Welcome & Context

The HR Roundtable explored how organisations can transform onboarding from a tick-box exercise into a powerful retention and engagement strategy.

Key insights included:

  • 1 in 3 new hires quit within 12 months.
  • Replacing an employee costs 50–200% of salary (Gallup).
  • Most onboarding ends within a week, but best practice is a 6–12 month journey.

Key question:Is your onboarding a tick-box process, or a retention strategy?

Key Data & Insights

  • Candidate & new starter ghosting and early drop-outs remain a challenge.
  • Perception of onboarding quality directly affects retention.
  • Structured onboarding improves productivity and retention.
  • Lack of clarity, structure, and preparedness is common.
  • HR teams face challenges balancing compliance, engagement, tech, and manager accountability.

The 5 Things Great Companies Do

  1. Create clarity with structured timelines & touchpoints.
  2. Prioritise cultural immersion (storytelling, buddy systems, ERGs).
  3. Build networks early (leadership lunches, mentoring).
  4. Support career development from Day 1 (clear 30/60/90s, L&D access).
  5. Enable productivity with tools ready and personalised welcomes.

Reflection Prompt:If you could implement one tomorrow, which would move the needle most?

What 'WOW' Onboarding Looks Like

  • Cultural Mastery: Storytelling, culture ambassadors, volunteering opportunities.
  • Network Building: Leadership lunches, cross-functional buddies, networking maps.
  • Career Support: 30/60/90 goals, L&D access, shadowing opportunities.
  • Strategy Immersion: Simulations, gamified onboarding, linking strategy → team goals.
  • Tools to Do the Job: IT, logins, passes ready; survival guides and welcome packs.
  • Pre-boarding Best Practice: Onboarding packs sent out 2+ weeks before start, buddy introductions before Day 1.
  • Cross-Departmental Buddies: Pair new hires with someone outside their team to accelerate culture learning.
  • Impact Projects: Assign a scoped, meaningful project in the first 3 months to drive learning and contribution.

Group Discussions & Insights

  • From Transactional to Transformational: Shifting from compliance to engagement.
  • The First 90 Days: What must a new hire see, feel, and experience to say, "I made the right choice"?
  • Measuring Success: Which single metric would prove onboarding is working? (e.g. 12-month retention, NPS, time-to-productivity).

Quick Wins & Longer-Term Fixes

Quick Wins (within 3 months):

  • Buddy schemes (including cross-departmental).
  • Personalised notes.
  • Onboarding packs & buddy intros 2 weeks pre-start.
  • IT readiness.

Longer-Term Fixes (6–12 months):

  • Onboarding portals.
  • Re-boarding for internal moves, parental leave, or long-term absences.
  • Manager 30/60/90 check-ins.
  • Impact project frameworks.

One Metric That Matters: Choose and track consistently.

Management Onboarding Training

A consistent theme was the urgent need for managers to be trained in how to onboard effectively.

Managers require:

  • A clear structure.
  • A checklist of responsibilities.
  • The right questions to ask.

This ensures onboarding is not left solely to HR, but becomes a team and leadership priority.

Manager Onboarding Conversation Guide

40 questions across four key milestones (Weeks 1, 4, 8, 12).

Week 1 – Welcome & Clarity

  • How has your first week compared with what you expected?
  • What feels most clear about your role right now?
  • Is there anything that feels confusing or unclear?
  • Who have you met that has been most helpful so far?
  • Who else would you like me to introduce you to?
  • Do you feel you have the tools, systems, and information you need?
  • Is the buddy system helpful to you — and how often are you connecting?
  • What’s been the most energising part of your first few days?
  • What’s been the most challenging moment so far?
  • Is there anything I can do differently to support you right now?

Week 4 – Confidence & Belonging

  • How confident are you feeling in your responsibilities at this stage?
  • Which tasks or projects are you enjoying most?
  • Which areas still feel more challenging?
  • How well do you feel connected with the wider team?
  • Has the buddy relationship been valuable so far?
  • How do you feel about the pace and workload?
  • What’s one thing that has surprised you about the culture?
  • What’s one thing that would make the next month smoother?
  • Do you feel you’re starting to make a contribution?
  • Is there any extra training or support that would be helpful right now?

Week 8 – Contribution & Impact

  • What contributions are you most proud of so far?
  • Where do you feel you’ve added the most value?
  • Which relationships are proving most important to your success?
  • Are there any areas where you still feel like an outsider?
  • How are you finding your impact project (if assigned)?
  • What feedback have you received so far, and how has it landed?
  • What’s been the most rewarding part of the role to date?
  • What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced, and how have you handled it?
  • What new skills or knowledge have you picked up since joining?
  • If you could change one thing about your onboarding so far, what would it be?

Week 12 – Growth & Future

  • How well do you feel you understand our strategy and your role within it?
  • Do you feel confident that you’re set up for success here?
  • What skills or experiences do you want to develop over the next 6–12 months?
  • What part of the role excites you most about the future?
  • Where would you like more autonomy or responsibility?
  • Who else in the business would you like greater exposure to?
  • Do you feel you’ve made the right choice in joining us?
  • What feedback do you have for me as your manager?
  • What feedback do you have about our onboarding process overall?
  • What would make you feel even more engaged and supported going forward?