An employee’s onboarding experience sets the tone for their employment. A great experience can ease their transition, encourage engagement, promote high performance and support retention.

A successful onboarding experience informs employees about compliance, clarification, culture, and connection. It requires clear goals and measures, teamwork across the organisation and ongoing support.

Taking a tailored approach to onboarding is a key component of creating a good experience, as everyone’s situation, role and needs will be different.

You can create a positive onboarding experience by:

  • considering what a good experience looks like in your agency
  • understanding your responsibilities
  • identifying who is responsible for each action (manager, HR, ICT) and communicating with them regularly
  • personalising the employee experience by understanding their circumstances and connecting with them
  • checking if the employee requires reasonable adjustments
  • proactively asking for feedback throughout the onboarding process
  • adhering to your agency’s policies.

Use these resources to help you at every stage of onboarding.

Preparing for a new employee

Plan for a great onboarding experience by following this guidance.

The first week with a new employee

Find out what you should consider to support a smooth start for a new employee.

The first 90 days with a new employee

Guidance to support ongoing engagement and retention with employees in their first 3 months.

Check your organisation's policies and procedures

Your organisation might have specific policies and procedures you need to adhere to when onboarding an employee. Speak to your organisation’s HR team to understand your obligations.

Recruitment and selection guide