first few days at a new job can feel like stepping into a neverland: new faces, new systems, new processes. It's overwhelming and takes some getting used to. But here’s the truth: how you welcome and integrate your new hires can make or break their experience and productivity. Companies with effective onboarding processes improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%. Let’s talk about how to make the onboarding process not just functional but memorable: facets of a successful onboarding process.

Pre-Onboarding: This process involves laying the groundwork and should be done before the new hire’s first day. I would like you to picture this: see yourself as the new hire. You just received a welcome email a week before your start date, and it’s warm, informative, and includes everything you need for your first day. It includes a schedule, team introductions, and even a few FAQs like how to log in to the system or what floor your workstation is on. How would you feel receiving this email? The essence of this stage is to set the tone. It tells your new hire that you are excited and ready to meet them. It improves the overall experience—this helps to give the new hire a head start and also increases retention and engagement.

First Day: So, today is the new hire’s first day, and as an HR or manager, you want them to feel comfortable and welcomed. Let’s digress a bit—how was your first day at your job? How did you feel? You probably felt either lost, skeptical, or nervous.

So, what do you need to do? Break the ice by introducing the new hire to the team and also the team to the new hire. Don’t just say, “This is Emmanuel from the Marketing team.” Instead, say, “This is Emmanuel, Team Lead Marketing” (add their role). This helps the new hire grow accustomed to the names and roles of each team member so they don’t end up saying, “Emmanuel from Marketing.”

It is important to create a first-day schedule for them. It gives them an agenda for the day and also schedules a one-on-one meeting with their line manager or supervisor. Here are other ways to make a new hire feel welcomed:

• Include them in your team’s regular activities.
• Create an onboarding document or checklist that helps them clarify things before reaching out to other teammates.
• Assign a work buddy to the new hire. This can be for a specific duration (1–2 months), such as the probationary period. It’s easier for the new hire to have someone who can help them if they are stuck. New hires would rather not feel like a burden to the team but prefer having someone to assist them when needed.
• Organize an office tour. This can be done by any team member or the new hire’s office buddy. Show them their workspace/station, kitchen, restrooms, and other facilities. Share workspace Wi-Fi login details.

Training: This should be done with ease and broken down into small chunks. It involves an introduction to tools that make their work easier. Show them how to use the company’s website, navigate the CRM, explain the company’s KPIs, and make sure they know they are supported! Onboarding training ensures that the new employees are well integrated into the team and company’s system and also strengthens the company culture.

It is really essential to implement role-specific onboarding training for your new hire. Role-specific training is tailored to the specific job the new hire is hired for—a structured training session designed for their role. You can also provide access to learning platforms and certifications, and lastly, conduct regular check-ins to ensure clarity and address challenges. This process will equip new employees with the skills they need to be productive and succeed.

Work Culture: One of the most important reasons for onboarding is to help new employees get acclimatized to your company culture. Your work culture is more than the poster of teamwork in your office or on the receptionist’s wall or policies. It’s how people communicate, how they celebrate wins, and yes, how they tackle challenges. You should include in your onboarding program stories about your company’s journey and its values, and go further in demonstrating these values. Invite the new hires to a casual chat during lunch or break periods. Have random conversations while you eat, during coffee/tea breaks, or while resting. Doing this helps you create connections between you and them or between the team and them, and aligns them with the company’s values.

Feedback: The onboarding process is more than just a day or week. It can run through 1–3 months, and with this, constant feedback and continuous improvement are needed. Collect feedback through a survey or a one-on-one meeting/discussion after the first week, month, and quarter. It could be a quick check-in to see how the new hire is doing and to ask about their challenges. Here’s a list of questions you could ask:

• Is there anything you wish you had known earlier?
• How was your first day?
• How does it feel to be a new team member?
• How are you finding your team?
• How are you finding your role?
• Is there anything you wish to discuss with me?
• Is there anything you wish we could do better?
• Describe any challenges you’ve faced so far with your job role or the onboarding process.

Try to leave the questions open-ended to give them opportunities to express themselves. Feedback is used to refine the onboarding process—you see what works and what doesn’t.

Here are the 5 components of the onboarding process that make it not just functional but memorable. Let’s discuss 4 onboarding pitfalls to avoid. Should you be interested in our free onboarding checklist template that ensures all stages of onboarding are carried out perfectly, click here to download it.
And guess what—it’s free!

Onboarding Pitfalls:

• Information Overload: The probability of this happening is high because the new employee knows next to nothing about your company or how you operate, and they are eager to learn. You probably also have a lot of directions to give. Assimilating this information leads to information overload. Spread the information over a week, not a day.
• Neglecting to Clarify Goals and Expectations.
• Neglecting Check-Ins or Feedback.
• Waiting Until Day One to Start Onboarding: Starting a new job is stressful and exciting, and may reduce a new hire's engagement level. According to a study carried out by Vlerick Talmundo, 64% of employees reported they didn’t get any pre-boarding experience. Pre-onboarding helps to avoid information overload and also builds some confidence in the new hire.

To make your new hire or employees feel valuable and seen, you need to put effort into your onboarding process. Onboarding should be enjoyable for both the employee and the manager, so take time to craft an onboarding experience that will be remembered for a lifetime. Click here to download our free onboarding checklist that will help craft a memorable onboarding experience.

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