Employee Onboarding and Retention: Unique Strategies from Different Companies
Discover the innovative strategies that top companies employ to welcome and keep their talent thriving. This article offers a deep dive into employee onboarding and retention, enriched with wisdom from industry leaders. Learn actionable tactics to foster a sense of belonging from day one and ensure a long-lasting, fruitful relationship with new hires.
- Build Early Engagement and Belonging
- Use Comprehensive Onboarding Checklists
- Design Onboarding from Employee’s Perspective
- Leverage Streamlined Onboarding Tools
- Assign Work Buddies for New Hires
- Treat Each New Hire as Individual
- Structure the First Day Heavily
- Embed Team Building into Onboarding
Build Early Engagement and Belonging
One thing I do differently in the employee onboarding process is to focus on building early engagement and a sense of belonging through a structured, personalized approach. Beyond the standard HR-driven onboarding, we pair new hires with “buddies”—experienced team members who help them navigate both the professional and social aspects of the company. The buddy system is crucial during the first few weeks, as it encourages relationship-building and helps new employees acclimate faster to the company culture.
Another key aspect is setting clear expectations early and regular check-ins during the onboarding period to ensure they feel supported and have a forum to ask questions or raise concerns.
To foster engagement, we also incorporate early exposure to cross-functional teams. For example, within the first month, new hires are invited to team meetings and cross-departmental events, which helps them understand how different parts of the company work together. This broader visibility has led to higher engagement and collaboration across teams.
The impact of these personalized onboarding efforts has been significant. Employees report feeling more connected and supported from day one, which has improved both engagement and retention. In fact, we’ve observed a noticeable reduction in turnover during the critical first six months—a time when many new hires typically leave if they feel unsupported. By focusing on building relationships, setting expectations, and fostering early engagement, we create an onboarding experience that leaves a lasting positive impression.
Margaret Buj
Interview Coach and Talent Acquisition Manager, Mixmax
Use Comprehensive Onboarding Checklists
We practice what we teach our clients, so our onboarding process uses a series of checklists that cover important policies, systems, processes, and people that new hires should know. We have an all-staff, organization-wide checklist to ensure everyone knows who we are, who we serve, why we do what we do, what we expect from our team, etc. Then we have a departmental and/or role-specific checklist to ensure they receive proper training on how to do their jobs, regarding procedures, software, team responsibilities, etc.
We break down each checklist into what new hires need to know day one, week one, quarter one, and year one. This spreads out the new information over time so it doesn’t overwhelm the new hire who can’t possibly remember everything in just two weeks anyway.
The result is that our leaders can tag-team a new hire’s onboarding as we can all see the checklists and assign line items to one another, and the new hire can request new information when they’re ready, as they have access to it as well. This approach places the right growth at the most appropriate time!
Cara Silletto
President & Chief Retention Officer, Magnet Culture
Design Onboarding from Employee’s Perspective
Many companies waste an insane amount of time overloading employees with information they won’t recall, training they don’t need, and organizational commercials they don’t want. It is one of the least “customer-focused” processes HR provides. To drive engagement, avoid buyer’s remorse, and create stickiness with new employees, my clients design their onboarding processes from the employee’s perspective.
On day one, employees want comfort that they have made the right decision. That comes from time with their manager, clear goals, and an agreed first 90-day plan that will help ensure success. They don’t need training on systems they won’t use for six months or an 80-page slide deck on the company history. They want to know their kids have health insurance, their 401(k) transfers, and, well, where the restrooms are located.
Onboarding success comes from slowing down and providing value. So, hit the basics and build relationships.
Tim Toterhi
CHRO, Plotline Leadership
Leverage Streamlined Onboarding Tools
One key strategy I’ve implemented to set our onboarding process apart is leveraging streamlined tools that make the experience simple, transparent, and engaging for both new hires and our team. Using platforms like my own, we’ve created a structured, user-friendly onboarding process that provides new employees with everything they need upfront—role expectations, next steps, and a clear roadmap for their first weeks on the job.
Transparency is the cornerstone of this approach. When employees know exactly what’s expected of them and what they can expect from us, they feel more confident and prepared to succeed. Our onboarding tools allow us to personalize the process, making it easier to introduce company values, team culture, and operational procedures in an organized and approachable way.
The results have been significant. Streamlined onboarding not only reduces the stress and confusion that often accompanies starting a new role but also sets a tone of professionalism and organization. New hires feel supported from day one, which leads to faster acclimation and a stronger sense of belonging. We’ve observed higher retention rates because employees feel valued and empowered to contribute right away.
For HR leaders, a well-structured onboarding process isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about creating a memorable and positive first impression. By investing in tools and processes that simplify onboarding while reinforcing your company’s culture and goals, you’re laying the foundation for long-term employee engagement and success.
Billy Giordano
Founder/CEO, StaffedUp
Assign Work Buddies for New Hires
One of the most impactful strategies to set our onboarding process apart is assigning each new employee a work buddy—an experienced team member who acts as a mentor, guide, and source of support, going beyond the basics of job-related tasks. They are paired for their first 90 days, which helps new hires acclimate to the company’s culture, increases trust between peers, and sets the stage for successful cooperation from the beginning.
This initiative works amazingly and has a positive influence on the whole company! We’ve observed significantly higher retention rates since the introduction of the work buddy system, which serves as a vital part of the onboarding process. New hires report feeling more confident and supported as they navigate their roles and often cite their work buddies as key contributors to their early success. Also, the relationships built during those initial months often evolve into lasting mentorships, further strengthening the team dynamic and commitment to the company’s success.
Agata Szczepanek
Career Expert & Community Manager, LiveCareer
Treat Each New Hire as Individual
While everyone talks about hiring great talent, we’ve found that what happens after they join is just as crucial. We’ve developed an onboarding system that treats each new hire as an individual, not just another number. From day one, they’re paired with a mentor who helps them navigate both their role and our culture. Together, we create a detailed 30-60-90 day roadmap that balances their career goals with our company needs. Instead of death-by-PowerPoint training, we get them working on real projects right away alongside their teammates.
Here’s what’s interesting: this personalized approach has cut our turnover rate to 40% below the industry average. People stick around because they feel valued and can see their impact from the start. It’s also created this amazing team dynamic where everyone feels invested in each other’s success. I’d love to tell you more about how we make this work and share some specific examples.
George Fironov
Co-Founder & CEO, Talmatic
Structure the First Day Heavily
If I were to choose one thing we’ve done differently with our employee onboarding process to set us apart, it was to structure the first day of employment heavily. Beyond sending tedious paperwork in advance to streamline the HR discussions, the first day always included a welcome package including branded swag, beverages, and snacks, not just a laptop. The second first-day milestone is to host an introductory lunch to recognize the new hire and introduce them to the team.
The third milestone of the first day is an orientation, where I, as the founder and owner of the company, host a presentation including an overview of the company including current financials to give the new hire a good feel for what they are walking into. The fourth milestone is to meet with the direct manager to confirm roles and responsibilities and frame up the first 90 days.
The final milestone of day one is the standard meeting with HR to go over employee benefits, payroll, and to get the computer, phone, and network access set up properly. By the end of the first day, the new employee has met key employees, has a solid understanding of the organization and is confident they will get the first paycheck on time.
Kent Lewis
Founder, pdxMindShare
Embed Team Building into Onboarding
We’ve had the privilege of collaborating with a large global consultancy firm of over 100,000 employees to revolutionize their onboarding process. This firm takes on cohorts of 40-60 new hires every two months, and they face challenges common to organizations of their scale: ensuring cultural alignment and fostering a sense of belonging among new employees.
To tackle these issues, we introduced our Animate team building activity into their onboarding program. This engaging and interactive experience allows new hires to collaboratively bring to life the lessons they’ve learned throughout their onboarding journey. Animate serves as more than just an icebreaker—it’s a creative and dynamic way to reinforce key company values, ensure knowledge retention, and build bonds within the cohort.
What’s unique about this approach is that it provides immediate feedback for the onboarding team. If gaps in understanding or alignment emerge during the activity, they can identify and address these shortcomings quickly, ensuring a stronger foundation as employees transition into their roles.
The impact has been profound. The consultancy has seen noticeable improvements in engagement, with new hires reporting feeling more connected to their teams and more aligned with the company’s culture. Beyond that, retention rates for participants have outperformed those of previous cohorts who experienced more traditional onboarding methods.
By embedding team building into the onboarding journey, this firm has not only strengthened its culture but also demonstrated a commitment to making new employees feel valued and supported from day one.
Andy Wells
Co-Founder, Zing Events
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