35 Great Statistics About Employee Onboarding
Eddy Team — Updated May 2024
Onboarding a new employee effectively is almost as critical as the recruitment and selection process itself, and it has a significant impact on employee retention. Onboarding practices vary immensely, but a well-structured onboarding process that continues past an employee’s first day can lead to much greater productivity later.
In this article we've gathered a bunch of onboarding statistics from credible sources and research that may help you to decide your own onboarding approach.
Stats on Onboarding & Retention
A poor onboarding experience can fail to achieve employee engagement and result in a new hire seeking other opportunities quickly. The cost of replacing a new employee, in addition to the original cost of hiring, can be very high. An onboarding process can take some time and investment up front; however, the long-term benefits and potential cost-savings are substantial.
An effective formal onboarding process can improve employee engagement and job satisfaction quickly. Strong onboarding helps to address early issues a new hire might be experiencing and increases their commitment. Check out these great onboarding stats:
A strong onboarding process improves employee retention by 82%
Brandon Hall GroupA formal onboarding program can lead to 50% greater employee retention.
Harvard Business ReviewA negative onboarding experience makes employees twice as likely to seek new opportunities soon after starting their new job
DigitateWhen poor onboarding leads to an employee leaving, it can cost up to 200% of the employee’s salary to find a replacement.
SHRMUp to 20% of employee turnover occurs during the first 45 days of work
SHRM17% of employees leave a new job between week four and week twelve of their new role
ZippiaStats on Onboarding Processes
Committed and engaged employees who understand their job and their workplace become more productive, faster.
Strong and structured onboarding processes give employees early understanding of their roles but also support that can improve their motivation. Healthy motivation in a job will always lead to greater productivity and a more vibrant workplace, so check out these great stats:
A strong onboarding process can improve productivity by over 70%
Brandon Hall GroupA formal onboarding program can lead to 62% greater productivity.
Harvard Business ReviewEmployees who rate onboarding at “5” on a 5-point scale are twice as likely to agree they feel prepared and supported to excel in their new job.
Gallup41% of employers believe the lack of a structured onboarding process has a negative impact on their company.
CareerBuilder49% of employers report higher employee engagement from a structured onboarding program
CareerBuilderStats on Onboarding value
There is clear evidence to support the benefit of an effective employee onboarding process, but often onboarding can be an afterthought to the hiring process.
When employees receive just a simple introduction to their workplace, colleagues, and job, the benefits of a longer and more defined onboarding program are overlooked.
Onboarding has the 2nd highest impact, after recruiting, of all HR practices
LinkedIn TalentOnly 12% of employees say their company does a great job of onboarding.
Gallup36% of employers lack a structured onboarding process.
CareerBuilder35% of companies have zero spend on onboarding.
Zippia76% of HR leaders say onboarding practices are not used enough.
Kronos/Human Capital InstituteStats on Onboarding Process
A formal onboarding process might include health and safety documentation and other inductions to workplace practices, as well as setting up an employee’s access to systems and gathering their payroll information.
A strong onboarding process can include other activities such as meetings with managers and colleagues and company culture training. There are also alternative approaches to consider, such as virtual or interactive onboarding techniques, which are especially important in today’s age of remote working.
The average new hire is assigned 41 administrative tasks to complete
ZippiaEmployees are 3.4 times more likely to agree their onboarding experience is exceptional if managers take an active role in the process.
GallupAdvanced onboarding programs can lead to an ROI 10 times higher than traditional programs.
LinkedIn Talent54% of companies have adopted virtual onboarding.
Leena AI56% of new hires say meeting an onboarding buddy just once in 90 days helped them to become productive faster.
SHRM23% of employees who left a job within six months said clearer guidelines on their responsibilities would have encouraged them to stay.
ZippiaStats on Onboarding timeline
There can be many elements of an effective onboarding process, from filling out lengthy paperwork to arranging meetings and conducting on-the-job training. But onboarding can still be perceived as just processes, introductions, and workplace tours that happen in the first few days. In fact, onboarding may also encompass the employee’s entire learning curve that happens from day one on the job until they reach their full productivity.
52% of companies say the length of their onboarding program is one to three months.
Leena AINew employees can take 12 months to reach their full performance potential.
GallupUp to 20% of employee turnover occurs during the first 45 days of work.
SHRMStats on Onboarding Connection
We’re starting to see how onboarding practices differ between employers. Onboarding a new employee can be a quick, paperwork-focused process or a more involved one.
In our digital and remote working age, automated onboarding processes are quickly becoming more common. There is, however, evidence to suggest incorporating a social experience or even social networking into an onboarding program can make an employee more productive.
58% of onboarding programs primarily involve processes and paperwork.
Zippia33% of high-performance onboarding programs include social networking.
Brandon Hall GroupOnly 24% of workers feel connected to their colleagues
Click Boarding56% of new hires say meeting an onboarding buddy just once in 90 days helps them to become productive faster.
SHRM1 in 3 HR professionals say the quality of their onboarding isn’t good enough.
ZavvyStats on Onboarding and Professional Development
We’ve seen that onboarding processes described as strong, advanced, or effective can all lead to much greater productivity and a better ROI for employees. These onboarding processes might include paperwork and meetings, time with colleagues and managers, and they can also include professional development conversations.
A new hire may have been attracted to a job because of the opportunity for career progression. To keep them motivated and help them understand how they achieve their goal, early conversations around how they can develop might be necessary.
A clear plan for professional development makes employees 3.5 times more likely to agree their onboarding process was exceptional.
Gallup77% of employees who had formal onboarding hit their performance goals.
Finances Online66% of employees who have structured onboarding are likely to stay with the company for more than three years.
LinkedIn Talent23% of employees who left a job within six months said clearer guidelines on their responsibilities would have helped them to stay
Zippia60% of companies don’t set goals for new employees.
ZavvyStart Improving Your Onboarding Process Today
You’ve seen the numbers. Now, let’s take a look at a few things you can do to improve the onboarding experience for every new hire who comes your way.
- Treat onboarding as an investment. Many companies don’t put much thought into the onboarding experience, and they end up losing time and money through turnover and lost productivity. Take your time learning how to onboard the right way, and you’ll find that your people are more engaged in their roles and ready to tackle their work. To go the extra mile, collect feedback about the onboarding process so you can continually improve it.
- Provide new hires with social support and a clear career path. Onboarding doesn’t last forever, but it’s a great time to help new hires build connections and get a vision of what their time at your organization will look like. Assigning onboarding buddies and emphasizing your learning and development program will help every hire feel more confident with their new job.
- Automate the onboarding process. New hire paperwork is critical, but often tedious—especially if you’re asking the new employee to fill out paper forms by hand. Make the process smoother for everyone by using onboarding software to sign and store important documents.
Choose a great onboarding software. Eddy’s onboarding software includes digitally-signable documents, secure document storage, trackable task lists, custom first-day messages, and more. Learn how Eddy can help you onboard more efficiently
