Rocky start or smooth sailing? Onboarding sets the tone for how quickly a new hire becomes productive – and just as importantly, how long they decide to stay. Yet it’s surprisingly common for companies to cut corners (or skip parts altogether). Here’s a closer look at the classic pitfalls – and how to sidestep them.
Do You Remember Your First Day?
The first day at a new job. Excited, maybe a little nervous. The outfit carefully chosen, the manager’s and teammates’ names memorized, hopefully. But beyond that? A bit of a blur.
Who meets you in the lobby? Is there a clear schedule? Or are you left alone with a cup of coffee, trying to guess how to log in to your email?
It is in these very first impressions that the foundation is laid – for how you settle into the role, how you view the company, and how you imagine your future there.
An Investment That Pays Off
We know onboarding matters. A well-structured introduction helps new employees become productive faster, and makes them more likely to stay long-term. Research confirms it.
And yet, few organizations really nail it. According to Gallup, only 12 percent of employees feel their employer does a good job with onboarding. Which means most companies waste a golden opportunity to create a lasting first impression.
So why does this happen? Let us take a closer look.
Five Onboarding Mistakes To Avoid (And What To Do Instead)
1. Skipping (Or Skimping On) Preboarding
You have landed your top candidate. The contract is signed. Great. Now you just wait until the start date, right? Wrong. This is when you need to keep the excitement alive, not press pause.
Leaving a new hire in a vacuum for weeks can be costly, especially if they are still weighing offers from multiple employers. The risk is that doubts creep in, the excitement fades, and they may even accept another job.
Do this instead:
Make preboarding a natural part of the journey. Send a welcome letter, share the first week’s schedule, include a greeting from the team – or even set up a virtual coffee chat before day one. It reduces uncertainty and helps your new colleague feel at home from the start.
2. No Clear Ownership – And Things Fall Through The Cracks
“Weren’t you supposed to set up her access rights? And wasn’t it your turn to run the intro session?”
When responsibility is spread across too many people without clear roles, things slip. Tech is not ready, training is delayed, and the manager is traveling the first week.
The result is a start that feels unplanned and uninspiring – and sometimes even a damaged first impression that is hard to fix later.
Do this instead:
Set a clear chain of responsibility. Who does what, and when? Appoint an onboarding lead, whether it is a manager, HR, or a buddy, who coordinates the process. Make sure everyone involved knows their role, from IT to the colleague who takes the new hire to lunch.
Smart system support can also be a lifesaver, automatically delegating tasks, sending reminders, and keeping the entire onboarding process on track digitally.
3. Too Much Admin – Too Little Connection
“Sign here. Read this. Complete this e-learning.” It is easy to overwhelm new hires with forms, policies, and procedures.
Of course, the admin matters. But if your new hire feels more like a cog in the machine than a valued teammate, something has gone wrong.
Do this instead:
Think with both head and heart. Keep the checklist, but balance it with personal touches. Assign a buddy, schedule lunch with the team, and add some fun elements, like a quiz, office bingo, or a casual coffee. That sense of belonging from day one makes a real difference.
4. Front-Loaded – Then Forgotten
The first week is packed with meetings, presentations, and training. On paper, it looks like a strong start. But for the new hire? Information overload. Lots going in, little sticking.
And a few weeks later, it is the opposite: silence. No follow-up. No one checks in to see how things are going.
Do this instead:
Think marathon, not sprint. Spread information over time. Plan for the first three to six months with regular check-ins, clear goals, and feedback. This way, the new hire feels supported every step of the way.
5. Forgetting The Culture
“How do we actually do things here – and why?” Culture is often given far too little attention in onboarding, or described so vaguely that it does not mean much.
Take the classic line: “We have an open culture here.” Sure, it sounds good. But what does it look like in practice?
Culture is about much more than nice words in a slide deck. It is how you treat customers, how colleagues talk to each other, how decisions are made. If the new hire does not see or feel it day to day, the values quickly become just empty words.
Do this instead:
We get it – it is not easy. When you are inside the culture, it is hard to describe it clearly. But there are ways. Show the culture in action every day by inviting the new hire to meetings where values are lived out. Encourage colleagues to share real stories – mistakes, lessons, and wins. Create space for curiosity and questions, without ego or judgment. This builds trust and makes the culture feel real, not just words on a slide.
Read more: Five Signs It's Time to Invest in an HR System
Work Smarter With The Employee Journey In Flex HRM Employee
With Flex HRM Employee, you get full control of onboarding: from the signed contract to when the new hire is fully up to speed. Digital checklists, automated reminders, and clear responsibilities ensure HR, managers, and IT know exactly what to do, and when.
Less admin means more time to focus on what really matters: building relationships, helping the new hire feel part of the culture, and creating that “Wow, they have thought of everything” experience.
And the best part is that it does not stop there. Flex HRM Employee supports the entire employee journey: onboarding, offboarding, performance reviews, skills management, HR master data, key metrics, and much more – all in one system.
Curious to see how it works in practice? Get in touch, and we will show you.
