Onboarding fulfills a broad range of functions. And delivers an equally broad range of benefits. So much more than just form-filling and HR paperwork, it spans the whole period from making an offer, and your candidate accepting it, to their induction and first few months (or even the first year) into the job.
Which is why, whatever the shape or size of your business, how you onboard new hires matters just the same. Yes, the way you approach your onboarding will differ according to your company’s unique situation. Perhaps you’re a startup embarking on your first phase of recruitment and relatively new to the onboarding landscape. Or you may be an established enterprise organization looking to scale at speed and need to adjust your approach to keep pace. Either way, your end goal is most likely to be in sync: To give your new employees everything they need to rise to the challenges of their new role. And to give them every reason to stick around and keep performing well.
In this onboarding study, we cover it all; from practical tips and checklists to the theory behind better onboarding, how to evaluate it properly, and what the future (and success) might look like. But you don’t have to read it cover to cover. You can if you want to, of course. But it’s designed so you can dip in and pick out what’s meaningful for you.
Starting out
If you’re first-timers and looking to set up your onboarding process, our opening chapters offer a comprehensive ‘how-to’ guide. Here you’ll find everything from building a strong business case (‘Why onboarding matters’) to what you should include in your onboarding package, and who to involve in the process.
Scaling up
If you’re seasoned onboarders with a process in place, we’ve got checklists, tools, and templates you can use to standardize and streamline your approach. You’ll find these towards the end of the guide in chapters 8 to 10.
Logging on
Maybe you’re a bit of both, or neither, but have recently transitioned to a remote-first working arrangement and are more interested in finding effective ways to onboard virtually. In which case, jump straight to chapter 7 for a complete toolkit of remote onboarding ideas and best-practice tips.
Ready to climb aboard? Good. Let’s get the ball rolling with a bit of background.