Onboarding – optimising the integration of new employees

A successful start often determines the long-term success of a company.
In this article, you will find out what onboarding really means, which phases it comprises and how you can integrate new employees in a structured, motivating and sustainable way. From preparation and induction to feedback culture – the article shows how a professional onboarding process strengthens employee loyalty, increases productivity and positively shapes the employer brand.

Onboarding describes the process in which new employees are integrated into a company and prepared for their role. The aim is for new team members to quickly find their feet and feel comfortable so that they can contribute their strengths as quickly as possible.

The onboarding process consists of several steps. It includes an introduction to the corporate culture, getting to know the team and relevant training for processes and tools. A well-structured induction increases the productivity of your employees and helps to ensure that talented people stay with your company in the long term.

Onboarding should make it as easy as possible for new employees to join your company. The onboarding process includes various steps designed to familiarise your new employees with the company’s processes, tasks and values.

An effective induction programme increases the motivation of your new recruits and your existing team. Those who feel well prepared and welcome will realise their potential more quickly.

The importance of onboarding for employee satisfaction is increasing, as confirmed by the latest softgarden study Candidate Experience 2023 – Part 2: The proportion of people who have already resigned in the first 100 days has been rising noticeably for several years.

The demands on the start in a new company are growing and the initial phase is increasingly becoming a “trial period for the employer”. A lack of leadership skills and inadequate induction plans are among the most frequently cited reasons for premature departure.

Successful onboarding, on the other hand, immediately creates trust and gives new employees the feeling that they are welcome and needed. As a result, they start their new role with motivation, integrate quickly and develop stable, long-term employee loyalty.

Even though the induction process for new employees can vary depending on the industry and company, there are three key levels:

Technical level: At the technical level, you need to ensure that your new employees have the necessary knowledge, tools and access to their tasks. This includes training, IT briefings and detailed explanations of work processes.

Content level: This level is about communicating the culture, values and goals of your company. New employees should understand the “why” and “how” behind their daily work and be able to identify with it.

Social level: At the social level, the focus is on the human component. New employees should immediately feel at home and find their feet as quickly as possible. Clear contact persons help in the event of questions and uncertainties.

Make sure that your new team member is optimally integrated at all three levels. This will create the basis for a successful start to the new job.

The professional integration of your new employees is the basis for them being able to fulfil their role optimally. With a targeted induction programme, you can ensure that new recruits quickly find their feet in their role and understand the necessary processes. Communicate clear role expectations from the outset and use training to prevent uncertainty.

Only if your new employees know the culture, values and goals of your company can they identify with them and make the most of their strengths. Make sure that this content is also communicated during onboarding, e.g. in the form of presentations or guidelines. Ideally, the new employee will be assigned a mentor/buddy who is available to answer any questions.

The technical content and the company’s objectives are important, but they are not enough. A complete onboarding process integrates new employees, especially on a social level. Make sure that new employees feel connected from the outset and have the opportunity to integrate into their new team in the best possible way. In a positive working environment, new employees quickly feel at ease and are more motivated to work.

The classic onboarding process can be divided into three phases: Preboarding, orientation and integration.

Preboarding begins with the signing of the contract and ends on the first day of work. During this phase, you provide the new employee with orientation. The orientation phase begins on the first day and can last several months. Here you show the new employee their tasks and the processes within the team and the company. During the integration phase, the new employee is fully integrated into the team. This phase lasts several months – depending on the industry and complexity of the role.

Preboarding covers the period from signing the contract to the first day of work and can take several weeks or even months. During this phase, the organisational foundations must be laid for optimal collaboration. This is where you clarify initial questions and slowly introduce the new employee to their new role. Make sure that all email addresses, tools and access points are ready, compile important information and send a welcome message to provide orientation and an overview. The more thoroughly you work in the preboarding phase, the easier it will be for your new employees to get started.

“Where, what, who, how and when?” To ensure that new employees are not overwhelmed after just a few days, you need to give them guidance, especially at the beginning. During the orientation phase, you familiarise them with the new processes and tasks and help them to overcome any uncertainties. During this phase, they should get to know their new team. You should clarify expectations on both sides and assign the first tasks in order to quickly integrate the new team member. The orientation phase begins with the first day of work and usually lasts around three months.

The integration phase is about fully integrating new employees. They should become fully-fledged team members and utilise their full potential for the benefit of the company. This requires targeted feedback sessions, training and building trust between the new colleagues. The key to success here is the social component. Create a positive working atmosphere and make it as easy as possible for new employees to find their feet and identify with the company’s goals. The integration phase follows the orientation phase and usually lasts three to six months.

Reboarding is a special case of onboarding. This phase describes the process of reintegrating an employee into the company after a long absence. Examples of such absences include parental leave, sabbaticals, illness or the return of former employees.

In practice, reboarding is often neglected, although this phase of reintegration determines how quickly an employee finds their feet again and can work productively.

Optimised reboarding includes training on new processes and tools as well as introducing new colleagues and jointly defining the scope of tasks. In this way, employees quickly regain confidence.

At some point, the time has come: offboarding describes the phase in which employees leave your company. A well-structured offboarding process makes it easier for everyone involved to say goodbye and ensures that the departure is positive and without friction. Offboarding includes returning company property, deactivating access and documenting all relevant procedures and processes.

You should also use the offboarding phase to gather feedback in order to further optimise your processes. With a professional farewell, your company leaves a good impression and increases the likelihood that the departing employee will recommend your company to others or even return one day.

Successful onboarding is teamwork. New employees can only be integrated quickly if the various players in the company work together efficiently.

You’re where everything comes together. You keep an eye on the entire onboarding process and take care of everything organisational: contract details, access data and important documents. You liaise with the relevant departments, prepare training sessions and act as the first point of contact.

The manager primarily takes care of the technical aspects. What is the role of the new employee and what exactly are their tasks? What are the work processes? What is expected? The manager clarifies all these points with the new employee and ensures a smooth integration.

Ideally, the new employee should be assigned a buddy or mentor as a contact person during onboarding. This role is best filled by an experienced employee who can help the new employee get started, clarify questions and uncertainties and facilitate integration into the new team.

The new team is crucial for the social integration of the new employee. If the team members ensure a positive start and a pleasant working atmosphere, trust will develop and the new employee will quickly feel at ease.

In an optimal onboarding process, all those involved are aware of their responsibilities and fulfil their tasks to ensure the rapid and positive integration of new employees.

If you know the expectations of applicants, you can optimise your onboarding processes. You can find out exactly what applicants expect from managers and new colleagues in our study Managers and colleagues in onboarding.

We have seen the importance of onboarding for the long-term success of a hire and we have looked at the different phases and roles involved. But which specific onboarding measures are most important? We have put together some key measures:

The importance of onboarding is often underestimated, even though it has a decisive influence on the long-term success of an employee: The impressions of the first 100 days in particular determine whether talented employees stay with the company in the long term or not.

Onboarding software helps you to optimise the onboarding processes in your company. This increases the likelihood that your hard-won new hire will stay with the company for as long as possible and really identify with your company’s success.

With the onboarding solution from softgarden, you cover all the crucial aspects and inspire your new team members with customised onboarding:

With softgarden’s onboarding solution, you can reduce induction costs, increase employee retention and ensure that your new hires realise their full potential for your company as quickly as possible.

Discover the onboarding software from softgarden now