What Does Employee Onboarding Mean in HR?

In human resources, onboarding is defined as the processes in which new hires are integrated into the organization. It includes activities such as integrating a new employee onto payroll, sexual harassment training, company policy, etc.

Generations ago, many workers found a job and stuck with it for their careers. However, that business model has changed, and the idea of employees working in one office for their entire lives is antiquated. Our workforce changes, the economy fluctuates, and even how we report to work changes as society evolves.

These changes mean that more and more employees are working at multiple companies during their careers, often changing their occupations and work environments every few years. In addition, as workers across the country follow their interests and passions, this spirit of movement means that companies hire new employees more now than ever before.

When a company hires someone new, people often say that the “onboarding” process begins. Onboarding is a human resources term that is widely used across different industries. But what does the term onboarding mean, and what does the process entail?

In this article, we will fill in the blanks about onboarding. We will describe the process for the company and new employees and why onboarding is an important aspect of the hiring process.

What Does Onboarding Mean?

Technically, onboarding is a term specific to the human resources industry. However, because the term onboarding is mostly used in HR offices across the country, many workers are unclear on what the term means or what the process entails.

Onboarding refers to how an employer—specifically the HR department—introduces a new worker to the organization. Onboarding is known in some circles as “organizational socialization” and is integral to bringing new workers into the company’s established fold. Onboarding helps workers begin to understand the requirements of their new position and meet the people who surround them and whom they will work with. Onboarding also often features a technological aspect through which workers become familiar with the company’s devices and technological support.

The specific details of the onboarding process depend on the industry and the job itself but think of onboarding as a way to help new employees cleanly fit into their position and the company itself.

The typical onboarding process features activities such as a job offer, training sessions, information sessions, technology overviews and passwords, and more. Depending on the job, the time sequence of this type of company socialization ranges from a week to nearly a year for some occupations.

While onboarding helps companies understand their new workers better and see where they may fit, the process helps new workers enter their new roles with confidence and knowledge.

What Is the Typical Employee Onboarding Process?

There may be no such thing as a “typical” onboarding process since onboarding activities depend on the person’s new occupation and the company’s area of specialization. For example, onboarding tasks for a computer programmer are much different from those of a lifeguard or ski shop employee.

However, most Human Resource professionals agree that onboarding starts when a job candidate accepts a company’s offer and ends when the worker can perform their duties without questions or concerns. Another important part of onboarding allows employers to ensure that new workers understand their responsibilities and duties. Often, onboarding processes allow new employees to ask questions about expectations, goals, and the employers’ rules and regulations. These questions allow workers to get a clearer picture of what their new job will require.

Why is Onboarding Important?

All companies utilize different onboarding techniques, and many HR departments constantly update and change their methods in search of better techniques. However, most HR representatives would agree that successful onboarding provides new workers with the practical knowledge and facts to succeed at their new companies.

In fact, research tells us that when new workers experience an exceptional, well-thought-out onboarding process, they are more engaged at work and perform at a higher level.

The general formula for onboarding is as follows:

The company sets employees’ expectations
The company encourages socialization with fellow employees and supervisors
The process creates trust between the company and the worker
The process defines roles and creates proper boundaries
The company provides all of the information the worker needs to succeed
The employee can ask questions and get specific answers within reason

It is an understatement to say that beginning a new job can be stressful. One concern HR departments harbor about onboarding is that it can be too intrusive and time-consuming. No employer wants a new workers to feel overwhelmed by their new responsibilities or to lose focus on their tasks because of too many training sessions and new-employee functions.

The popular belief is that onboarding works best when the process spreads over time. Slowing the process down and spacing it out lets workers ask questions and absorb the knowledge they need to perform their jobs.

What Are the Main Elements of Onboarding?

Although the onboarding process varies from company to company, we have identified five key characteristics of effective onboarding. First, when California companies understand effectively they onboard their new employees, they increase their overall success rate.

Onboarding often makes workers feel respected and even admired. When onboarding activities help buoy worker confidence, they start their jobs full of excitement and motivation. They feel fortunate to work at such an understanding, progressive company and work much harder based on that sentiment.

Here are the five main concepts that most onboarding programs embody:

Clarifying Company Standards and Rules

Typically, the first chapter of the onboarding process begins with gathering new employees and telling them about the company’s policies and rules. Often, this task includes giving employees their Employee Handbooks and going over and signing a wide range of paperwork, including insurance forms, financial and direct deposit forms, agreements specific to the occupation, and more.

It is never too early ‍to inform new employees about the company’s legal standards and each person’s responsibilities. Usually, employers use these early stages to clearly explain policies regarding harassment and discrimination. As a result, each employee should feel as though they are working on an even playing field and have the respect and support of the company behind them, from the HR department to the CEO. When employees feel respected and validated, they do their best work.

Once employers are certain that new workers are ready to comply with the business rules and regulations, they can move on to set expectations.

Setting Reasonable Expectations

Usually, prospective employees get a sense of employer expectations during the hiring process. During interviews, many workers decide if they agree and are up to the job’s expectations and duties. However, during the onboarding process, clarifying and addressing these new workers’ responsibilities is essential.

Many employers make this a hands-on process and take new workers through the paces of their new gigs. For example, a supervisor might schedule a new office worker to check their email, work on a document and save it, clock in and out, and perform other daily tasks. Then the supervisor might help the worker through these tasks, showing them the way as they learn how to work with new programs and software and troubleshoot.

Once employers hire a new employee, they must remember that their job is not over. They must continually convey their expectations, especially during the first few months. When workers are puzzled or unable to figure things out, employers should help them by answering questions and reviewing policies. Employers must always remember that it takes most new employees a minimum of a month to adapt to a new position, sometimes longer.

Introduce Employees to the Office’s Culture

“Office Culture” is often thrown around in the business world, but what does it truly mean? The culture of an office refers to the behavior and beliefs that govern it, and office culture depends on the nature of the company and varies widely across the spectrum.

Whatever the new office values, ensure that brand-new employees understand where they fit in. Ideally, new workers are intrigued by the culture of their new office, and they want to become a part of this sense of shared values and understanding.

For example, a young computer software company in Silicon Valley, CA., will typically possess a much different culture than a traditional investment firm in New York City. The companies will have different objectives and different rules and attract different workers. Perhaps the software company is more youthful and laid back, yet the workers spend up to 100 hours per week coding. On the other hand, the investment firm is more of a formal affair, yet most employees work 40-50 hours and call it a day. These traits become values, and employers must share them with their workers.

The concept of culture also corresponds with the company’s vision for the future, so be sure to share that with new workers, too.

Build Inter-office Connections

A well-functioning office is all about connections, and not only among peers. From teammates to supervisors to CEOs, new workers must feel connected to the other members of the company.

This idea does not mean that new hires must meet with everyone immediately or meet with the company’s COO. However, HR professionals can arrange events such as lunches, seminars, and meetings that provide common ground for new and old workers to connect.

When new employees feel stuck within their team or isolated from other workers, they often lose sight of their jobs and the entire company’s goals. However, when workers feel connected to the entire office and business, they are more interested and motivated. For example, if employees think they can propose an idea to their supervisor, their confidence level grows, and they do better work. We are not suggesting that workers defy authority. Instead, we are suggesting that they feel valued and appreciated by everyone and that the onboarding process emphasizes collaboration across the aisles.

Revise, Return and Check In

The onboarding process is ongoing. Of course, the process cannot and should not last forever, but employers should not consider onboarding a “closed book,” either. Instead, supervisors and HR representatives should check back with employees often over their first six months to ensure they are adjusting successfully and feeling both motivated and satisfied.

What Are Examples of Onboarding?

Onboarding generally consists of the actions below but can include other tasks and sessions. During onboarding, employees are often:

Offered a job
Registered to be paid
Informed about job duties
Informed about policies
Educated about office culture
Trained on the job
Given the employee handbook, which they must read
Given new-hire paperwork
Informed about benefits
Shown the building
Able to meet executives
Able to meet teams of their peers

How Long Does Onboarding New Employees Take?

The duration of the onboarding process depends on how engaged employees are, how much they must learn to become acclimated, and how many new employees the company hires.

The onboarding process should be thorough, but employers must allow enough time for workers to experience it at their own pace. Remember that new workers are adjusting to new schedules, paychecks, coworkers, and more. Requiring them to onboard for an extra three hours per day, for example, is probably asking too much.

Many HR professionals estimate that the onboarding process spans about 80-100 days, and others suggest that a year is an acceptable time. Ultimately, the process can conclude if employees feel comfortable working at the company alongside their peers and do not have questions.

Employee Onboarding: A Necessity for All Companies

An effective and well-planned onboarding experience is essential for all companies. The best companies have an HR department that constantly seeks to update and improve the process. While the onboarding process varies across the board, all employers should understand how significant onboarding is. Essentially, onboarding is a chance to ensure that the companies’ expectations align with the employees’ goals and then hit the ground running. Companies emphasizing onboarding show great respect for their new workers, which translates into increased business success.

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What Does Employee Onboarding Mean in HR?

What Does Onboarding Mean?

What Is the Typical Employee Onboarding Process?

Why is Onboarding Important?

What Are the Main Elements of Onboarding?

Clarifying Company Standards and Rules

Setting Reasonable Expectations

Introduce Employees to the Office’s Culture

Build Inter-office Connections

Revise, Return and Check In

What Are Examples of Onboarding?

How Long Does Onboarding New Employees Take?

Employee Onboarding: A Necessity for All Companies

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