A negative employee onboarding experience doubles the chances of a new hire leaving. So if you want your team to feel welcomed, supported, and to stay, an excellent onboarding experience is essential.
So, what does it take to create an unforgettable new hire journey?
And how can you make sure your new employee onboarding represents your brand to the max?
Here’s how 4 mega-brands transformed their employee onboarding experience. It’s time you aim for the onboarding hall of fame too. After all, great onboarding leads to business growth! Let’s explore what makes these programs so effective and how you can make your onboarding process one your new hires won’t forget.
Why a Positive Employee Onboarding Experience Matters
We’ve all heard the stories: a new hire starts their first day and is left high-and-dry by their busy manager. They’re left wondering what to do and wishing they never stepped through the door 👎.
Starting a new job is a pivotal moment, and poor onboarding can leave new hires feeling overwhelmed, isolated, or underprepared. In fact, Gallup reports that only 12% of employees strongly agree their company does a great job of onboarding.
The best employee onboarding experiences
- Empowers new hires to do their best work
- Aligns new hires with the rest of the team
- Creates engagement,
- Fosters better retention and, ultimately, better performance.
Key Elements of the Best Employee Onboarding Experience
Creating a strong onboarding experience involves focusing on the 5 C’s: compliance, clarification, culture, connection, and check-back. These pillars help new hires feel welcomed, informed, and valued.
You can check out our employee onboarding checklist but here are a few more helpful tips that you can do to create a great onboarding experience.
Remember SMALL things, make a BIG difference!
- Create a great welcome to the team social post!
- Host a team breakfast on the first day of the new hire.
- Create a meeting to connect with their manager and other team members.
- Show them where the coffee is – may sound silly but this is a big deal
4 Companies with The Best Employee Onboarding Experience
Mega-brands are at the top for a reason. They treat their internal customers like external customers. They also know what makes a great onboarding experience and exactly how to make their processes sing.
From Netflix’s ‘trust-from-day-one’ policy, to Hilton’s hire-to-retire approach, these brands understand that all employees really want is a little bit of TLC and a lot of respect.
Let’s take a look at four of the best employee onboarding experiences out there, and how you can do it too.
1. Netflix: Building Trust from Day One
Netflix is known for its engaging shows, but its onboarding process is equally captivating. Netflix’s approach, centered on trust and empowerment, allows new hires to contribute meaningfully from the get-go.
What Netflix Does Right
- Immediate Trust in New Employees: Netflix entrusts new hires with significant projects from day one, recognizing that they were hired for a reason.
- Pre-Arrival Preparation: Tech essentials are prepared in advance so that new hires can dive in without tech hassles.
- CEO and Mentor Interactions: New hires have early opportunities to meet with Netflix’s CEO and are paired with mentors to ease the transition.
Takeaway: To emulate Netflix, focus on equipping new hires before their first day and building early connections. Simplify tech setup and assign mentors to guide new employees through company culture and expectations.
🔥 How you can onboard like Netflix
Gone are the days of paperwork-overload, these days onboarding is all about smart tech. Help new employees get to know your company fast with a dedicated training and knowledge platform. (Psst! Whale’s Chrome Extension allows new hires to learn in the flow of work — making training employees easier than ever before 😉).
2. Google: Using Data to Perfect the Employee Onboarding Experience
Google takes a unique approach by leveraging data to continuously improve its onboarding process. With a decentralized, team-led approach, each department tailors onboarding to their specific needs while measuring effectiveness across teams.
What Google Does Right
- Data-Driven Onboarding: Google collects feedback on team-specific onboarding strategies, identifying what works best and setting new baselines.
- Team-Level Oversight: Managers are actively involved, ensuring each hire’s onboarding aligns with team goals.
- Clear Roles and Expectations: New hires are provided clear, data-backed role expectations from day one, ensuring clarity and direction.
Takeaway: Google’s approach shows the power of data in onboarding. Use analytics tools to track onboarding effectiveness and refine your program based on insights from real employee experiences.
🔥 How you can onboard like Google
Measure your onboarding in true Google-style with a smart training tool. With Whale, you can see the policies and playbooks new hires are searching for in real-time. Then you can use that all-important data to ensure your onboarding processes are always up-to-date.
3. Hilton: From Hire to Retire with Continuous Support
In an industry with high turnover, Hilton’s "hire-to-retire" approach helps employees feel valued and supported from day one, emphasizing long-term retention.
What Hilton Does Right
- New Hire Buddy System: Each new employee is paired with a buddy to provide support, making the first few days less daunting.
- Ongoing Learning via Hilton University: Hilton offers continuous learning opportunities for all employees, supporting both professional and personal growth.
Takeaway: Build a buddy program to create an immediate sense of community for new hires, and consider offering continuous learning opportunities to support long-term growth and retention.
🔥 How you can onboard like Hilton
Make sure you utilize employee training technology that offers your team training irrespective of where they are.
4. DigitalOcean: Making Day One Special
DigitalOcean creates an inspiring onboarding experience by making new hires feel welcome and valued from the very first day, a critical step in reducing first-quarter turnover.
What DigitalOcean Does Right
- Prepared Workspace and Welcome Note: The workspace is ready with a personalized note, emphasizing that every new employee is part of the team.
- Structured 90-Day Plan: DigitalOcean provides a clear onboarding roadmap, guiding employees through their first three months.
Takeaway: To match DigitalOcean, prepare a welcoming workspace and a structured 90-day onboarding plan. A clear roadmap helps employees understand their role and integrate effectively within the team.
"The most important outcome of [our onboarding] process is that every new employee has a clear, written onboarding plan for that first 90 days,”
Partner and Head of Talent at Digital Ocean, Matt Hoffman
🔥 How you can onboard like DigitalOcean
Utilizing a new hire’s enthusiasm is a good start, but you can go one step further by using Whale to drip-feed your training process over the first few weeks. No more information overload for new employees, no more unnecessary admin for you. It’s a win-win.
Get your 30-60-90 day onboarding template!
How to Create a Winning Employee Onboarding Experience
Inspired by these companies? Here’s how to start creating your own standout onboarding experience:
- Leverage Technology: Implement onboarding platforms to streamline training, allowing new hires to learn in the flow of work. Tools like Whale can keep training consistent and accessible.
- Use Data to Refine: Continuously collect feedback on your onboarding process. Analyze what works and improve based on real insights.
- Celebrate Small Wins: From a warm welcome on the first day to organized check-ins, small gestures make a big difference in making employees feel valued.
- Foster Early Connections: Arrange meetings with managers and peers early on. Team breakfasts or social posts welcoming new hires can go a long way in building rapport.
How to Use Whale to Transform Employee Onboarding
So you know that onboarding new employees matters and you desperately want your new member of the team to stay!
Start documenting your onboarding process and consider using tools like Whale to manage onboarding resources effectively. With the right strategies in place, your company could be the next to join the onboarding hall of fame.
With Whale you can;
- Tell your brand story and keep it in one centralized place
- Share your values and processes with team members when and where they need it
- Overcome the forgetting curve with contextual suggestions – so they always remain on top of their game.
We even use it for our own onboarding experience!
Bottom Line? Invest in a Memorable Onboarding Experience
Your employee onboarding experience sets the tone for the rest of the working relationship.
And it can be the make or break between top talent staying or leaving so it’s worth putting in the effort.
Loved this article?
We think you’ll LOVE our 3 part mini-series on Employee Training. You can check out Part I – new employee onboarding, here. Or just check out EVERYTHING there is to know about employee onboarding and training.
Or check out our eBook on How to Optimize your Onboarding Processes.
FAQs about the best employee onboarding experiences
Which company has the best onboarding experience?
Determining which company has the best onboarding experience can be subjective, as it varies based on individual preferences, industry standards, and specific job roles.
However, companies like;
- Google,
- Netflix,
- Hilton
- and Zappos
are frequently cited for their innovative and employee-centric onboarding processes.
These companies emphasize culture fit, clear communication, and effective training from day one, ensuring that new hires feel welcome, valued, and prepared to contribute.
What is an ideal onboarding experience?
- Preparation Before the First Day: Effective onboarding starts before the new hire’s first day, with the company providing all necessary information, including schedules, required documents, and an overview of what to expect.
- Warm Welcome: A personal greeting, team introductions, and a welcoming work environment help new employees feel appreciated and part of the team.
- Clear Expectations: Setting clear job roles, responsibilities, and short-term goals helps new hires understand their position and how they fit into the broader company objectives.
- Comprehensive Training: Providing the necessary tools, resources, and training for new employees to perform their jobs effectively is crucial.
- Ongoing Support and Feedback: Regular check-ins, feedback, and accessible support from managers and peers encourage continuous learning and adjustment.
What are the 4C's of employee onboarding?
The 4C’s of employee onboarding are actually 5C’s of employee onboarding and is a framework that outlines the essential components of a successful onboarding process:
- Compliance: Teaching the basic legal and policy-related rules and regulations.
- Clarification: Ensuring that employees understand their new job and all related expectations.
- Culture: Providing a sense of organizational norms, both formal and informal.
- Connection: Helping new hires establish interpersonal relationships and information networks.
- Check-back: Regularly checking in with new hires to provide ongoing support and to assess their needs and progress.
How do you create a positive onboarding experience?
- Communicate Early and Often: Start the communication process before the new hire’s first day to set expectations and reduce first-day anxiety.
- Personalize the Experience: Tailor the onboarding process to fit the unique needs and learning styles of each new hire.
- Facilitate Team Integration: Arrange meet-and-greets or team-building activities to foster connections.
- Provide Necessary Resources: Ensure that new employees have access to the tools, technologies, and information they need to succeed.
- Implement a Structured Program: Use a clearly defined onboarding schedule that includes training sessions, feedback opportunities, and regular check-ins.
- Seek Feedback: Ask new hires for their input on the onboarding process and make adjustments based on their feedback to continuously improve.
And of course, use onboarding technology like Whale to create the best onboarding experience for new team members.
