Jen Nikolaeva
Corporate training · 9 MIN · 27.12.2024
Employee onboarding guide: setting new hires for success
Starting a new job can feel like the first day of school – exciting but overwhelming. The good news? A well-structured onboarding program helps new employees understand their new context and successfully start contributing to their company. With the rise of online training, onboarding has become more flexible and engaging, making it easier for companies to welcome team members, no matter where they are.
Let’s dive deep into this guide on how to create effective onboarding for your employees using online training.
Let’s dive deep into this guide on how to create effective onboarding for your employees using online training.
The importance of onboarding
According to a Merriam-Webster dictionary, onboarding is the act or process of orienting and training a new employee. This step helps your new team member understand your company’s values, policies, mission and goals, as well as how the processes work.
Why does it matter? Well, it improves employee retention, boosts their productivity and builds confidence. Employees who feel supported by their company are more likely to stay with the company, and having a good onboarding helps new hires feel prepared and valued, setting the tone for future success.
Why does it matter? Well, it improves employee retention, boosts their productivity and builds confidence. Employees who feel supported by their company are more likely to stay with the company, and having a good onboarding helps new hires feel prepared and valued, setting the tone for future success.
Source: unsplash.com | Ian Schneider
Key elements of effective onboarding
Creating a strong onboarding program requires more than just checking boxes or completing paperwork. It’s about designing an experience that helps new employees feel involved and engaged.
Source: unsplash.com | Duncan Meyer
Here are the key elements every onboarding program needs to succeed:
-
👋
A warm welcome
First impression matters, so a welcoming start can reduce anxiety and build excitement. Personalised invitations can help your new team members feel valued. -
👓
Clarity
New hires need to know their responsibilities and how their role contributes to the company’s goals. Include role-specific training modules tailored to their responsibilities, introduce short-term and long-term performance objectives and help them understand the team structure and who to approach for support. -
🤝
Connection to company’s values
Onboarding is also about fostering a sense of belonging in your new employees. Create engaging content that explains your company’s mission, vision, and values. You can add success stories of current employees to inspire and motivate new hires. -
🕹️
Interactive and engaging content
Use interactive elements and gamification to captivate your learners. You can turn the whole onboarding into a quest where your new employees will be solving challenges, earning rewards, and unlocking new levels as they progress. For example, you can design a “Mission: Onboard” experience where employees complete tasks such as learning company policies, meeting team members, or getting acquainted with software tools. Each completed task could earn them points, badges, or even virtual prizes, making the process fun and rewarding. -
🎀
Flexibility and accessibility
Flexibility is one of the biggest advantages of online onboarding. Allow employees to complete modules at their speed, within a defined timeframe. Make sure your training platform is mobile-friendly so employees can learn anytime, anywhere. -
🔁
Support and feedback
Onboarding is a two-way street. Support your employees while encouraging feedback to improve the process. Create mentorship programs, where you can pair new hires with a buddy or mentor for guidance, and ask for feedback on the onboarding experience and use it to refine the program. -
📝
A smooth transition into work tasks
Onboarding shouldn’t end abruptly. A seamless transition from onboarding to regular work helps your new team members avoid stress and go straight to contributing. Use quizzes or practical tasks to confirm learning outcomes and offer resources for further skill development post-onboarding.
How to create a successful onboarding program
Creating a successful onboarding program is basically planning an epic journey for your new team members. This is no different from the usual online learning development process, but here we already have a few known parameters – we know who our target audience is and what our goals should be.
Source: unsplash.com | Gilles Roux
Plan with purpose
Decide what your onboarding program should achieve.
What should new hires learn about the company and
their job?
their job?
How can you help them feel part of the team?
How will you know if the program is working
(faster learning, happier employees, fewer quitting)?
(faster learning, happier employees, fewer quitting)?
Having clear goals gives you a direction to follow.
Break it into pieces
Onboarding isn’t just a one-day thing – it’s a series of steps to help new hires get comfortable. Map out the journey for the whole onboarding so the learners will understand the path they need to go through. Plan it out like levels in a game:
Day 1 (Level 0)
Send a welcome email, the schedule, and any links they’ll need to start.
Day 2 (Level 1)
Introduce the company, the team, and the tools they’ll be using.
Week 2 (Level 2)
Focus on the job training and helping them feel part of the team.
Month 1 (Level 3)
Check-in on the employees and see how they are doing, and provide useful resources and guides such as how to create tickets in service desk tools, and whom to contact when you have sick leave questions, etc.
Month 2 (Level 4)
Usually, the 2nd month is when a new employee starts to understand how everything works and starts contributing with confidence. Help them keep the motivation by checking in on them and gathering feedback.
Month 3 (Level 5)
This is sometimes the place where the probation period for employees ends. This is also the place to once more check on the employee, gather feedback and help them understand whether the goals for their probation period are met and what the next steps are.
Breaking onboarding into steps makes it less overwhelming and easier to follow.
Choose the right tools
Find the right tools for your onboarding, especially an LMS (Learning Management System). Look for user-friendly platforms, mobile options and tracking features.
Seturon LMS has all these features and adaptive learning paths that can be useful in creating a personalised onboarding for your new hires. You can take a look at our guide for finding tools for boosting e-learning projects’ efficiency.
Seturon LMS has all these features and adaptive learning paths that can be useful in creating a personalised onboarding for your new hires. You can take a look at our guide for finding tools for boosting e-learning projects’ efficiency.
Make content engaging and adaptive
Make your learning fun to keep your learners interested. Use videos, animations, memes, mini-quizzes. Improve your teaching with adaptive learning.
Provide opportunities for networking
Even in an online world, feeling part of a team matters. Include ways to help new hires connect, such as:
☕
Virtual coffee breaks
Virtual coffee breaks
casual video chats where they can meet the team.
👥
Buddy system
Buddy system
pair new hires with experienced teammates to guide them.
📲
Group chats
Group chats
create spaces where they can ask questions and share ideas.
Collect feedback
No onboarding program is great from the start. Gather feedback using surveys, track completion rates to see where learners might get stuck, and update content to keep it relevant.
A strong online onboarding program isn’t just about teaching the basics – it’s about creating an experience that’s welcoming, engaging, and sets new employees for success. By mixing clear plans, interactive tools, and a personal touch, you can make new hires feel like they’ve joined a team that truly values them. Whether it’s their first day or their first month, a thoughtful onboarding journey helps build confidence, connection, and excitement for the road ahead.
With the right approach, you’re not just training employees – you’re inspiring them to thrive.
A strong online onboarding program isn’t just about teaching the basics – it’s about creating an experience that’s welcoming, engaging, and sets new employees for success. By mixing clear plans, interactive tools, and a personal touch, you can make new hires feel like they’ve joined a team that truly values them. Whether it’s their first day or their first month, a thoughtful onboarding journey helps build confidence, connection, and excitement for the road ahead.
With the right approach, you’re not just training employees – you’re inspiring them to thrive.
FAQ
Onboarding is crucial because it helps new hires understand their roles, the company culture, and the tools they'll use, setting them up for success. A well-structured onboarding program boosts employee retention, productivity, and confidence.
Online onboarding can be engaging by using interactive elements like videos, quizzes, and gamification. For example, turning onboarding into a "quest" where employees complete tasks and earn rewards makes the process fun and motivating
An effective onboarding program includes a warm welcome, clarity about roles and responsibilities, a connection to the company’s values, interactive content, flexibility, and ongoing support and feedback.
Onboarding is not a one-day event; it should be spread out over several weeks or months. A typical timeline might include introductory training in the first week, role-specific learning in the following weeks, and ongoing check-ins for feedback and adjustment.
A user-friendly Learning Management System (LMS) is essential for delivering and tracking onboarding content. Tools like Seturon LMS can provide mobile access, tracking features, and personalized learning paths to create a seamless and adaptable onboarding experience.
Online onboarding is naturally flexible, allowing new hires to complete modules at their own pace within a defined timeframe. Ensuring that training platforms are mobile-friendly and easily accessible allows employees to learn anytime, anywhere.
If a new hire is struggling, provide additional support through mentorship, one-on-one check-ins, and targeted training. Encourage open communication and ask for feedback to improve the program and address specific challenges.
Keep new hires engaged by offering a mix of interactive and varied content, like videos, quizzes, and live sessions. Use gamification, where tasks are rewarded with points or badges, to keep the learning process fun and motivating.
Success can be measured by tracking completion rates, employee feedback, and performance metrics like faster learning and higher retention. Regular check-ins and surveys help identify areas of improvement and ensure that employees are meeting onboarding goals.
You can integrate team-building by hosting virtual coffee breaks, setting up group chats for social interaction, and pairing new hires with a mentor or buddy for personalized guidance. This helps new employees feel connected to the team, even in a remote setting.
- Jen NikolaevaLearning Experience Designer and EdTech Producer
Did you like this article?