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The onboarding and preboarding experiences have become essential in hiring and retaining employees. Due to the influx of open jobs, candidates have more options than they can dream of. And a poor onboarding experience can leave a new employee questioning their choice and quickly looking for employment elsewhere.

The impact of the onboarding experience cannot be underestimated. While traditional onboarding covers new hire paperwork, reviewing benefits and job training, the entire experience should be more personalized to create a great first impression. A poor onboarding experience can leave a new employee questioning their choice and quickly looking for employment elsewhere. Our 2022 Job Seeker Survey Report asked survey respondents, "How will your onboarding experience affect your decision to stay with the company?" and 74% said the first day will affect their decision to stay for over a month.

Do you remember the day you first started your job? It was probably a whirlwind of activity: signing forms, meeting colleagues, taking a tour of the building, completing orientation – and, of course, figuring out the coffee maker. You probably also remember clearly how you felt that first day – how your boss treated you, whether your team members were friendly and whether you could find all the information you needed. 

Your inbox is probably filled to the brim with advice on onboarding. There are two reasons why this topic is hot right now: record employment levels and some pretty alarming facts about first-year voluntary turnover rates—particularly among millennials.

While there’s plenty of research on turnover rates, which can run as high as 50 percent in the first year, you’ll find a surprising lack of research to support specific onboarding program ideas. To do a better job of retaining new employees, we need to develop a better understanding of what they really want from employers.