Creating an Inclusive Onboarding Experience: Tips for Success

When I think about onboarding, the principle I always come back to is this: people don’t join a company, they join a culture. And that culture either welcomes them in or quietly tells them they’re on their own.

I learned this lesson early. We hired a brilliant designer who had all the skills we needed, but within weeks she looked disengaged. When I asked her why, she told me she felt like she was “just the new hire,” not really part of the team. We had given her the tools, the tasks, and the training — but what we hadn’t given her was a true sense of belonging. That was a turning point for me.

Since then, we’ve shifted our focus. Instead of treating onboarding as a checklist, we treat it as storytelling. Every new hire, whether they come from tech, retail, or a completely different industry, needs to understand not just what we do but why we do it. We make it a point to share the challenges we’ve faced, the values that guide us, and even the mistakes that shaped us. That transparency levels the playing field, because it doesn’t matter where someone comes from — they’re entering a shared journey.

One practice that’s been especially impactful is pairing each new hire with a “culture buddy,” not just a role-specific mentor. This person is there to answer the unspoken questions, introduce them to the nuances of how we work, and make sure they never feel like they’re navigating alone. I’ve seen how quickly this breaks down barriers and helps new team members feel comfortable bringing their authentic selves to work.

So if I had to distill it into one principle, it’s this: onboarding should make people feel seen, not sized up. When you design the process around belonging rather than evaluation, you don’t just integrate skills — you integrate people. And when people feel they belong, that’s when they stay, grow, and contribute in ways that exceed expectations.

Onboarding should be a personalized experience. Often times, employers see onboarding as just another task on the checklist to get employees set up with technology, sign off on some policies, and take a few trainings so they can get started with the actual work. However, onboarding is so much more than that and typically lasts longer than most people think. It is the first impression that new hires get about the culture of an organization. Thus, it is so important that employers do their best to create a positive and productive experience from the onset.

At our organization, I often hear new hire feedback in terms of what a positive onboarding experience they had. Why? Well, sometimes it’s as simple as: “You guys didn’t just make me sit in front of a computer for 7 hours on my first day and read a bunch of policies.”

At our organization, we try to create an experience where new hires don’t just feel like a new cog in the wheel. They are welcomed (in-person) by our leadership team and then go through an extensive onboarding and training program during the first several weeks of their employment — through various training & learning modalities. In addition, we provide continuous feedback mechanisms (surveys, supervision meetings, voluntary feedback meetings with HR) that new hires have the opportunity to utilize during their first several months of employment to provide feedback on their experiences with the company thus far.

This helps new employees feel like they have a “voice” and are helping to shape their employment journey with the company from the get-go. Which we have seen tremendously impacts our retention data in terms of employees who pass their introductory period and then continue on with the organization beyond their first year of employment.

Belonging starts before the badge. The most inclusive onboarding eliminates uncertainty from offer to completing onboarding: send a pre-start email that spells out drug test requirements and deadlines, what to bring, and who to contact if timing changes. Include exact Day 1 logistics — address, parking or check-in instructions, start time in their time zone, who they’ll meet, and a simple run-of-show for the first day and the first ten business days. When they arrive, the laptop, email, and system access are ready so the culture feels competent, not chaotic.

Because the mechanics are buttoned up, Day One can be about people, not paperwork. Make new hires feel seen before you make them feel “useful”: open with human introductions (hobbies, interests, what they’re excited to learn), pair them with a buddy for informal questions, and schedule a short team coffee or lunch. That simple, personal start signals “you belong here,” lowers anxiety, and helps them show up as themselves — setting a durable tone for the weeks that follow.

The key principle I’ve found most effective for inclusive onboarding at is to assume knowledge gaps, not capability gaps — designing processes that provide context without implying incompetence.

Many onboarding programs either assume too much prior knowledge (alienating people from different backgrounds) or over-explain basic concepts (insulting experienced professionals). The solution is providing comprehensive context while respecting individual expertise.

Instead of saying, “You probably already know this, but…” or skipping explanations entirely, I frame information as, “Here’s how we approach this,” or, “Our specific implementation works like this.” This gives everyone necessary context without suggesting they should already know it.

For example, when explaining our voice AI integration process, I don’t assume familiarity with specific providers like Vapi or RetellAI. Instead, I provide background on each provider’s strengths and our rationale for choosing them, framed as company-specific context rather than basic education.

This approach works because it separates company knowledge from industry knowledge. A senior engineer from another field might need extensive context about voice AI but shouldn’t feel talked down to about software development principles.

The practical implementation involves creating “context layers” — foundational information about our industry, company-specific processes, and role requirements. New hires can engage with whichever layers provide value without feeling overwhelmed or insulted.

I also implemented “learning preference options” — some people prefer comprehensive documentation, others want hands-on exploration, some need visual explanations. Providing multiple paths to the same knowledge respects different learning styles and backgrounds.

The most valuable insight came from asking new hires what context they wished they’d had earlier rather than what they found difficult. This revealed gaps in assumed knowledge that weren’t obvious failures but created unnecessary friction.

Results have been measurable: time-to-productivity improved 40% across all new hires, but more importantly, satisfaction scores during onboarding became consistent regardless of background or experience level.

The key is designing for different starting points while maintaining identical endpoints – everyone reaches full capability without feeling either abandoned or patronized during the journey.

Hands down, our “everboarding” through “Tealing and Re-tealing” is our solution. We solved the challenge of scaling culture in a hypergrowth company by shifting from onboarding to everboarding, ensuring new hires experience our Brand, Values, Spirit, and Feedback from day one. Using our internal training platform, teammates follow a self-paced journey with quizzes, activities, and past company meetings to bring history and expectations to life. This approach has led to 95% completion for new hires, increased eNPS scores, and a shared language that strengthens connection and retention across the company.

Inclusive onboarding begins with context. We set the “why” behind each process so new associates from any background can comprehend how their job connects to the company’s objective. And that’s what makes instruction turn to connection.

We also introduce each new worker to a peer coach to guide them through both instruments and culture. The guiding principle is basic: presume nothing, explain everything. When individuals feel educated and empowered from the beginning, inclusion occurs organically.

The best advice I can give for creating a truly inclusive onboarding experience is to design it around empathy, not efficiency. Every new hire arrives with different experiences, cultures, and expectations, and onboarding should make space for that diversity. We focus on communication and connection: every newcomer is welcomed through personalized introductions, interactive sessions, and open conversations where they can ask anything freely. The key principle is simple: make people feel seen and valued from day one, and they’ll bring their best selves to the company.