The No-Nonsense Guide to Employee Onboarding

I want to share a personal example of how a new hire can go very wrong without an onboarding checklist.

One of the most memorable hiring experiences I ever had was with a Fortune 500. It had taken months to get through the rigorous pre-hire process. The company was thorough, with multiple interviews with several executives and department heads.

When I arrived, excited at the possibilities, No one greeted me on arrival, and had to locate someone in HR to figure out how to get the ball rolling. I was ready to meet the team and start getting settled in. Instead I was led to an empty desk with no chair. There was a monitor, but no computer. No supplies. I set my things down and leaned against the desk.

It was 30 minutes before someone came to get me settled. I didn’t get a chair for a few hours, and the computer came the next day. I was ready to hit the ground running for this amazing company, but despite plenty of time to prepare, they weren’t ready for me. The onboarding didn’t get any better from there.

Unfortunately, this is far too common, and it happens in companies of all sizes. It’s an experience that you absolutely must avoid at all costs, because you’ll pay for it in churn – among other ways. The minimum cost for a new hire is $50,000 when you factor in recruiting costs, ads, time dedicated to training and the cost of replacing an employee due to churn.

According to a 2007 study by the Wynhurst Group, when employees go through structured onboarding, they are 58% more likely to remain with the organization after three years.YEC

And churn can climb when you don’t have a solid onboarding checklist to guide you. According to a study from Bamboo HR, 31% of respondents had quit their job within the first 6 months of hire; most in the first 90 days. A steady stream of employees left from within the first week all the way up to the 3^rd month.

Missing the Onboard Checklist – What Bad Onboarding Costs You

There’s a list of consequences that stem from poor onboarding, whether it simply needs improving or your company completely lacks an onboarding checklist.

• You risk losing a potentially great employee, whom you hired because of their talents. All because they didn’t get the necessary guidance to understand their place in the organization.
• Leadership is limited in how they can spot a poor hiring choice early on with a lack of an onboarding process. Evaluation is hard to do when there’s no evaluation process.
• Loss of productive output because it takes a significant amount of time for them to gain traction in their role.
• Increased stress among individuals and teams.
• Reduced happiness in new hires, which is never a good place to start.

To keep your hard-won talent, it’s absolutely critical to create an onboarding process which should include a complete onboarding checklist. This ensures that no step is missed as they get acquainted with the organization, the expectations, responsibilities of their position, culture, and their specific tasks.

In the same Bamboo HR survey, respondents were asked what factors would have kept them from leaving their jobs early on. The results speak for themselves:

• 23% said they wanted to receiving clear guidelines to what their responsibilities were.
• 21% said they wanted more effective training.

Create an Onboarding Checklist That Follows the Three A’s

Virtually every scenario in which an onboarding process is lacking, or non-existent, you’re going to have significant time-waste. That waste compounds with every new employee hired, and impacts the performance of every employee up the chain.

To avoid this kind of progressive impact, it’s important to follow just a few simple guidelines called the Three A’s of Onboarding:

Accommodation

Create a consistent plan used for every new hire, specific to their roles, ensuring everything is ready for them on the day of arrival. In many cases, starting communication and accommodation before day one can make for easier onboarding once the employee actually starts with the company.

Assimilation

Managers must treat an onboarding checklist with personal attention and seriously. Forming a personal connection with employees on their team raises confidence and makes new hires feel more at ease. It should be a goal for a team leader or manager to take their new employees to lunch on the first day, forging a personal connection outside of the workspace.

Acceleration

Onboarding doesn’t stop after an employee is settled in. Acceleration is a key part of employee growth, retention, and reducing churn. Invest in training, and find ways to help employees absorb new information at their own speed.

Now that you’ve got a basic model or creating a stronger onboarding process, let’s run through a solid onboarding checklist you can easy follow to create your own.

The Onboarding Template

Before the First Day

• Have all paperwork ready for new hires. Simplify the process by using digital forms and contracts. This way you can send a link online, or the forms, to you new hire so their first day isn’t wasted by filling out paperwork.
• Bring the supervisors up to speed. Direct supervisors should create a 30-60-90 day plan for the new hire, determine what projects they’ll be working on, and the knowledge they should have. This makes it far easier to communicate expectations on day 1.
• Run through a new hire checklist that covers everything to be in place on day 1. This includes things like hardware, company swag, email accounts, communications accounts like Slack, a list of team members to meat with, software tools, supplies, necessary reading, and details on their first tasks or projects.
• For the love of all, make sure their workstation is ready and waiting for them… and has a chair.
• Use an automated process tracking platform, and get your checklist loaded digitally. This way you can move from step to step through the onboarding process automatically, triggering approvals and alerts where needed for things like reviews.

On Day One

• Get your new hires up to speed. Sit down and discuss all the projects and company goals. Make sure they know how to contribute and where they fit in the master plan. It might take a significant amount of time, but its critical to their success.
• Make clear all your expectations. They should know what they will be doing, how they’re contributing, specific responsibilities, your goals, and what is expected over the next 90 days.
• Impart the company culture. Go over company documentation and make sure the employee is given ample time to meet with other team members. Review marketing materials, meet with different departments, and make clear the values the company operates on.
• Have something ready for them to take on. Whatever the scope, have a startup task. This is important to make employees feel valued, and like they’re already contributing. Even if it’s a small task. Quora pushes each new engineer to commit to adding themselves to the team page on the first day, to deploy a bug fix, new feature, or a new experiment by the end of the first week.

The First 30 Days and Beyond

• Expand on their knowledge foundation with supporting material, including relevant company materials and books
• Socially integrate new employees into the team. This can sometimes be best achieved with small group projects or outings with the team.
• Get feedback from your staff at every level. This is critical to revising and improving your onboarding checklist and process.
• Never rush onboarding. It’s not a first-day task, but an ongoing process that should continue until you’re absolutely sure the new employee can “swim on their own.”

Related Questions

What are the 5 C’s of onboarding?

The 5 C’s of onboarding are Compliance, Clarification, Culture, Connection, and Check-back. Compliance covers legal paperwork and basic rules. Clarification ensures new hires understand their role and expectations. Culture helps employees understand company values and unwritten rules. Connection builds relationships with team members. Check-back creates regular touchpoints to gather feedback and ensure success.

What are the 4 C’s of employee onboarding?

The 4 C’s represent a simpler version focusing on Compliance, Clarification, Culture, and Connection. While similar to the 5 C’s, this model combines ongoing feedback into the other elements rather than making it a separate step. This approach works well for smaller companies that want a streamlined onboarding process.

What are the 5 stages of onboarding process?

The five stages include Pre-boarding (before day one), First Day Welcome, Role Training, Department Integration, and Ongoing Development. Pre-boarding handles paperwork and setup. First Day Welcome creates a positive initial experience. Role Training covers job-specific skills. Department Integration connects new hires with their team. Ongoing Development ensures continuous growth and support over the first year.

What is an onboarding checklist?

An onboarding checklist is a step-by-step guide that ensures nothing falls through the cracks when bringing on new employees. It typically includes tasks like setting up equipment, arranging training sessions, introducing team members, and completing required paperwork. Think of it as a recipe for successfully welcoming new hires and helping them become productive team members.

What is employee onboarding workflow?

An employee onboarding workflow is a structured sequence of activities that guide new hires from acceptance to full productivity. It maps out who does what, when, and how, making sure all departments work together smoothly. This might include IT setting up accounts, HR processing paperwork, and managers arranging training sessions, all happening in the right order at the right time.

What are the benefits of using employee onboarding automation?

Onboarding automation saves time, reduces errors, and creates a consistent experience for every new hire. It automatically triggers tasks, sends reminders, and tracks progress, freeing up HR teams to focus on meaningful interactions. Instead of chasing paperwork, they can spend time helping new employees feel welcome and supported.

How long should the employee onboarding process take?

While basic orientation might take a few days, complete onboarding typically spans 3-12 months. The first 90 days are most crucial, but extending support through the first year helps ensure long-term success. Remember, onboarding isn’t a race – it’s about building a solid foundation for each employee’s future with the company.

What makes an onboarding process successful?

Successful onboarding combines practical support with emotional connection. It provides clear information and resources while helping new hires build relationships and feel part of the team. The best programs are well-organized but flexible enough to adapt to individual needs, with regular check-ins to spot and address any concerns early.

How can companies measure onboarding effectiveness?

Companies can track metrics like time-to-productivity, new hire satisfaction scores, and retention rates at 90 days and one year. Regular feedback surveys help spot areas for improvement. Looking at how quickly new employees build networks and contribute to their teams also shows how well the onboarding process is working.

What common mistakes should companies avoid in onboarding?

Common pitfalls include information overload on day one, lack of social integration, unclear expectations, and ending support too soon. Some companies make the mistake of treating onboarding as just paperwork and training, missing the chance to build real connections and engagement. Others fail to gather feedback that could help improve the process.