{"id":10456,"date":"2025-01-09T18:53:44","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T16:53:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/factorialhr.com\/blog\/?p=10456"},"modified":"2026-06-11T15:01:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T13:01:16","slug":"what-is-onboarding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/factorialhr.com\/blog\/what-is-onboarding\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Onboarding? Your Guide to the Onboarding Process"},"content":{"rendered":"
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It is important to make sure that new hires feel supported when they enter a new organization. In an especially competitive labor market, the employee onboarding process is key to setting up these hard-won hires for success. What is employee onboarding? It is the structured process of integrating new hires into an organization\u2212 covering their role, culture, tools, and colleagues.<\/p>\n

Research shows that structured employee onboarding can improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%<\/a>. Yet despite this, research finds that only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job of onboarding<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Key Facts: Employee Onboarding<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. What Is Onboarding?<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. What Are the US Legal Requirements for Employee Onboarding?<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. What Are the Benefits of an Effective Employee Onboarding Process?<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. How Do You Set Effective Employee Onboarding Objectives?<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Tracking Employee Onboarding Metrics<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. What Are the Key Steps in the Employee Onboarding Process?<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Sample Employee Onboarding Plan<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Adapting Your Employee Onboarding to Be Remote-friendly<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Investing in the Right Digital Onboarding Tools<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Employee Onboarding Best Practices<\/a><\/li>\n
  12. What Common Onboarding Mistakes Should US Employers Avoid?<\/a><\/li>\n
  13. Optimize the Employee Onboarding Process<\/a><\/li>\n
  14. Frequently Asked Questions about Employee Onboarding<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n

    Key Facts: Employee Onboarding<\/h2>\n
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    • What it is:<\/strong> Employee onboarding is the structured process of integrating new hires into an organization \u2014 covering their role, culture, tools, and colleagues \u2014 typically spanning from pre-start through the first 90 days or beyond.<\/li>\n
    • The retention impact:<\/strong> Organizations with structured employee onboarding programs see up to 82% better new hire retention and over 70% higher productivity.<\/li>\n
    • The cost of poor onboarding:<\/strong> It costs an estimated six to nine months of an employee’s salary to replace a departing new hire, and nearly one-third of all new hires quit within their first six months. The average direct cost per hire in the US stands at approximately $4,700<\/a>.<\/li>\n
    • The engagement gap:<\/strong> Gallup research shows that only 12% of US employees strongly agree their organization does a great job of onboarding, meaning 88% of new hires are not receiving the experience they need to thrive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      What can you do to make sure that your onboarding process is providing everything new hires need? In this article we will cover the key benefits of a good onboarding process, important steps, and best practices. Download our onboarding checklist below to make sure that you don\u2019t miss a step.<\/p>\n

      By improving onboarding in your organization, you can boost productivity, reduce costs, and help retain employees. Let\u2019s get started!<\/p>\n

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      The Ultimate Onboarding Checklist<\/h4>\n \n

      The perfect checklist for HR professionals onboarding new hires. Download your free checklist to seamlessly welcome new joiners to your team.<\/p>\n \n \n Download for free <\/a>\n <\/div>\n\n

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      What Is Onboarding? <\/strong><\/h2>\n

      The process of onboarding is how an organization gets new hires up to speed. <\/strong>During the onboarding process, employees learn more about the scope of their role, their colleagues, and the values of the larger organization. Through the process of onboarding, incoming employees have the opportunity to get access to and training for the tools they\u2019ll need to be using. They\u2019ll also be able to ask important questions and acclimate to the company climate.<\/p>\n

      Why is onboarding so important? According to Gallup research, nearly 90% of employees decide whether to stay or leave a company within their first six months. With SHRM estimating that replacing a departing new hire costs six to nine months of their salary, US organizations cannot afford to lose hard-won talent to inadequate employee onboarding processes, according to Gallup. For this reason, organizations need to invest in making the employee onboarding experience a good one.<\/p>\n

      Poor onboarding processes leave employees feeling unsupported. They will not have the resources they need to reach their goals, which can be very demotivating.<\/p>\n

      According to SHRM, onboarding should be a strategic process that lasts at least one year\u2212 not just the first week or month. Research shows that nearly one-third of all new hires quit within their first six months<\/a>, making the extended onboarding window critical for retention.<\/p>\n

      What onboarding is not: Onboarding vs. orientation<\/h3>\n

      It is important to note that there are key differences between onboarding and orientation<\/a>. For most organizations, the orientation is a one-time event. It is typically only a couple of hours, or at most a full workday, and it is generally broad enough to apply to many employees from various teams.<\/p>\n

      Meanwhile, the employee onboarding process will take several days or even weeks. During the onboarding process, employees will receive information that is much more specific to their team and their role. Employee orientation is just a small part of the onboarding process!<\/p>\n