Boost retention, productivity, and cultural alignment by showing new hires they belong.
Why First Impressions Matter
Think about the times you’ve really enjoyed the company you worked for. From Day One, you probably felt welcome. You were probably informed about “what goes on here,” and given the written (and unwritten) rules. In other words, chances are you had a great employee onboarding experience.
You don’t have to think very long about what makes onboarding such a pivotal experience in the life of an employee. It’s the first impression you have of the organization you’re joining. It’s a chance for employees to gain clarity about their position; to get to know their manager, and perhaps even identify a mentor. It’s even more important in companies that are remote or hybrid.
First impressions count a lot. In fact, the data shows the powerful connection between positive, structured onboarding programs, especially in the first 90 days, and employee retention. Onboarding is a critical time to equip your new hires with the language and expectations of your organization’s culture.
The Data on Onboarding and Retention
In Q2 2025, RW3 CultureWizard undertook a Corporate Culture Deep Dive survey so we could assess how cultural strength influences employee behavior. From this research, we created the Onboarding Snapshot, a focused look at how onboarding shapes motivation, commitment to excellence, efficiency, and retention.
The data showed that employees who experienced a high-quality onboarding process rated their organizations significantly higher in motivation, commitment to excellence, efficiency, and retention. Motivation was a score of 8.45 out of 10 when there was quality onboarding. Commitment to excellence was 8.05. Efficiency was 7.87.
Retention, the ultimate measure of onboarding success was 8.09 out of 10. There was an advantage of more than 1.3 points over those with weaker onboarding.
Furthermore, according to SHRM’s research1, new hires are 50% percent more productive and 58% more likely to stay with a company for three years if they have a structured onboarding experience. Gallup reported2 that employees who had a great onboarding experience are 2.6 times more likely to be "extremely satisfied" at work.
There’s also interesting data from Revelo Labs3 about attrition in global organizations. The data shows that while tenured employees are staying longer in 2025 than in previous years, new hires are increasingly leaving before completing one year.
Unfortunately, only 12% of employees strongly agree that their organization does a great job onboarding new employees according to two Gallup articles.4
This provides a huge opportunity for leaders who want to invest in a strong Onboarding program. It is one of the most important, controllable activities for keeping new hires as well as preparing people to understand and appreciate the corporate culture at the same time the employee learns the skills they will need for their job.
Operationalizing Culture: A Blueprint for Onboarding
Best Practice organizations focus on being proactive in many areas and also communicating extremely well and often. The communication should focus on culture and skills, and also clearly define the benefits-related questions new employees will have. Clear and constant communication is essential, and especially critical in a remote or hybrid organization.
Another element of an exceptional program is the involvement of managers throughout the onboarding process. The manager should learn a lot about the individual and also prepare the team for the new person who will be joining. These beginning interactions will set the stage for many months and years to come.
Here is a simple template that can serve as the foundation for your effective onboarding program. It includes many of the Best Practices shown to be successful.
Pre-Boarding (Before Day One)
- Develop communications that encompass what the new-hire should know
- Send a Welcome email or letter
- Provide digital access to necessary forms and systems
- Offer key corporate cultural materials, such as cultural values overview
- Manager introduces mentor or helpful colleague via email
First Day
- Provide a personal welcome by the manager and clearly state that questions are welcome
- Introduce the team and provide time to interact with key colleagues
- Provide an orientation to the mission, values, and culture, and be as clear and specific as possible
- Establish a workspace and/or technology tools for remote work situations
- Create a clear outline of role
- Set expectations. A strong onboarding program provides role clarity, performance benchmarks, and realistic timelines
First Week
- Introduce role-specific training and tools
- Provide adequate time to get to know colleagues and stakeholders
- Assign tasks so the employee can start work, yet have time to onboard
- Schedule regular check-ins with manager
- Continue to reinforce the company’s culture and values. Effective onboarding connects people to the culture in tangible ways: through stories, role models, and behavioral examples.
First 30 Days
- Provide structured learning modules (culture, compliance, role skills)
- Factor-in time for ongoing buddy/mentor conversations
- Develop one-on-one regular meetings with the manager. The most successful companies integrate managers as active participants who coach, support, and reinforce the new hire’s journey.
- Encourage feedback from the new hire on their experience
First 90 Days
- Continue to monitor and expand role responsibilities. Research shows that extended programs increase engagement and retention. It allows employees to absorb, apply, and grow without being overwhelmed.
- Offer participation in cross-functional projects
- Review and adjust goals with the new-hire
- Gather feedback from the individual and adjust as needed
Ongoing
- Depending on your organization’s values and needs, monitoring and measuring your Onboarding Program will be more or less extensive
- New hire retention rate (first year) is the easiest and quite effective way to know if your program is working
- Collecting manager and peer feedback is critical to the success of an Onboarding program
The Bottom Line for Leaders
Onboarding is a powerful tool to set up your employees for success. It’s a chance to learn about the organization at a time when they will be very focused on it. It’s also an important time to establish relationships, both with their manager and colleagues. Although it takes work to create an effective program, the benefits are well worth it for individuals and the bottom line.
Make Onboarding Your Advantage
Click to download the complete 2025 Onboarding Snapshot with benchmarks, best practices, and insights for leaders ready to turn onboarding into a competitive advantage.
Sources:
1. SHRM, Don't Underestimate the Importance of Good Onboarding; August 10, 2017 | Arlene S. Hirsch, M.A., LCPC, https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/talent-acquisition/dont-underestimate-importance-good-onboarding
2. Gallup, 8 Practical Tips for Leaders for a Better Onboarding Process; Aug 12, 2021 | Emily Wetherell and Bailey Nelson, https://www.gallup.com/workplace/353096/practical-tips-leaders-better-onboarding-process.aspx
3. Revelio Labs, Why New Employees Aren’t Sticking Around; July 22, 2025 | Dean Boerner, https://www.reveliolabs.com/news/business/why-new-employees-aren-t-sticking-around/
4. Gallup, Why the Onboarding Process is Key for Retention; April 11, 2018 | Emily O'Boyle and Jim Harter, https://www.gallup.com/workplace/235121/why-onboarding-experience-key-retention.aspx
5. Gallup, Essential Ingredients for an Effective Onboarding Program; January 31, 2019 | Dipak Sundaram and Niraj Patel https://www.gallup.com/workplace/246242/essential-ingredients-effective-onboarding-program.aspx
