Why are businesses getting onboarding so wrong?


With the large investment it takes to find the ideal candidate, why are businesses failing to transform successful applicants into motivated employees?

Accepting an offer for a new position, and climbing further up the career ladder to more success and new opportunities, is generally the goal for most candidates embarking on a job search. However, new research into the onboarding process has uncovered an astounding insight into the worst employee experiences, with some new starters admitting to turning up on their first day to no team or greeting at all.

Cloud solution webonboarding surveyed 4,000 office workers, and it found that the 1,000 respondents from Australia reported the highest levels of discontent and problems during the onboarding process. In addition, 44 per cent have admitted to having a serious problem either in the period after accepting their offer or starting their job.

With problems ranging from respondents not being paid the right amount, to not getting paid at all, to day one issues where no training or equipment is provided – it seems onboarding has become a very disorganised area of business.

So where are businesses going wrong?

Getting off to a bad start

In the survey, 63 per cent of Australian office workers revealed problems in the onboarding process occurred on their first day. When asked how this made them them feel, 4 in 10 said it felt like they had joined an unprofessional company.

When asked about their first day at a new organisation, 41 per cent complained the basic work equipment wasn’t ready for them. In addition, one respondent wrote that they had no computer or network access for over a week. Another mentioned it was seven weeks before their security clearance was approved, and they were finally allowed to access their email.

(Want to know what some innovative companies are doing to improve on boarding? Check out our article.)

Who needs training and support anyway?

Support is pivotal to the overall development of a new employee, yet 35 per cent of office workers claimed they were not provided with full training. Further comments revealed one employee was provided with no training but was expected to pick up the phones and discuss problems with customers from the get-go.

It’s evident from the research that most employees just want direction and clearly laid out expectations they should work towards.The more extensive the initial training, the more engaged the employee is likely to be with the overall business initiative and its long term goals.

What does a good onboarding process really mean to a new employee?

When asked about how important a good onboarding process was, 81 per cent agreed it improved overall performance and 88 per cent said it provided a great first impression of the company providing it.

With the overriding themes from the research being neglect and disorganisation, it’s time businesses start to look at the efficiency of their onboarding process within their organisation.

Adam Reynolds is CEO of webonboarding a global cloud-based solution.

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Rita Duval
Rita Duval
6 years ago

Good onboarding processes and technology to support these processes are an essential for HR to get right. While I would agree it is “necessary”, it is far from “sufficient” conditions for a great experience. Bringing people into your team is one of the most important things for a leader to do well. It’s not simply an HR technology issue – it’s a leadership issue.

Paul Ikutegbe
Paul Ikutegbe
6 years ago

On-boarding is the best opportunity an organisation has to make a good first impression on a new hire. This provides a crucial avenue to set the tone which establishes a level the employee will work through out their employment with the company. In business, perception is key and it is in the best interest of the organisation to seize every opportunity to influence the perception of all employees, especially new hire positively.

Eloisa Valente
Eloisa Valente
6 years ago

Totally agree, first impressions can make a huge difference when starting a new job!

More on HRM

Why are businesses getting onboarding so wrong?


With the large investment it takes to find the ideal candidate, why are businesses failing to transform successful applicants into motivated employees?

Accepting an offer for a new position, and climbing further up the career ladder to more success and new opportunities, is generally the goal for most candidates embarking on a job search. However, new research into the onboarding process has uncovered an astounding insight into the worst employee experiences, with some new starters admitting to turning up on their first day to no team or greeting at all.

Cloud solution webonboarding surveyed 4,000 office workers, and it found that the 1,000 respondents from Australia reported the highest levels of discontent and problems during the onboarding process. In addition, 44 per cent have admitted to having a serious problem either in the period after accepting their offer or starting their job.

With problems ranging from respondents not being paid the right amount, to not getting paid at all, to day one issues where no training or equipment is provided – it seems onboarding has become a very disorganised area of business.

So where are businesses going wrong?

Getting off to a bad start

In the survey, 63 per cent of Australian office workers revealed problems in the onboarding process occurred on their first day. When asked how this made them them feel, 4 in 10 said it felt like they had joined an unprofessional company.

When asked about their first day at a new organisation, 41 per cent complained the basic work equipment wasn’t ready for them. In addition, one respondent wrote that they had no computer or network access for over a week. Another mentioned it was seven weeks before their security clearance was approved, and they were finally allowed to access their email.

(Want to know what some innovative companies are doing to improve on boarding? Check out our article.)

Who needs training and support anyway?

Support is pivotal to the overall development of a new employee, yet 35 per cent of office workers claimed they were not provided with full training. Further comments revealed one employee was provided with no training but was expected to pick up the phones and discuss problems with customers from the get-go.

It’s evident from the research that most employees just want direction and clearly laid out expectations they should work towards.The more extensive the initial training, the more engaged the employee is likely to be with the overall business initiative and its long term goals.

What does a good onboarding process really mean to a new employee?

When asked about how important a good onboarding process was, 81 per cent agreed it improved overall performance and 88 per cent said it provided a great first impression of the company providing it.

With the overriding themes from the research being neglect and disorganisation, it’s time businesses start to look at the efficiency of their onboarding process within their organisation.

Adam Reynolds is CEO of webonboarding a global cloud-based solution.

Subscribe to receive comments
Notify me of
guest

3 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Rita Duval
Rita Duval
6 years ago

Good onboarding processes and technology to support these processes are an essential for HR to get right. While I would agree it is “necessary”, it is far from “sufficient” conditions for a great experience. Bringing people into your team is one of the most important things for a leader to do well. It’s not simply an HR technology issue – it’s a leadership issue.

Paul Ikutegbe
Paul Ikutegbe
6 years ago

On-boarding is the best opportunity an organisation has to make a good first impression on a new hire. This provides a crucial avenue to set the tone which establishes a level the employee will work through out their employment with the company. In business, perception is key and it is in the best interest of the organisation to seize every opportunity to influence the perception of all employees, especially new hire positively.

Eloisa Valente
Eloisa Valente
6 years ago

Totally agree, first impressions can make a huge difference when starting a new job!

More on HRM