Why Onboarding Is the Most Daunting Task in HR

New employee Onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee with a company and its culture, as well as getting a new hire the tools and information needed to become a productive member of the team. This period of orientation is crucial to retention and long-term success of any business.

However, it can be a headache if you’re lacking the training, knowledge, and tools needed to execute the process successfully. There are many steps that need to be taken, obstacles to be considered, and truthfully, a lot of paperwork involved.

In the past two years, companies and HR departments have had to adapt to a new way of hiring new talent- virtual onboarding. Which turned the headache into a migraine! Fortunately, thanks to technology and numerous trials and errors, we’ve found ways to adapt and have conquered this new challenge- making it the new norm as we head into 2023.

The main reason Onboarding is so critical for businesses, is because this phase is arguably the first impression an employee has of your company and work culture. A successful first impression will result in higher retention rates which positively impacts the long-term growth of the company. Aside from the increase in retention rate, employee onboarding can increase productivity by 70% (Glassdoor).

Other than the necessary formal paperwork that needs to be distributed and completed during this phase, onboarding is also about orienting the new employee with the business and its initiatives, setting them up and familiarizing them with the proper tools they need for their role, and making them feel comfortable with their teammates. But most of all, it’s the perfect opportunity to show your support to their success in their new role.

Whether your business is conducting onboarding on site or virtually, there are plenty of tips for success to be considered. Forbes published an article that outline 12 steps to be taken to set your new hire up for success! A few of these include:

1. Assign a partner for the first 90 days
2. Customize onboarding for each new hire
3. Help them envision their future at your company

Over the past year, we’ve realized how daunting the task of Onboarding can sometimes be. This rings true even more loudly for companies who don’t necessarily have a dedicated staff member for HR needs. Our DIY HR Kit is a new tool we’ve launched that helps provide guidance in this realm of HR, as well as others, to those who are not yet HR gurus but want to learn!

Supportive Links
New Employee Onboarding Guide

Megan Keough, HR Advisor

Megan Keough is an HR Advisor at Workplace Harmony. She began her career in higher education where she assisted faculty and staff for over three years with various Human Resources needs. In early 2021, Megan joined the Workplace Harmony team as an HR Generalist. She provides support to clients in different capacities, helping rebuild and rebrand their HR departments, creating and implementing new process flows, and much more!