What Is Onboarding In 2024

The first few days, weeks and months on the job can have a significant impact on employee engagement, productivity and retention. Onboarding is about making that initial phase of the employee’s journey as successful as possible. When handled well, onboarding can have a significant impact on employee satisfaction and reduce the time required to reach full productivity.  

This guide provides an overview of the key elements of onboarding and why it is so critical in 2024. It includes best practice onboarding tips and outlines the ‘5 C’s’ of onboarding – a structured approach to getting the most out of new hires.  

Definition and overview of onboarding in 2024 

The foundations of onboarding have not changed over the years but in some ways, as job roles and organisations have become more complex, the importance of onboarding has increased.  

Research shows that strong onboarding can improve new hire retention by 82% and increase productivity by over 70%. In a tight labour market, first impressions really can make a difference. 

However, this is easier said than done. Anyone who has started a new job knows instantly how overwhelming it can be. As a new starter, you may not be aware of the ‘lay of the land’, including where things are located, what tools and equipment you need, who you’ll be working with, how the processes and procedures work, and so on. Onboarding’s main objective is to ease those first-day nerves.  

Onboarding is the critical first phase of the employee journey and aims to ensure the time, energy and resources invested into recruitment pays off. It covers the critical transition period between someone being just another candidate to a valued team member. Depending on the role, onboarding can take anything from one week to six months to complete.  

Poor onboarding can lead to high employee turnover within the first few months of employment. This can have a devastating impact on customer satisfaction, engagement and other key performance metrics.  

Onboarding is generally the responsibility of line managers, but the onboarding process should have input from HR and other business stakeholders. After all, there is a lot at stake. 

The importance of onboarding in enterprise organisations 

Regardless of company size, the foundational elements of onboarding are the same. However, larger enterprise organisations may have more complex structures, more locations, and less consistency in how tasks are done.  

With vast numbers of employees, and sometimes having the need to bulk hire many individuals in one go, giving new hires a uniform experience in these large organisations can be a challenge. That’s why a structured onboarding process is recommended. However, that process needs to be adaptable and personalised to meet the needs of everyone (also see ‘personalised onboarding plan’ below). 

The difference between onboarding, induction and orientation 

Induction, orientation and onboarding are terms that are often used interchangeably – and while there is certainly overlap there are some subtle distinctions between the terms. Generally: 

• Induction, or orientation, is a process which introduces a new recruit to the team, the work environment, and the organisation in general. It might include, for example, ‘meet and greet’ meetings with a direct manager and any direct reports, activities such as a tour of the workplace, and providing the new hire with information about health and safety and other relevant mission-critical issues. 

• Onboarding is a more detailed process that introduces a new recruit to the business with a focus on getting them up to speed quickly. It’s about setting a new hire up for success, ensuring they have the tools, confidence, knowledge and connections to succeed in their new role. This may include offering information around: 

• The business environment, including challenges and opportunities being faced by the organisation; and policies and procedures that must be followed by every employee 

• The people who make up the business. This might include its culture and values, expected behaviours, familiarisation with the structure of the business (org charts, reporting lines, etc.) and an introduction to not just immediate team members but anyone else who may have ongoing interactions with the employee  

Although onboarding is correctly considered a relationship-driven process, occurring on a one-on-one basis for every new hire, sometimes this is challenging – such as for retailers where volume hiring might be required during festive times, for example. Employers can still ensure personal touches are scattered throughout the process, which should ultimately aim to quickly establish interpersonal relationships not only between manager and employee, but with other team members as well.  

Onboarding shift-based workers 

Onboarding shift-based workers presents its own challenges. These frontline employees may not have access to computers or laptops, meaning that mobile onboarding is often the only way to go – especially for the critical preboarding stage.  

Many deskless workplaces are also suffering from acute skills shortages, so it may be tempting to skip training and other essential tasks simply to fill roles quickly. This is a mistake as the risks to employee health and safety are much greater in industries like construction, manufacturing, transportation, warehousing, etc. Other industries, such as aged care, have multiple health and safety protocols that must be adhered to.  

Certifications, licences and other compliance-related documentation needs to be tracked and notifications sent when these need to be updated. This data can all be gathered during onboarding. Again, a structured onboarding process can ensure all the necessary steps are completed in a timely manner. 

Best practices for successful onboarding 

Here are some proven strategies for effective onboarding: 

Preboarding  

Onboarding starts before day one, and the period from when a new hire signs their contract to their first day on the job is increasingly being viewed as a critical window of opportunity for employers to get the ‘paperwork’ underway. 

Encourage managers to reach out to new hires once the contract is signed; a phone call can go a long way towards making a nervous but excited new starter feel wanted and appreciated. 

 Managers should also outline what’s involved in the onboarding process, how long it will take, who will be involved, and what the expected outcomes are. 

 From a compliance perspective, getting the paperwork done is a key part of the employee journey.

Various documents will need to be sent to a new hire, and in some cases signed and returned. For example:  

• Tax file number 

• The employee’s bank account details (for direct deposit wages) 

• Employee contract and confidentiality agreement 

• Any licence or certification required to do the job (e.g. forklift licence) 

• Visa details 

Effective use of onboarding technology 

Technology plays an essential role in making deskless employees feel engaged, connected, and empowered. Digitising as much of the onboarding process as possible – especially the preboarding steps – can enhance the employee experience and ease admin for managers and HR.  

Enabling employees to provide e-signatures and submit completed forms electronically does away with paperwork and streamlines the flow of information between employee and employer, and other third parties like tax agencies. Onboarding tech should be: 

• Simple, intuitive and easy to use. Consider balancing written elements with video and interactive elements, especially for company information or simple training courses 

• Easily accessible and navigable on a mobile device 

• Integrated into workforce management software apps where employees are already spending time 

Humanforce Onboarding & Offboarding provides a fully customisable onboarding experience for new hires. The onboarding process and workflow can be customised according to job role, location, and more. In addition, preboarding steps can be undertaken, enabling new hires to digitally upload personal, banking and superannuation 

details so that this critical data is captured before day one on the job. 

 Relevant qualifications, certifications and licences – including expiry dates – can also be uploaded to help build comprehensive employee profiles. 

 Welcome notifications and messages can be sent to the wider team, providing a valuable social element to the new hire experience, while prompts can be built into the process, ensuring that employees, managers and other stakeholders are reminded of what they need to do and when. 

Personalised onboarding plan 

Although many aspects of onboarding will be the same from one staff member to another, a lot will depend on the nature of the job and the skills, knowledge, and experience that each person brings.  

Also remember that onboarding is not just for new staff. Your onboarding program can be tailored to workers that are: 

• Transferring from one location to another 

• Relieving other workers for a short period of time 

• Promoted to new responsibilities 

• Returning to work after extended absences 

With those considerations in mind, creating tailored onboarding workflows can help personalise the onboarding experience and make the experience meaningful for every new hire. For example, do all steps in your onboarding process need to be completed if the employee has already worked in a previous role in your organisation?  

With the aid of technology like Humanforce’s Onboarding & Offboarding solution (see above), it’s possible to create tailored onboarding workflows that can be as detailed or as streamlined as you like, depending on role, location, seniority, and experience of the new hire. 

Using onboarding as a time to upskill 

The recruitment and onboarding process can be used to clarify the skills and training that new hires have. If gaps are found and those skills and proficiencies are needed immediately, the onboarding process can be used as a time to upskill or reskill. In addition, new hires may need to complete mandatory compliance-related training relating to health and safety protocols, for example.  

For deskless workers, learning should be delivered in a range of modes – from traditional face-to-face learning to short, bite-sized eLearning modules delivered via mobile phones and available 24/7.  

Another way to impart knowledge is with a buddy or mentor program. A mentor is generally in a more senior role to the new hire, whereas a buddy is considered more of an equal. When assigning a mentor, find someone who has been in a similar position as your new hire, has great interpersonal skills and demonstrates leadership qualities. Buddies, on the other hand, should ideally be of a similar experience or age as your new hire, possibly in the same role as them.  

The role of both is to show the new hire the ropes – how things are done – and to act as a sounding board. Providing an opportunity for a new hire to ‘shadow’ a more experienced worker can give them a sense of what their work will be like and offers a chance to meet the people they will be working with. 

What are the ‘5 C’s’ of onboarding 

Regardless of industry or job type, the ‘5 C’s’ of onboarding will apply. This structured onboarding approach includes: 

• Compliance: Every business and every industry has rules and regulations; onboarding is when these are communicated to the new hire. This may cover critical areas such as health and safety protocols, the internal processes around bullying, harassment and discrimination, and the specific clauses outlined in employment agreements or industrial awards relating to overtime or work conditions. Given the nature of or deskless work, consider making this critical information available in mobile-friendly formats so that it can be accessed easily at the point of need and completion rates can be tracked.  

• Clarification: What’s expected of a new hire? What does their role entail and what performance standards are expected? Onboarding is the time to communicate to new hires what’s expected of them, offering plenty of opportunities for them to ask questions so there’s no confusion or ambiguity. 

• Culture: What makes your organisation tick? Does it have a rich history? Perhaps the mission – and connected to that, the values and expected behaviours – is compelling and strong enough to act as a talent magnet? The more information that can be imparted around ‘how things are done around here’, the better. This will help build a sense of belonging and connection for a new hire. 

• Connections: Socialisation forms a key part of onboarding. Your new hire will want to know who they are working with, how the organisation is structured, and who to contact in other departments, such as HR, payroll, IT, etc. This is even more critical in roster-driven businesses where people can be working at different times, in different locations. Aim to schedule meetings and lunches so that colleagues can meet face-to-face, and don’t forget other communication channels like instant messaging to spread word to the broader group. 

• Check back: A new hire has taken a leap of faith joining your organisation; checking in and encouraging feedback regularly during their first six months can reinforce that they’ve made the right choice. Encourage managers to check in after day 1, after week 1, and at least once a week for the next two to three months. This is one way to ensure that everything that was promised during the recruitment process is being delivered and builds those crucial interpersonal relationships. Undertaking pulse surveys of new hires can also shed light on how successful the talent acquisition and onboarding process has been. 

 With research from the SHRM suggesting that 20% of employee turnover can occur within the first 45 days of employment, it’s worth investing the time and effort required to make the onboarding experience as

About Humanforce 

Humanforce is the best-in-one platform for frontline and flexible workforces, offering a truly employee centred, intelligent and compliant human capital management (HCM) suite – without compromise. Founded in 2002, Humanforce has a 2300+ customer base and over half a million users worldwide. Today, we have offices across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. 

 Our vision is to make work easier and life better by focusing on the needs and fulfilment of frontline workers, and the efficiency and optimisation of businesses. 

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