But with onboarding such a key part of positive employee experience and retention, why do so many companies fail to do it well and how can they improve onboarding, in particular for entry-level employees who often need it the most?

Bring it back to basics

The problem with many onboarding programmes is that they often don’t cover basic information that employees need to know about their role, the company and the working practices. 

When putting together an onboarding plan (yes, you need one of those!) make sure you cover the basics first. This will usually be a conversation or presentation about: 

The company: the company’s history of how it was founded, why it was created, by who, company achievements and the company's core values.

The role: You should also cover the role and department this person will be working in. Detail what their daily duties are, who their line manager is, the chain of command (if there is one) as well as what’s expected of them in the first 3 months, 6 months and the first year. Additionally, detail any benefits, perks and how to sign up for them.

All the key people need to be involved – not just one person!

Many companies often make the mistake of choosing one person to onboard. This might be the HR manager or the new employee’s line manager, but it’s important to break up sessions across the week with the people they’ll be working closely with.

Not only does this give the new employee breathing space and time to absorb the information, but it also makes the process of settling into a new job less overwhelming because they’ll already have built some relationships in that first week with their team.

Introduce the concept of a buddy system

For entry-level employees, it’s important to offer them a support system. Starting a new job is anxiety-inducing at the best of times, but this is amplified when you’re brand new to the world of work. 

If you can, offer your new employee opportunities to ‘buddy up’ with different members of the team. This could be to have lunch with on the first day, have a chat with if they’re worried about anything, and ask any questions they feel too shy to ask management.

Onboarding isn’t confined to one day or week

Scatter onboarding sessions throughout the week will give the employees breathing space and time to take all the information in. It’s also useful to have emails with a recap of key points and information they’ll need, along with any links that might be useful.

Most importantly, don’t assume that once the first week is over the onboarding process has finished. Those first three months at the company are critical to employee experience, so making sure they receive ongoing check-ins to gauge how they’re managing will significantly improve their experience.

As well as a good onboarding experience, it’s important to give your new team member the right training and tools for their role on an ongoing basis. This doesn’t just set them up for success in their role, but it also signals to them that you’re serious about their development.