We interviewed 30+ people about their onboarding; here’s what we found

When we were first exploring the idea of starting Allboarder, Kylie and I launched a research effort which included interviewing as many people as possible who had been onboarded into a new job in the last 6 months. We quickly learned what went well, and what didn't go so well. We ended up talking to more than 30 people, and here’s what we found: 

Starting a new job is a vulnerable feeling

Whether you just left a job to start a new role, or you have been hunting for a job for a while, starting a new job can feel pretty vulnerable. This can leave new employees feeling pretty anxious. People generally have a deep desire to do well in a new role, so show them that path and make the most of the momentum that the new-job energy can create.  

Bad onboarding puts early-career folks most at risk

The earlier in their career, the more a poor onboarding experience puts a new employee’s success at the company at risk. This goes double for remote settings. Newer folks have a harder time because they don’t know what they don’t know, so they can’t seek out answers to fill gaps left by poor onboarding. Companies should focus on creating thorough onboarding programs that give new hires all the context, goals, and support they need to do well right from the start.

The earlier the onboarding plan is shared, the better

Many newly hired employees shared the anxiety of not knowing what to expect on their first day and how they questioned their role because of the lack of communication.The time between accepting a new role and starting is the right time to actively share your new employee’s onboarding plan, including all the details about their first day and week. It will let them know that you have already planned for their success, and assure them that their decision to join the company is a good one.

Pro tip:  Before their start date, inform employees about whom to contact, preferred communication methods, and company norms like dress code to boost their confidence and ensure readiness from day one.

Be clear about what success looks like in the first 30 days

After starting, the employee receives a barrage of information, sometimes in a strange sequence, making it difficult to gather enough context to feel confident and get off to a good start quickly in their new role. This places stress on the whole team who struggle to fill in the information gaps and needs this person to start participating in the work. A well thought through onboarding plan eliminates this mess, and can provide a successful path to get up to speed and successfully contribute in half the time. 

At the end of the day, your new employee wants to be successful in their role as quickly as possible, and be assured that they made a good decision for this next step in their career. If you don’t do the work to set your new employee up for success, you can’t be surprised when they don’t succeed. 

P.S. We know that building great new employee onboarding experience takes a lot of work. Learn how to use Allboarder to build it once and automate it, instead of repeating all your manual tasks everytime you welcome someone new. Your future self (and employees) will thank you! Reach out though Beta Partners.