Onboarding (1): What is it and why does it matter?

Author: Debra Cadman

Overview

In our series of four guides to onboarding employees, we show you how to design and implement an onboarding programme that helps to develop an effective and engaged workforce.

Here, we explain what onboarding is and the importance of effective onboarding to the new recruit and to the organisation. This is the first guide in our series on onboarding new recruits:

• In Onboarding (2): What should you cover? we look at the crucial components of an effective onboarding programme.
• In Onboarding (3): Engaging and effective delivery we explain how to make the onboarding programme come to life.
• In Onboarding (4): Evaluating onboarding we explore how to evaluate the success of your onboarding programme.

Summary

• Onboarding is the process employers use to welcome new starters into the organisation, and it is a critical aspect of the employee experience. (See What is onboarding?)
• Onboarding can have a big impact on employee engagement, retention and performance, allowing organisations to achieve a return on their investment. (See What are the benefits of a great onboarding experience?)