New starters want structure, context, connection, the chance to be themselves, and the chance to ask questions, not just a smooth admin process.
When organisations design onboarding, the needs of the company are often the starting point. What forms need filling in, what do HR and IT need to do, how will the new starter best slot into existing structures, and where can AI support us?
These are all fair questions, but even better results come from looking at things from the new starter's perspective. What will make them feel welcome, included and part of the team right away? What gets them up to speed fast, so they feel confident and empowered to contribute from day one? And how do you build a consistent process where people understand what's expected of them, and what their goals are going forward?
To get this right, you need to put yourself in the mind of the new starter. Every person has unique needs, but there are five things all new starters want, regardless of where they are in their career.
1. An onboarding structure, so they can prepare and start planning their career journey
Starting a new job can be an anxious time. Knowing exactly what's expected of you in your first few months can turn a daunting prospect into an exciting one. Giving a new starter a 90-day pre-boarding and onboarding plan online helps them prepare and feel confident, especially when that plan focuses on more than admin, weaving in scheduled meetings with key colleagues and L&D planning sessions alongside the practical setup. It also helps new joiners start planning not just how they'll thrive in their role, but how they'll build their career with your company.
It's just as important for the other people in the process, from buddies to line managers, to have their own onboarding plans. When managers have a checklist for each starter, from setting up IT equipment to checking in regularly, every new hire gets properly embedded and no-one slips through the net. Personalised, automated checklists, built into an online onboarding portal like Eli, make these plans easier for everyone to manage and easier to track. If you're not sure where to start, AI can help build that first plan.
2. To understand how they fit into the organisation, and the role they'll play in it
Once you've been at a company for a while, it's easy to forget everything you didn't know when you first joined. From your organisation's strategic plan to recent innovations and success stories, new starters need the chance to take in a huge amount of information in a way that's genuinely engaging.
Above all, that information needs to be personalised to them, so they aren't left sinking under a wave of content that isn't relevant. An onboarding site can host manager briefing videos on goals and major projects, alongside content that brings the company's mission and values to life and shows how they're lived day to day. Employee-generated video makes it easy to build a bank of content that feeds each new starter relevant, up-to-date information from people in their own team or department, cheaply and easily.
3. The ability to connect with others and build networks
Nothing builds a new starter's sense of inclusion and belonging like connecting with others in their team and beyond. A digital platform is especially useful here for hybrid workforces. As well as a messaging service where line managers and buddies can start two-way conversations with new starters, an online onboarding system like Eli can host social walls where new joiners interact directly, from graduates comparing notes on house shares near the office to parent returners sharing childcare recommendations.
Welcome videos from CEOs, division or team leaders all help build inclusion too. “Meet the team” pages, with job titles, photos and a few fun facts, help break the ice. Then there are the simple things: coffee, drinks or lunch meetups, in person or online, before and after the new joiner's start date.
Even without a portal, think about how you can connect people before day one, LinkedIn being one simple option. Imagine if everyone in a new hire's team connected with them before day one. That's the kind of small gesture that makes pre-boarding feel personal.
4. The chance to be themselves
Everyone wants to feel included and valued at work, so making sure new starters from every background genuinely believe they're joining an organisation where they can thrive really matters.
Sharing information on your Employee Resource Networks, with links so new starters can join the ones that interest them, gives people support from day one. Think too about how inclusive your onboarding process actually is. Does it give everyone an equal footing from day one?
For example, does it ask new starters whether they need any workplace adjustments, particularly important for less visible needs such as invisible disabilities? Is there pre-learning to help people who haven't worked in an organisation like yours get up to speed faster? Video content on your onboarding platform should include the widest possible range of voices, alongside clear information on your equality policies.
5. The chance to ask questions and get feedback
Two-way communication before your new joiner starts, and through their vital first few months, is key to engagement, retention and performance. That's why it matters to build in planned interactions between each new starter and their buddy and line manager. Regular feedback sessions with managers help keep things on track, flag any training that's needed, and plan for each person's development going forward. Group Q&A sessions, online or in person, are also useful, and let you capture common questions to feed back into your onboarding content so it becomes more useful and relevant over time.
Onboarding is about a lot more than forms and processes. Putting the new starter, their needs, their feelings, their talents and their potential, at the centre of your onboarding strategy drives inclusion, performance and retention. Ask yourself: will the experience you're providing excite, connect, include and empower them?
FAQs
What do new starters want most from onboarding?
Structure, context, connection, the chance to be themselves, and the chance to ask questions and get feedback. Onboarding built around admin alone misses what actually makes new starters feel confident and included.
Why does a 90-day onboarding plan matter?
It turns a daunting first few months into a clear, structured journey, for the new starter and for the managers and buddies supporting them, so nobody slips through the net and everyone knows what's expected.
How can you help new starters build connections early?
Give them ways to connect with their team before day one, whether that's a messaging platform, a social wall, welcome videos, or something as simple as everyone on the team connecting on LinkedIn ahead of their start date.
How can onboarding support inclusion from day one?
By sharing information on Employee Resource Networks, asking about workplace adjustments early, offering pre-learning for those newer to your kind of organisation, and making sure onboarding content reflects a genuinely wide range of voices.
