In life, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Nowhere are the stakes for that impression higher than when a new employee is about to join your organization. How do you create onboarding that sticks? Helping new employees to stay and thrive is essential for long-term success.
While this may seem obvious, onboarding that sticks is easier said than done. In fact, for most companies, onboarding is mediocre at best. Gallup reports that only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job onboarding new hires, despite effective onboarding improving retention rates by 82% and productivity by over 70%.
Effective onboarding pays clear dividends. Conversely, poor onboarding extracts huge costs. Research shared by Julia Phelan in Harvard Business Review finds that 20% of new hires leave within the first 45 days, and about a third depart within the first 90 days. This turnover disrupts team dynamics and increases recruitment costs, which can range from 50% to 200% of the departing employee’s annual salary.
Failure to master the onboard process comes from a failure in thinking. When it’s done poorly, onboarding comes across as an obligatory chore, a series of bureaucratic hoops to jump through. Phelan, a learning design expert, highlights that many organizations fall into the trap of overwhelming new hires with a flood of details. Phelan shares, “Bombarding employees on their first day—with everything from policy manuals to technical tools—increases cognitive overload and diminishes their ability to absorb and retain critical information.”
When onboarding is done well, it’s a masterclass of design thinking. It’s built through the eyes of the employee. Each step is carefully considered, to deepen the employee’s joy and excitement about the decision they made to join. The journey should be crafted so that the employee feels that joining your organization is the best decision that they’ve ever made.
Briana Phillips, Director of People Operations at OxBlue Corporation, has thought long and hard on how to create onboarding that sticks. OxBlue has won multiple awards for being a top Atlanta workplace. Phillips believes that “Onboarding isn’t just about the first day or week; it’s a process that can extend up to a year or more. It starts with effective communication during recruitment, which sets the tone for a successful onboarding journey.” OxBlue’s approach towards onboarding provides a blueprint for how companies can elevate their own onboarding practices to retain talent and enhance engagement. Phillips shares five steps to creating a meaningful onboarding journey:
- Set the Stage Before Day One
- Prioritize Day-One Experiences
- Provide Structured Introductions
- Emphasize Clarity and Continuous Learning
- Celebrate Milestones
1. Set the Stage Before Day One
Preparation begins long before the new hire’s first day. Phillips explains the importance of keeping candidates informed throughout the hiring process. She shared, “We are vigilant about making sure we keep in close contact with all candidates going through the process. We let them know that they’ll hear something from us, no matter where they are in the process, within two business days. This can get a little hard on the managers to make a decision, but they know how important the two-day window is.”
Regular updates build trust and demonstrate respect for candidates’ time. OxBlue also provides candidates with an interview preparation packet—containing company values, CEO messages, and logistical details—which creates a sense of excitement and belonging before they officially join.
2. Prioritize Day-One Experiences
Those first impressions are pivotal. Phillips’ team ensures new employees arrive to clean workspaces, ready equipment, and personalized welcome notes. “There’s nothing worse than arriving on your first day and finding someone’s old coffee mug still on the desk,” she says. Guided tours of the office further help familiarize new hires with their environment and colleagues, setting a positive tone.
3. Provide Structured Introductions
Integrating new employees into the company culture involves more than a handshake. At OxBlue, new hires meet department heads over lunch during their first month. This fosters cross-departmental relationships and helps them understand the company’s broader mission. Additionally, pairing new hires with ambassadors outside their departments provides informal guidance and social integration. These ambassadors help new employees navigate the company’s culture, answer questions, and build confidence during their initial weeks. “Having a buddy system has been instrumental in creating a sense of belonging and support from the very beginning,” says Phillips.
4. Emphasize Clarity and Continuous Learning
Clarity is key to reducing stress and boosting confidence. Written descriptions of responsibilities and realistic goals—both short-term and long-term—help align expectations. Introducing concepts gradually through a phased training process avoids overwhelming new hires. OxBlue uses check-ins at 30, 60, and 90 days to make sure goals and performance are aligned. This allows them to create any necessary tailored support, and builds confidence for both employee and leader as new hires acclimate.
5. Celebrate Milestones
Recognizing achievements is vital for motivation and retention. OxBlue honors first-year employees with personalized hard hats signed by their teams. “It’s a tangible reminder of their contribution and a token of appreciation,” says Phillips. Stay interviews and anniversary check-ins also provide opportunities to refine the onboarding process based on direct feedback from employees. At OxBlue, onboarding that sticks is a never-ending journey of continuous improvement.
Invest In Success
Effective onboarding is not a “nice-to-have”—it’s a critical component of organizational success. Phillips captures its significance succinctly: “When employees feel prepared, welcomed, and valued, they’re empowered to do their best work from day one.” Organizations that invest in thoughtful, strategic onboarding not only reduce turnover but also create a culture of engagement and loyalty. OxBlue’s webpage on their culture sums it up well: Our People Are OxBlue.
For a new employee, onboarding is the foundation on which their deep-felt sense of the employee experience is built. What do you want that experience to be? Poor leaders create onboarding by default; great leaders create the process by design. If you adapt OxBlue’s blueprint for onboarding that sticks, you’ll be well positioned to turn new hires into thriving team members.