What makes a good onboarding experience?
Onboarding programmes across organisations appear to be falling short as a new report found that a quarter of employees felt dissatisfied with their last onboarding experience.
The report, released by Enboarder, surveyed more than 1,000 employees in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia to look at the current state of employee onboarding.
"This report clearly shows the experiences we have when we start a new job have a huge impact on employer brand, employee experience, and performance," said Dan Finnigan, CEO at Enboarder, in a statement. "The fact is most onboarding programmes are falling short – and it's negatively impacting the bottom line."
According to the findings, 31% of the respondents said their onboarding process lasted within a week, while a smaller 21% said it lasted within a day.
The majority of the respondents also said they were very (26%) and mostly felt (38%) informed, engaged, and confident during their onboarding process.
Despite these findings, however, 19% of employees rated their recent onboarding experience as "meh," while five per cent said it was disappointing or sad.
Source: Enboarder's 2024 State of Employee Onboarding Report
Onboarding challenges
Remote and hybrid workers were also revealed to struggle more when it comes to onboarding, according to the report.
Remote new hires were most likely to report a "truly terrible onboarding experience" (42%), followed by hybrid workers (39%).
Remote new hires were also 50% more likely to say that company culture was poorly demonstrated during onboarding than on-site new hires. They were also almost twice as likely to say the onboarding software or app they used was not helpful.
"Leaving onboarding to chance is a huge risk considering the massive investment companies make when it comes to recruitment," Finnigan warned.
The report found that employees who have a terrible onboarding experience felt:
- Disengaged (24%)
- Regretted accepting the role (33%)
- Had a negative outlook on the work environment (30%)
- Shared their negative experience with others (25%)
Another quarter of employees who experienced a terrible onboarding experience also left the job, according to the report.
On the other hand, employees with a positive onboarding experience reported:
- Feeling more engaged (42%)
- Very satisfied with their job decision (46%)
- Feeling motivated to stay longer at the company (34%)
- Wanting to recommend the company as a great place to work (32%)
What makes a good onboarding experience?
A good onboarding process, according to the report, involves stronger communications and people connections. Employees also said they have the following qualities:
- Early start
- Efficient paperwork management
- Information and engagement
- Cultural integration
- Connection and support
Onboarding experiences that had a "wow" or lasting impression on employees were shaped by how personal connections with colleagues and managers were established, according to the report.
Source: Enboarder's 2024 State of Employee Onboarding Report
"The data in this research show that these moments do more than just make a good first impression. They are also linked to substantial improvements in role success, productivity, and a sense of belonging," the report read.
