First impressions last in the workplace. The initial weeks in a new role shape how employees view your company, connect with their colleagues and perform in their jobs. When employee onboarding falls short, talented people leave, taking their skills and your recruitment investment with them.
In 2025, this matters more than ever. Economic uncertainty and rapid technological change have transformed onboarding from a routine process into a strategic necessity. The effective integration of new employees directly impacts productivity, culture, retention and ultimately business performance.
In addition, specialized roles are becoming increasingly complex, and teams are now spread across multiple locations. Businesses need sophisticated employee onboarding programs to help new hires contribute quickly and effectively.
Whether you’re an office manager at a small firm or an HR professional at a midsize or larger business, the following seven tips can help you build an onboarding experience that allows new hires to settle in, start strong and stick around.
1. Start retention efforts as soon as they say ‘yes’
That gratifying moment when a candidate accepts your job offer is exactly when your retention work should begin—not on their first day or during their first performance review. Many people feel a mix of excitement and uncertainty after accepting a new role, wondering if they've made the right choice.
You can help your new hire feel confident about joining your team through thoughtful actions as soon as they’ve accepted your offer:
If the offer was conveyed by HR or by mail and not directly by you, pick up the phone and share your enthusiasm—a warm conversation beats an email any day
Mail a welcome package to their home with a card signed by you and/or some of your team members along with sample company-branded merchandise
Ask employees who interacted with the candidate during interviews to check in casually with the new hire by email before the start date
These personal touches can make the difference between an enthusiastic new hire showing up on day one versus a no-show who has accepted a last-minute offer from one of your competitors.
Want to strengthen your onboarding strategy from the start? Learn how a compelling employee value proposition can help you attract and retain top talent.
2. Don’t leave new hires in the dark
Even the most seasoned professionals can feel butterflies before starting a new role. That mix of excitement and nerves shows they care about making a strong start—but waiting around for instructions or eating lunch alone on day one can turn healthy anticipation into unnecessary stress.
Give new team members confidence by sharing a clear onboarding plan before they arrive. Send them a schedule for their first week, including when to expect meetings, training sessions and team introductions. For remote workers, schedule virtual coffee chats and team meet-and-greets to create those important early connections.
3. Balance the standard employee onboarding program with personalized touchpoints
Each person joining your company brings their own mix of experience, skills and goals. When you tailor the onboarding experience to reflect that, even in small ways, it shows that you see them as more than just another name on the payroll.
While comprehensive onboarding programs necessarily include standardized elements that all employees must complete for consistency and efficiency, strategic personalization can significantly enhance the experience without overburdening your resources.
Begin with a well-structured core program that efficiently delivers essential information, compliance training, and company-wide processes. This foundation ensures all new hires receive critical knowledge regardless of role or department. Once this standard framework is completed, introduce targeted personalization as a complementary phase. It is important that hiring managers also participate during this foundational phase, ensuring they are checking in regularly with new hires and outlining the expectations and goals for ramp up.
Put what you learned about candidates during interviews to good use during onboarding. A strong candidate experience shouldn’t end once the offer is accepted—tailoring onboarding to individual interests and goals helps reinforce that your company follows through on what it promises during recruitment. For example, you might highlight business initiatives the company is currently involved with that relate to the candidate’s interests. Another example could be a marketing manager who schedules a brief follow-up meeting with a new digital specialist who expressed interest in data analytics during their interview. The manager could showcase the company's customer journey mapping project, demonstrating how analytics tools identify customer experience friction points. A personalized approach creates immediate engagement without overwhelming the newcomer with unnecessary information and tools on day one.
Department managers can also supplement the standard program with team-specific orientations that address the unique aspects of each role. Orientations provide a great opportunity to review company history and connect with other new hires to help develop connections. As described in more detail in tip No. 4 below, you could also connect them with appropriate mentors based on their career aspirations.
This balanced approach to onboarding demonstrates that you value new hires as individuals without requiring the creation of entirely unique programs for each person. Even small, personalized elements can significantly impact how welcomed and valued employees feel during their critical first weeks.
4. Make mentorship a cornerstone of employee onboarding
Research from Robert Half shows that 35% of companies are strengthening their mentoring programs to develop talent. When designing your onboarding program, consider implementing a two-tier approach:
First, assign a "buddy" who focuses on immediate integration—explaining systems, making introductions, and answering day-to-day questions during those critical first weeks. This person serves as a friendly, accessible resource for navigating the workplace environment.
Second, establish a formal mentorship program where mentors play a longer-term role with a focus on career development and professional growth. These relationships typically involve regular check-ins and guidance that extend well beyond the initial onboarding period.
Whichever support roles you implement, the most effective pairings share some common ground: Someone who has followed a similar career path or worked in a comparable role will better understand the specific challenges your new hire faces and can provide more relevant guidance.
5. Show Gen Z what your company stands for
Gen Z is on track to make up nearly a third of the global workforce by 2030, and they’re bringing fresh expectations to the table. They want to feel that their work means something—and they’re quick to notice when it doesn’t. Employee onboarding is your first chance to make that connection. Instead of leaning on polished decks or generic mission statements, focus on real-world context. Help new hires see how their role contributes to the department and company, where they can grow and what kind of support they’ll get along the way.
6. Track how your employee onboarding makes a difference
Measuring specific outcomes from your employee onboarding program after it begins will help you spot what’s working and what needs improvement. Short surveys over a period of time that goes to new hires and managers asking for feedback will allow you to keep a pulse on the experience and identify areas you may wish to evolve.
Keep an eye on these key indicators:
How satisfied and engaged are your new hires feeling?
How quickly are they getting up to speed in their roles?
Are they staying with your company past their first year?
Are they completing their essential training on schedule?
What do their managers say about their progress?
They have the resources they need to be successful in their role
The most important metric of all is how consistently you actually act on these measurements. Regular review and response to these indicators can make the difference between collecting data and creating real improvement.
7. Use technology to enhance employee onboarding—but keep it human
Digital tools and AI are streamlining the onboarding process while simultaneously making it more personal. These technologies can automate routine administrative tasks while delivering customized experiences to each new hire—especially beneficial for organizations bringing on multiple employees at once.
Here's what's working well:
Chatbots that quickly answer routine questions about benefits and policies
Tools that take the headache out of scheduling orientations and training
Simple ways to track how people are progressing through their first weeks
Smart learning systems that adapt to each person's skills and pace
Centralized digital locations that house important new hire information and contact lists (e.g., payroll information, instructions to sign up for benefits, tech support)
Remember, though, that technology works best when it supports rather than replaces personal connections. Let digital tools and AI handle the routine onboarding tasks so your team can spend more time building relationships and giving new hires that personalized experience discussed above.
Your onboarding process is a window into your company's true character. It reveals whether you truly value your people or just pay lip service to talent development. In a market where the top candidates are weighing not just where they can work, but where they’ll be supported to do their best work, those early signals matter.
