how to onboard like a pro?

As well as reflecting poorly on your organisation, high staff turnover comes at a cost. Avoid this risk by implementing best-practice onboarding processes.

Here’s how.

a great onboarding process will never be a one-size-fits-all process.

For every role, every department and every individual, there is a new way to do it. Consider that a new staff member needs to be performing at full capacity as quickly as possible, then find out exactly what they need to make this happen.



It’s not just about efficiency, though. It’s also about making it enjoyable. The experience an employee has in their first few weeks with a business will confirm whether they have made the right choice and will influence their opinion of that business for years to come. 



AHRI research says 25% of new staff decide within their first week of employment whether they will stay long-term or move on. After all the effort you put into finding the right person for the role, don’t lose them once they’re in the door.

best practice onboarding

Onboarding begins before the staff member has walked through the door. In fact, it starts as soon as the job has been accepted. When that occurs, tell them as much as you can about the organisation and the role, the people they will be working with, the dress code and the induction process itself.

Let them know what to expect on day one and assign them a mentor in case they have any questions before they show up.

before the new recruit arrives:

• Get their physical space clean, clear and ready.
• Ensure their computer and other tools are set up with all access permissions, email accounts and software.
• Let all support functions know about the new recruit, including HR, payroll, security and IT.
• Add them to all necessary distribution lists.
• The previously assigned mentor should be available throughout the first week, particularly during lunch breaks.
• Prepare a starter pack including a schedule of the day’s activities, information about internal social networking groups, committees, company news etc.
• Plan their first day and let them know where to park or which entrance to use etc, and consider asking them to begin slightly later than usual on day one to allow their manager to prepare.
• Ensure they are aware of all health and safety procedures.

Then it’s a matter of being human – make sure the recruit’s first day feels safe, social and happy. Be there to greet them when they arrive. Introduce them to everybody in the area where they’re sitting, to key senior people and to key people they’ll be working with, particularly their mentor or ‘buddy’. 



Follow up after day one, week one and month one with short meetings to check progress, ironing out any problems as they crop up.