Employee Onboarding: 5 key steps for successful integration

Employee onboarding is the process of integrating new hires into your team and company. More importantly, it plays a strategic role in a company’s ability to maximize employee engagement, productivity and retention.

In this article, we explore the pillars of employee onboarding and the 5 steps to follow to ensure the success of your integration process. We'll also give you some practical tips and real-life examples to get the most out of your employee onboarding process. 

What is the employee onboarding process?  

Onboarding refers to all the actions taken by a company to welcome, integrate and support a new employee. This process goes far beyond the simple administrative management of contracts and work tools. 

• Administrative Integration: Handling technical requirements, including granting access to software, finalizing contracts or legal documents, and providing necessary equipment.
• Cultural Integration: Introducing new employees to the company's values, mission, and culture while fostering connections with team members and managers.

What the goals of the onboarding process? 

Successful employee onboarding aims to: 

• Accelerate skill development: quickly provide the resources employees need to get up and running in their new position. 
• Bolster engagement: make employees feel welcome and valued. 
• Retain talent: reduce turnover risks by creating a positive experience right from the start. 

3 Key Employee Onboarding Challenges  

Onboarding is much more than just an administrative HR process. It is a powerful lever for ensuring the long-term success of new employees. Successful onboarding meets three main challenges. 

HR Challenge: Reducing turnover and retaining talent 

When done correctly, employee onboarding enables us to meet the expectations of new arrivals right from the start. According to a Glassdoor study, an effective onboarding program can increase new employee retention by 82% at the end of the probationary period. This figure illustrates the direct impact onboarding can have on turnover, a costly problem for companies. 

Managerial Challenge: integrating employees into a team dynamic 

Successful onboarding is not just about passing on information. It also aims to create a bond between the employees and their coworkers. This involves regular interaction, discussion and team-building activities. An employee who is well integrated into their team is more committed and efficient, thus fostering a positive collective dynamic. 

 Strategic Challenge: aligning new employees with company values and objectives 

From the the beginning, instilling the company's values and mission in new recruits is crucial. This step strengthens their sense of belonging and helps them understand how their actions contribute to the overall vision. Companies like Google invest heavily in onboarding to ensure that their recruits successfully assimilate with their workplace culture. 

Common employee onboarding mistakes to avoid  

Even the best intentions can lead to ineffective onboarding if certain mistakes are made. 

Lack of preparation 

Missing equipment, an unprepared workstation or a non-existent schedule are all signs of a lack of planning. This can frustrate a new employee from day one. Sloppy onboarding gives the impression that the company does not value the arrival of new employees. This can quickly affect their level of engagement. 

Inadequate communication between stakeholders 

Lack of coordination between managers, the HR team and other team members can lead to confusion. For example, if nobody greets the new employee on arrival, it can lead to a poor first impression. 

Lack of follow-up after the first few weeks 

Onboarding should go well past the first day or even weeks. A failure to follow up with new employees can leave them without a real sense of direction and hinder their integration.

A classic example is forgetting to check whether the new employee has fully understood their mission, or whether they’re encountering any specific difficulties or challenges. 

5 key steps to successful employee onboarding 

A structured onboarding process is based on clearly defined phases. Each phase is designed to support employees as they step into their new role, while reinforcing their engagement.

Before arrival: preparing the groundwork  

• Equipment: order equipment (computer, telephone, etc.) and set up work tools. 
• Proactive communication: send a welcome e-mail to the newcomer with practical information (location, opening hours, contact details). 
• Program planning: prepare a clear schedule for the first few days, including meetings, training sessions and informal exchanges with team members. 

First Day: creating a positive impression 

• A warm welcome: introduce the teams and organize a tour of the workplace. 
• Welcome pack: offer a welcome kit including goodies (notebook, pens, mug) and useful resources (organization chart, welcome booklet with guide to using internal tools). 
• Immediate immersion: share the day's objectives and involve the employee from the outset. 

First Week: laying the foundations 

• Initial training: prepare sessions to discover the company's tools, processes and values. 
• Putting it into practice: give the employee a simple first assignment (if the context allows) to build up their confidence. 
• Daily feedback: organize an end-of-day meeting to answer any questions and adjust the integration process. 

First Month: fine-tuning the onboarding process 

• Follow-up meetings: schedule weekly meetings with the manager to assess progress and adjust expectations during the integration period. 
• Mentoring: propose a referral or mentoring system to facilitate informal exchanges. 
• Needs analysis: identify any training or coaching needs. 

3 to 6 months: making a success of long-term integration 

• Onboarding review: organize an onboarding interview to gather the employee's impressions around their progress over the last few months. 
• Mutual feedback: ask for the employee's opinion on the welcome he or she has received (surprise report) and offer constructive feedback on his or her initial contributions. 
• Ongoing development: propose a long-term training or learning and development plan to support their progress. 

The essential tools for structuring the employee onboarding process 

Digitalization can considerably simplify and enrich your HR onboarding process. Here are the essential tools for a smooth and efficient experience. 

HR management software 

A performance review solution can transform your onboarding process into a real performance driver. 

Structuring exchanges: prepare customized templates for the first day, the first week, or the onboarding review. These tools enable you to standardize best practices, while leaving room for flexibility according to the employee's needs. 

Accurate, centralized follow-up: document feedback and objectives set during exchanges, accessible to both the manager and HR. This ensures continuity in integration and better traceability of progress. 

Employee engagement: by actively involving the employee in these reviews or exchanges, you show that their feelings and expectations are considered, thus reinforcing their commitment to the company. 

Timesaving: thanks to automated reminders and integrated templates, managers and HR can save time in preparing and conducting reviews. Regular check-ins leave more room for human interaction. 

Without a talent management tool, these tasks are more time-consuming and tedious. 

Welcome guides and welcome packs 

Prepare documents or digital media to familiarize employees with internal human resources processes. 

For example, an interactive guide on Notion or a PDF document containing key resources will make it easier for new arrivals to find specific information. 

Project management tools 

For all stakeholders, the progress of the onboarding stages can be monitored more simply thanks to shared Kanban boards. Tools such as Trello or Asana are ideal for this purpose. Right from the end of the recruitment process, structured onboarding guarantees a better employee experience during the employment contract. 

It's also worth opting for collaborative planning. Involve managers and mentors by assigning them specific tasks dedicated to the onboarding process. 

Learning and Training tools 

With e-learning sessions, it's possible to offer online courses for a gradual build-up of skills. If the company is not equipped with an Learning Management System (LMS), it can set up certain tutorials on its intranet, for example.