Moving from Onboarding to “Warm Welcomes”

Quick heads up: I originally wrote this back in 2023, but the onboarding gap hasn’t gotten any smaller – so I’ve updated the stats and added a framework to help you actually fix it.

The Onboarding Gap

Workplace success starts with the employee’s first experience with the business, meaning how the onboarding process is handled. For new employees, the onboarding experience is not just about learning to work within the organization’s parameters. It’s also about learning how to adapt to and thrive in their new environment.

That said, collectively, businesses feel providing a solid onboarding experience is critical to setting the stage for employee success. Yet, according to a Talmundo Onboarding Expectations Report, 34% of new employees have not experienced a solid warm welcome at their organizations. 

88% of HR professionals think they’re crushing onboarding. Only 12% of new hires agree.

That’s not a gap – that’s a canyon.

What’s up with that?

A proper onboarding program introduces people to the company, teammates, and their new roles. It helps new team members get familiar with the tasks, processes, goals, and organizational procedures.

However, when you put it that way, it all sounds very… well, dull and officious. It’s not the warm welcome new employees are looking for. Let’s face it, not all organizations put a lot of time and effort into making employee onboarding a positive or even memorable experience. In fact, in many organizations, new hire onboarding is less about a “warm welcome” and more about ticking the compliance box. Perhaps it’s time to consider a new normal?

Creating Onboarding Zombies

Does this onboarding moment sound familiar? HR brings a new employee to a stale office with horrible lighting that appears abandoned and presents the “New Hire Show”. This show typically involves hours of tedious compliance e-learning, stacks of paperwork, and a dull-as-rocks HR-focused PowerPoint presentation. And while all this is important, it’s not exactly heart-racing material. It’s more “creating sleeping zombie material.”

In fact, your onboarding program should not only set up the hire for success, but also build momentum and excitement for the next steps. It should set the stage for acknowledging the new hire made a fantastic employment decision, not make them question it.

Food for thought:

1. 58% of companies say their onboarding program primarily consists of paperwork and processes.
2. As stated above, a Gallup report states that 88% of HR professionals believe they do a good job of onboarding new hires – yet only 12% of new hires would agree.
3. The Wynhurst Group found that employees effectively onboarded were 58% more likely to still be with their employer after three years.

The Onboarding Disconnect

If 88% of HR professionals believe they do a good job of onboarding new hires and only 12% of new hires would agree. There’s a solid disconnect.

Could the disconnect be a lack of aligning what a new employee wants and expects from their onboarding versus what the business THINKS new employees want?

Further, a whitepaper written by Enboarder found that 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization has good onboarding processes. Only 12%! This data is even more astonishing when considering that good onboarding can improve employee retention by around 82% and overall productivity by around 70%. It’s tough to deny these numbers.

Onboarding by the (Scary) Numbers

Here’s some more information about onboarding that will be of interest:

1. OC Tanner reports that 20% of turnover happens in the first 45 days without a strong onboarding program.
2. 40% of employees did not receive the minimum information needed before their first day.
3. 43% of new hires stated that it took longer than one week to get a basic workstation and tools to do the job.
4. 55% stated that they didn’t have a clear understanding of the application of the company’s mission and values statement until after three months.
5. 40% of new hires are left alone on their first day.
6. 42% state they were not supported during the first week.
7. 46% reported that support dropped off during the first three months.
8. The Brandon Hall Group wrote an entire report on the cost of a bad hire. (You’d best sit down first for this.)

With all this in mind, why are we not adjusting our onboarding plans? And why do we continue to be shocked and amazed when people turn into new hire zombies?

Being Strategic About the onboarding “Warm Welcome”

Let’s take a critical eye to a process that is supposed to help new employees be the best they can be and reconfigure it to be an employee highlight rather than a burden.

Start before day one:

• PLAN to get their stuff ready! For the love of all that is good be prepared for their arrival! Not having email, computers, phones, office, tools or other necessities is a sign of disrespect. Having their stuff ready is the least you can do. This takes planning!
• Set leadership expectations. Do managers know what they are supposed to do? Do they have checklists to follow and milestones to meet? “Managers know what they’re supposed to do” is not a sound strategy.
• Give everyone a role in the process. If you are hiring a salesperson, everyone in the sales team should have a role in the “warm welcome”. Who is responsible for the initial reach out, or having lunch with them on the first day? Does the newbie know their contact person during the first week? Who is the designated buddy?
• Notify the team: Prepared to welcome the new employee by sending out an e-mail to everyone in the office.
• Send SWAG! Everyone loves SWAG (stuff we all get). BEFORE the employee’s first day, send a packet or box of welcome gifts via snail mail. Water bottle, notebook, pen, tote bag, gift card for a favorite lunch place, company shirt etc.
• Set up a Green Room: Have a place new hires can “hang out” before day one. This might be a Slack workspace, private LinkedIn group, or password-protected website for new hires to chat with other newbies or onboarding buddies. This lets them experience company culture stories, or nail the small details like where to park.

On and After Day One (Day 1 – 14)

• Sweat the small stuff! The small, logistical details help a new person get a sense of comfort and familiarity in the workplace. Where is the bathroom? Is there a break room etiquette, and what is the best place for lunch? However, don’t drown them in information. Sprinkle the small things through the first two weeks or create a handy one-pager of FAQ’s.
• Reinforce values, attitudes, and behaviors that define the company. This is more than just sharing a PowerPoint slide with the mission, vision, and values. This is telling the culture story. Walk the talk!
• Share company stories. Do this via videos in the green room or set directly to their phone. This could include in-person small group activities featuring company champions.
• Make it social. Share affinity groups or any social calendars. Put new hires in touch with group leaders or have group leaders host a lunch. Give them access to group chats or chat rooms.
• New hire lunches. No one should eat lunch alone during the first week or longer. Build a culture of inclusiveness. Rotate lunch buddies so they get to experience different people and departments.
• Bring alive the career journey. Create a video to help the new hire see their potential future. Even if it’s not within the department for which they were hired.
• Don’t make the first day a full 8 hours. There is a significant potential for cognitive overload. A new person has to watch, learn, listen and absorb. Letting them leave early helps their brain to breathe. Build in reflection time before they go home.

Ongoing (30-60-90 days)

• Rotate buddies. Be sure the new hire has a buddy during the first 60 days. This helps them understand the various job roles within the business and their place in the broader context.
• Leadership check-in time. Arrange a check-in time or lunch with the new hire during the first month. Don’t let them fall through the cracks. This will also get in front of any issues or questions that may hinder success.
• Provide learning moments: Create a coaching card (such as a learning passport) with questions or assignments to complete during the first 30 – 60 days. Encourage curiosity, continued learning, and growth.
• Set them up for success. Have managers come prepared with 30-60-90 day goals. This helps the new hire understand their purpose and how they can make a direct impact from the start.

Your Monday Morning Warm Welcome Checklist

Ready to stop creating onboarding zombies? Here’s where to start:

1. Audit your day-one experience – Walk through what a new hire actually experiences. If you’re cringing, your new hires definitely are.
2. Build your manager checklist – “They know what to do” isn’t a plan. Give them specific milestones for days 1, 7, 30, 60, and 90.
3. Assign buddy rotation – One buddy for 90 days isn’t enough. Rotate them so new hires see different roles and don’t get stuck in a silo.
4. Schedule leadership check-ins – Put it on the calendar now. First week, first month. Don’t let them slip through the cracks.
5. Use the WARM WELCOME framework (or playbook—whatever you called it) – Pick one element to implement this quarter. You don’t have to fix everything at once.

Here’s the reality: Your new employees are getting oriented whether you plan for it or not. The question is whether you’re setting them up to thrive or setting yourself up for that 20% turnover in the first 45 days.

Your call.

(this blog has been update from October 2023)