Have you ever had a poor onboarding experience?
For Ahmad Hamed, a software engineer, it was the whole onboarding process, or rather the lack of it. That’s right! He was hired by a startup where there was no onboarding process. There were 6 people on his team, himself included, but nobody took their time to initiate him into work affairs. They just tossed him into the work with no proper handover and no documentation.
He spent around 3 months wandering around and begging for any assistance or any kind of walk-through.
On top of it all, his CTO used to tell him with an aggressive tone “We don’t have time for spoon-feeding!”
Overwhelmed with the bulk of his job without the proper navigation, Ahmad left soon after.
Unfortunately, there are many employees like Ahmad. Not everyone gets the chance to be properly onboarded at a new job.
36% of companies still haven’t set up a clear onboarding process for their company. And with all that, only 12% of employees have been convinced that their job has an okay onboarding process.
Not having an onboarding process for your future new hires is setting them (and yourself) up for failure. You’ve gone through the trouble of finding a talented individual and convincing them to work for you, but then you fail to provide the tools and support they need to thrive in their line of work. Without a structured onboarding program, your new hires will struggle to understand their responsibilities and navigate how your company works.
This not only wastes their potential, but it will make them leave early.
A structured onboarding process is one of the components of your work culture.
In this blog, we’ll be discussing what onboarding is, why it’s important for new hires, and why a poor onboarding process is dangerous not just to your employees, but to your company, your business, and your customers.
But First, What is Onboarding?
Onboarding, simply put, is the process of introducing a new employee into your company. When you onboard an employee, you familiarize them with your company’s work culture, policies, and procedures. Onboarding helps your employees adjust smoothly to their new environment so they can start to work as efficiently as possible.
Onboarding is the first and foremost process all employees must go through as they resume a new role.
Why is Onboarding Important for New Employees?
Onboarding is crucial for new hires because it acclimatizes them into their environment. During onboarding, job descriptions and responsibilities are made clear and this ensures the expectations are realistic.
Additionally, onboarding helps your new hire blend seamlessly into your company’s culture. It equips them with the necessary training for their role.
Furthermore, onboarding reduces ambiguity and confusion that can lead to frustrations or mistakes.
A well-structured onboarding process typically impacts productivity, engagement, and performance during their critical first 90 days in your company.
The Problem of Ineffective Onboarding Processes
An effective onboarding process should connect your new employees to your mission, and outline their role in reaching your company’s goal. Glassdoor found that businesses with strong onboarding experiences will improve their retention by 82% and that employees are more productive overall when entering the business.
In the same vein, a terrible onboarding process can lead to a variety of problems including low employee engagement, high turnover rates, and decreased productivity.
So how do you know if your onboarding process isn’t effective? You have to look out for the following:
Lack of Structure.
If you want to know if your onboarding process is poor, check its structure. Does it have clear timelines and training plans, or does it look like it’s filled with just documents to be filled? 58% of organizations say that their onboarding program is focused primarily on paperwork.
Insufficient Training.
Training new hires equips them to perform their jobs dutifully. Without proper training, a new employee is more likely to make avoidable mistakes. Either that or they may complete tasks to the required standard, leading to your frustration and decreased productivity.
Failure to Set Expectations
If you don’t lay out your expectations, you’re going to leave your new hires to assume them for you. And that’s a recipe for failure. Plus, it leads to a lot of back-and-forth, which wastes everyone’s time. You need to make sure they leave onboarding knowing exactly what their job is, no question.
Lack of Support
New employees may feel isolated or unsupported if they are not provided with a buddy or point of contact. Not every business in 2025 has the capacity to ensure there is a full FTE dedicated per person.
What does Poor Onboarding do to Your Company?
Not properly onboarding your employees can seem like a minor issue, but in reality, you’ve started a domino reaction of chaos. Poor onboarding isn’t just bad for your employees, it’s even more terrible for your company.
Primarily, a Poor Onboarding Experience can Crush Your New Hire’s Morale.
If their first experience at your company is a mess, it’s going to mess with their head. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment: Imagine showing up to your first day at a new job and no one knows what you’re supposed to do, all you’re given is piles of documentation to fill, but nobody’s telling you about the work culture, ethics, the team you’re to work with, or your line of work. You’re just thrown into the deep end without any support. You’d feel pretty undervalued, wouldn’t you? And honestly, who’d want to stick around in a place like that? You would leave. And, it would hurt the company’s reputation too, because who’s going to recommend a place where they felt lost and unsupported?
But flip that around, and it’s a whole different story. When you feel welcomed and supported from day one, it makes a huge difference. You’re kept in the loop so you feel like you belong like you’re part of something. And that makes you want to work harder and be more engaged.
But the opposite is also true. Think about your employees (you can remove yourself from their shoes now, but keep thinking about them). If they feel ignored or overwhelmed, they would just, disconnect. They start to dread coming in, they’re less productive, and yeah, they might start calling in sick more. And eventually, they just look for something else. It’s a waste for everyone. Especially you.
And it’s not just about feeling good, either.
A good onboarding process makes new employees better at their job, faster
With an understanding of their role and the training they need, they can jump right in and start contributing. However, if they’re left to figure things out on their own, they will make mistakes, at your company’s cost. Things will take longer, and you’ll just feel frustrated. Plus, remember, that your onboarding process is a vital part of your company’s culture. If they don’t feel connected to the company culture, they won’t be as motivated as you want them to be.
Onboarding is a huge deal if you want to retain good hires. Think about it: if their first few weeks at your company are a nightmare, they’re going to start looking elsewhere. And that’s expensive for the company, having to hire and train someone new.
And it’s not just about the money, either. If people are leaving because of bad onboarding, they will tell people about it, and sooner or later, your gist will spread. Online reviews, word of mouth, and social media (particularly X). Your gist will spread, and you will be cast as a company everybody should avoid.
And here’s another thing: it even affects customers.
Yes. Onboarding experience affects even customer relationships. If your employees are happy and well-trained, they’re going to provide better service to your customers, because they know what to do. If they’re miserable and confused, that’s going to show too. Customers can often tell when employees are disengaged.
So, onboarding is really about creating a positive experience, not just for employees, but your your customers, and your company. A properly planned onboarding process is an investment that pays off in so many ways.
The Takeaway.
In essence, onboarding isn’t just another routine procedure; it’s the cornerstone of your company culture and a productive workforce. Ignoring this will unleash a domino effect of damage: destroy employee morale, drive up turnover, expose you to public criticism, and tarnish your company’s image. The ripple effects manifest in customer satisfaction because disengaged employees struggle to deliver quality service. What we’re trying to drive at is, that poor onboarding translates to lost productivity, increased costs, and a significant drain on your company’s potential.
Don’t let your onboarding process become a liability. Invest in creating a structured, supportive, and engaging experience that empowers your new hires from day one. At Proten International, we understand the critical role of effective onboarding in building a successful organization. Our HR Advisory services are designed to help you develop and implement comprehensive onboarding programs that align with your company’s values and goals. We can guide you through every step, from designing structured training plans to fostering a welcoming and inclusive work environment. Let us help you transform your onboarding process into a strategic advantage. Contact Proten International today! Let us build you an engaged, productive workforce ready to drive your company’s success.
