Your quick guide to creating an employee onboarding plan [incl. template]

Tiia Tirkkonen

9 mins read

Quick jump to

1. What is an employee onboarding process and why is it so important?
2. Template: What to include in your employee onboarding process
3. Set up a stellar employee onboarding with Happeo

What's employee onboarding and why is it so important?

Starting a new job is an exciting yet daunting prospect. That’s why it should be your job as an organization to make new employees feel welcomed from day one.

The employee onboarding process is the perfect opportunity to make a good first impression, while helping the new hire get acquainted with your company, settled into their role, and prepared for success.

Employee onboarding can be defined as the procedure required to integrate a new employee into an organization. During this process, the new hire goes through a series of measures to get acquainted with the team, and learn more about the organization, its structure, culture, and values.

Steps in the onboarding process can include informal meetings with colleagues, company academy training, starting a mentorship program, and setting short term goals.

However, the employee onboarding process is much more than just a checklist. If done correctly, the onboarding process can help you avoid short term employee turnover. In fact, according to Jobvite, 20% of employee turnover happens in the first 45 days.

A successful employee onboarding process can save you time and money by helping you keep new hires in your organization for the long run. The last thing you want to do is start the recruitment process all over again. According to SHRM, 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced a great onboarding process.

That’s because the onboarding process can boost employee engagement, improve productivity, and create a sense of ownership and responsibility in their work.

Template: What to include in your employee onboarding plan

1. Preboarding

While you would assume that the onboarding process begins on the employee’s first day, it actually starts from the moment they’ve signed the contract. This is also known as preboarding: the period between an employee accepting their job offer and their first day.

Preboarding can drive excitement and curb anxiety, while also helping the employee complete all the necessary admin tasks before the official start date. Here are some of the most common preboarding activities:

• Invite the new hire to an informal event to meet the team.
• Ensure all necessary HR docs and details have been collected.
• Send over a welcome package.

2. Onboarding

The employee onboarding process should make the new hire feel like they belong at your company. This will be their first official interaction with your organization, so you’ll want to make a positive impression.

An employee onboarding template helps to standardize the onboarding process for every new hire. Here are some things you should include in your employee onboarding process to make it a success:

• Manager chat: Besides officially welcoming the new hire to the company, the first meeting with the manager should give them the information they need to succeed.
• IT setup: Providing them with the literal tools to succeed.
• Individual meetings with team members: Arrange one-on-one meetings to help the new hire get acquainted with the team.
• Company academy: An in-house training program consisting of presentations from different departments, workshops, and activities.
• Buddy system: Pair the new employee with a more experienced member of the team.
• Short term goal setting: Employ the 30-60-90 day plan to outline what the new hire should accomplish in their first 90 days.
• Schedule a 6-month and yearly check-in: Continue to check on the employee’s transition after the initial onboarding phase.

3. Reboarding

When employees come back from an extended absence or experience an internal transfer, reboarding might be necessary. It helps update the employee on current and new projects and facilitates meetings between team members.

4. Onboarding survey

Send an onboarding survey to gather feedback on what is working well and what areas can be improved.

5. Where's the employee onboarding plan stored?

Store the employee onboarding process in an accessible location such as your company intranet.

Set up an effective employee onboarding plan with Happeo

If you’re interested in exploring how your employee onboarding process could become a pivotal ingredient of your company intranet, try out Happeo's employee onboarding process template.