We talk a lot about employee experience: culture, engagement, retention.
But here’s the truth: employee experience starts long before someone’s first performance review. It starts on Day 1.
So if your onboarding still looks like a checklist and a slide deck, it’s not onboarding; it’s paperwork. Onboarding is not orientation. It is your new hire’s first real experience of your culture, your expectations, and your leadership.
What we’re seeing in the market
Onboarding often stops after the first week, right when the real work and real learning begin.
New hires feel informed, but not truly connected or confident in their role or their team.
Managers aren’t equipped to guide the first 90 days, often because they lack a clear roadmap, the right tools, or defined expectations for their role in onboarding.
Touchpoints are inconsistent, which leads to very different experiences across teams and departments.
Engagement starts dipping before the first milestone, typically the 60 to 90 day mark, when employees expect to feel settled, supported, and able to contribute meaningfully.
These aren’t small misses.
They are early indicators of avoidable turnover, slower ramp-up, and unclear expectations.
A better way forward
It is time to start designing onboarding as an experience.
The strongest onboarding programs operate from a clear playbook that is intentional, user-centered, and continuously improved.
Great onboarding is:
Built with the end goal in mind: retention, performance, and culture integration
Owned cross-functionally, not solely by HR.
Designed for feedback and iteration, not a one-time process.
One of our clients recently implemented a simple 30-60-90 framework to guide new hires and managers. The result? Faster ramp-up, better alignment, and dramatically stronger early engagement. Small shifts create a big impact.
What new hires tell us
In our New Hire Acceleration Coaching program, participants consistently validate the impact of a structured onboarding experience. One recent hire shared:
“Coaching helped immensely as I transitioned into my new role. It gave me clarity around my responsibilities, helped me stay organized, and pushed me out of my comfort zone early on.”
Another described the experience as a trusted, objective space to reflect, problem-solve, and stay aligned during the first 90 days; something that is rarely built into traditional onboarding.
These insights echo what the market is telling us:
When onboarding is intentional, supported, and structured, people contribute faster, feel more connected, and stick around longer.
How we support organizations
At Talent Growth Partners, we help clients build onboarding experiences that make people feel supported rather than overwhelmed, empowered rather than compliant. Because how you welcome people sets the tone for how they show up.