The definitive guide to induction

When inducting new employees, you have an average of 44 days to influence their decision to stay long‑term and protect the costs of bringing them on. According to a CIPD report, the average recruiting cost for senior managers and executives is £2,000, and other employees cost £1,500. Additionally, many HR pros (42%) say new employees resign within the first 12 weeks.

Will your new employees stay long enough to justify what you’ve spent on recruiting, hiring and integrating them? Or will first impressions send them for the door, taking your sunk costs with them? It all depends on the quality of your induction programme, which needs to be deliberate, comprehensive, and structured to be effective.

For the best new-employee experience, you’ll also want to align it to your mission, vision and values—like every other employee-focused process at your organisation.

Yet quality induction is a rare, golden opportunity—challenging to deliver well, but worth the effort. According to our survey, new employees’ biggest frustrations about the induction they receive include:

So how can you protect your new employees (and your organisation) from these induction pitfalls?

Here’s everything you need to know to build an induction programme that’s set up to impress and help you retain your hard-earned talent. You’ll learn induction best practice, the benefits of consistent and inclusive induction and practical tools to stay organised while hitting the right notes for every new employee.

Editor’s note: All names and identifying information have been changed to protect privacy. Quotes have been lightly edited for concision and clarity.

What is induction?

As a form of ‘organisational socialisation’, the induction experience marks an often emotional beginning to what will hopefully be a long and fruitful working relationship. Many employees view new roles as a springboard to develop their careers, and induction is a crucial opportunity for both the company and the new employee to make a strong first impression.

Good induction introduces new employees to the expectations, skills, tools, people, culture and other learning resources they need to be successful at your organisation. It also lays the foundation for the relationship and helps new employees anticipate the job’s potential impact on their long‑term career goals.

Employee induction is your opportunity to equip new employees with everything they need to succeed at your company—from welcoming meet‑and‑greets with their immediate co‑workers to clear expectations for how their performance will be measured.

And your efforts won’t go unappreciated: 87% of new employees hope to make a friend at work, which happens more easily when you create early opportunities for connection.

Induction is a critical time for new employees and the organisation, especially during the first seven days. Nearly half (44%) regret their decision to join after the first week, and after the first month, 70% of your new employees will have made their decision to exit or stay.

This number jumps to 95% after the first two months. And remember: choosing to stay doesn’t guarantee new hires will be engaged in their work—some new employees remain despite harbouring regrets.

New-employee induction is your chance as an organisation to confirm the new person’s decision to come on board, commit to your mission and do what you hired them to do—to the best of their ability—for as long as possible. This makes first impressions incredibly important: 62% of employees say their first impressions of a new company are still accurate, and 60% agree that once formed, a first impression is hard to change.

To describe induction as emotional is to acknowledge the universal ‘first‑day jitters’. One in four new employees (23%) will cry within their first week at a new job.

So it’s important to structure those first few weeks with a plan specifically designed to convince new employees your company is worth it—the remuneration package, the mental load, the time, the effort and the emotion.

Whether those tears spring from imposter syndrome, information overload, feeling out of place or being the odd one out on a close‑knit team, a lot can weigh on new employees. As much as possible, induction should alleviate anxieties, not add to them.

Types of induction

For better or worse, your company’s induction processes—formal or informal, virtual or in‑person—will speak volumes about how things are run at your organisation. That doesn’t mean picking one approach and ignoring the rest.

Instead, think about blending the formal with the informal and the virtual with in‑person, for a comprehensive, flexible and inclusive induction programme.

Informal induction

One in five staff (20%) say their company didn’t do anything to facilitate networking or interpersonal support between new employees and their co‑workers. This is an example of an informal, unstructured approach.

New companies may default to this, but sticking with this style of induction gets messy quickly.

• Without structure, important paperwork falls through the cracks.
• No point person means workstations aren’t set up on time.
• New employees’ time‑to‑productivity takes longer than necessary.
• Poor or incomplete training leads to preventable errors.
• Turnover starts inhibiting organisational growth and affecting the bottom line.

However, the benefits of an informal approach can include:

• more opportunities for personalisation and adaptability where a rigid structure isn’t working for an individual
• ongoing, informal communication about how the new hire is feeling and developing—especially outside a defined induction timeline.

Formal induction

Formal induction processes address the costly pitfalls of an overly informal approach by providing clearer structure and oversight, including:

• a defined induction time frame with specific timelines and milestones,
• a structured process for completing new‑employee paperwork,
• scheduled training sessions, workshops and shadowing opportunities,
• scheduled, staggered check‑ins, performance assessments and feedback sessions, and
• assigned mentors, guides, or ‘induction buddies’.

The downsides of a strictly formal process can include inflexibility, impersonality and the exclusivity of standardised approaches to education, training and socialisation. That’s why it’s important to recognise the benefits of an informal approach as you train managers, mentors and others on their role in induction for new employees.

So how do you choose between the two? We recommend leading with a structured, formal process but leaving room for personalisation. You’ll have accounted for all the necessities and streamlined processes as much as possible, which then gives you time to focus on welcoming and integrating people into an established organisation with a more personal touch.

Virtual vs in‑person induction

Emphasising a human touch is especially important when most of your induction efforts must translate to a virtual environment. Thankfully, modern technology and proven ‘pandemic‑tested’ methods for connecting across distances can help you create a virtual experience that’s every bit as attentive and effective as an in‑person experience.

Every induction best practice in this guide still applies, as do the goals for new employees, including:

• Familiarising them with the company culture.
• Helping them complete the necessary induction documents.
• Providing tools, training and guidance to get up to speed.
• Helping them feel included and welcome.

In-person induction activities

• office tour
• introductory team lunch
• signing physical induction paperwork
• workstation setup and IT support
• job shadowing and mentor check‑ins

Virtual induction activities

• welcome video
• food delivery gift cards and virtual meet-and-greet
• digital preboarding packs with e-signatures
• equipment delivery in time for first day
• regular virtual 1:1s and pairing sessions with mentor

The difference between orientation and induction

Though often used interchangeably, ‘induction’ and ‘orientation’ are distinct, with orientation a subset of activities within the wider induction programme.

Orientation

Orientation focuses on completing necessary paperwork and providing basic information about the company, including:

• history, mission, vision and values,
• policies, procedures and benefits,
• organisational structure,
• workplace rules, and
• safety guidelines.

Orientation can be as simple as sending an introductory packet before the first day or scheduling group sessions during the first week. The primary goal is to familiarise new employees with immediate expectations and help them navigate their new environment.

Induction

Induction is the more comprehensive, long‑term process that extends beyond initial orientation activities. It’s designed to integrate new employees into the company culture, help them understand their roles and responsibilities and facilitate a successful transition into the organisation.

Induction can last for weeks or months, depending on the role and organisation. It involves ongoing support, training and resources to ensure productivity, engagement and retention.

Induction may include a mix of short‑ and long‑term activities, including:

• Introductions to key team members
• Mentorship programmes
• Role-specific workplace training
• Goal‑setting
• Performance feedback
• Continuous communication to address challenges or concerns

How long is the induction process?

An induction programme can run from a week to several months. Some organisations may even schedule induction activities across the employee’s first year. What works best depends on the role and organisation.

Employees themselves are fairly divided on what they like best: 86% of employees prefer having at least some time to ramp up, but more than half (56%) say they need just one or two days to ease in.

36% want a slower, more gradual process before being expected to perform their full responsibilities, but 30% expressed frustration with lengthy induction, citing boredom or feeling excluded.

Our survey also revealed some interesting preferences among employees across age groups, with younger generations more likely to prefer diving into work on day one.

22% of Gen Z are eager to get to work immediately, compared to lower rates for Millennials (15%), Gen Xers (13%), and Baby Boomers (12%).

So how do you find the right timeline for your employees?

Collect feedback from new employees, so you know what to tweak or overhaul about your process. Create specific goals for what you hope to achieve. It’ll be easier to measure and improve the strong and weak areas of a defined programme than to fine-tune an ad hoc approach.

Instead, use a structured timeline that covers the following four phases.

What should an induction plan address?

According to the BambooHR + TalentLMS report, the strongest factor shaping a new employee’s impression of induction is belonging and connection—53% of employees said feeling welcomed by their team was the top driver of belonging, followed closely by manager support (48%) and role clarity (47%).

A recent meta-analysis likewise finds social acceptance is the most important external factor in shaping belonging. In other words, people need to feel they’re part of the team in order to succeed.

Successful induction rests on four cornerstones: clarity, a culture of belonging, mentoring and support and fostering proactive contribution.

Clarity

Taking the time to help new employees understand their role from day one means they can begin contributing more quickly. Without clarity—about their role, your expectations and the organisation’s structure—even the most experienced new employee will struggle to find their footing.

Encouraging them to set work goals gives new employees a sense of control over their progress and shows you care about their success. Regular one-to-one meetings with managers ensure this clear communication continues well beyond the first few weeks.

Culture of belonging

Your organisation’s mission, vision and values should guide how you introduce new employees to both the formal and informal ways of working. A strong, positive company culture makes people feel included and connected.

Belonging goes beyond learning names on an org chart. It’s about building authentic, collaborative relationships and creating an environment of psychological safety.

According to the report, 61% of new employees say making friends at work matters to them, peaking at 66% among Gen Z. Those connections can be the difference between someone feeling like just another headcount and someone becoming an engaged contributor who’s ready to thrive.

Encouraging connections to their colleagues and the company culture will mean the difference between someone feeling like just another headcount and someone becoming an engaged contributor who’s ready to thrive.

Mentoring and support

Personal connections cement a sense of belonging. Whether through a buddy scheme, employee network, or structured mentorship, dedicated support makes a lasting impact on employee performance and overall wellbeing.

Regular informal check-ins, alongside structured surveys, help you understand how new employees are experiencing induction and where adjustments may be needed. When managers are actively engaged, new employees are 3.4 times more likely to describe their induction as exceptional.

Proactive contribution

Some new employees naturally take initiative. But not everyone arrives with the same level of confidence. A well-designed induction process helps all employees feel safe to ask questions and empowered to contribute.

By providing clarity, consistent support and a warm cultural welcome, you create the environment where proactive behaviours can flourish—and where every new employee feels both valued and ready to succeed.

How to induct new employees in 10 steps

These ten steps span the four phases and touch on all four cornerstones of induction to help you deliver a smooth experience and a strong return on your hiring investment.

1. Write a detailed job description

This will echo the job posting that brought the new hire to you in the first place, but must now include clear, detailed and immediately applicable descriptions of the role’s expectations and responsibilities. Managers and supervisors will also use this to evaluate employee performance.

Imagine the new hire referring to this document daily as they learn their role. Leave nothing out that they’ll need to do the job to your standards and needs.

2. Craft a compelling job offer

Be ready to send the offer immediately after you inform the candidate you’ve decided to hire them. To speed things up while maintaining standards, start with a template that includes formalities such as terms of employment, pay and other relevant details.

Make sure you can easily customise your template to include personal, genuine and specific details from the new employee’s interview process. This will create a truly compelling job offer that results in an emphatic ‘Yes!’

3. Create a pre-induction process

Establishing a pre-induction process makes the transition smoother for new employees and gets admin out of the way, so you can focus on creating the best experience for their first day.

For example, BambooHR^® Onboarding starts before day one with automated preboarding packs, e‑signatures, ‘Get to Know You’ questionnaires and more.

4. Make a good first impression

At this point, you’ve made a strong enough impression to secure an accepted offer, but now’s your chance to plan a welcome that confirms their decision.

Providing the practical tools and resources your new employees need is standard, but you have 44 days to do even better—that’s the average time it takes for a new hire to solidify their first impression of a new company.

Failing to make a good first impression can leave new employees feeling misaligned or uncertain about their future at a company. We interviewed over 40 employees about their induction experiences. Blake’s story (not their real name) highlights the importance of honouring the information employees provide about their identities.

When Blake started a new job, they were pleased to be given the option to select non‑binary pronouns in their paperwork, but they were soon disappointed by how that information was (or wasn’t) communicated to their new co‑workers. ‘She/her pronouns were still mostly used’, said Blake, ‘which kind of stinks’.

Although they tried to assume the best by acknowledging that some colleagues may have been unaware, the experience still stung. ‘It just didn’t feel great on my part—like my identity wasn’t honoured’.

5. Establish your organisation’s culture and values

If you want an exceptional workplace where great work gets done, it’s imperative to cultivate a strong company culture with clear and impactful values. Nearly all (96%) new employees want and expect their induction to include an introduction to the organisation’s mission and values.

The best way to land the message is to share examples of how the values have guided decisions in the past and continue to direct day‑to‑day operations. Emphasise that everyone is accountable to the values—especially leadership.

In another employee interview, Tanya recalled watching a welcome video featuring the CEO. ‘It was maybe just a minute long, but in that video he was very specific about how he supported minorities and diversity. That stood out because the message wasn’t just about the company, but also about the employees and how he supported them wherever they were on their journey’.

6. Introduce your new hire to the team

Relationships are crucial for new employees to feel connected and supported. Encourage open communication and provide opportunities for new employees to ask questions and get to know their colleagues.

For example, HR can organise introductions and meetings (virtual or in‑person) with team members, managers and key stakeholders.

After a decade‑long break from retail, Henrietta returned to the industry as an older employee with a lot of questions. Her new employer built connections with her team, so she had the support she needed.

‘Everything was very positive. No question was too stupid or minor. They answered them all and were very helpful with training me on all the devices and teaching me how to use all this new technology. I felt extremely supported’.

7. Plan a training schedule

A training schedule ensures no crucial skill or information is overlooked, which reduces risk for both your organisation and your new employee, too. Include general orientation topics like organisation policies and procedures and role-specific training.

Provide resources, online modules, or assign mentors to guide new employees through the training process. As for content, Marcus had some advice: ‘There’s always some super cheesy videos, but I do like when the information is more socially conscious. If there’s unconscious bias trainings, racism trainings, harassment trainings—I think those things are important’.

Marcus went on to explain how he mistrusts organizations that present themselves as a perfect workplace where nothing goes wrong, and advises companies to be realistic about the ways they’ll need to protect and advocate for their different employees. ‘It’s really just about making the person feel welcome and safe’.

8. Set expectations around the role and performance

Clearly communicate expectations around the new employee’s role and performance. Managers should use the role description to do the following:

• Set goals, objectives and performance metrics that align with the organisation’s overall objectives.
• Provide regular feedback and guidance to help new employees understand how they’re progressing and what areas they can focus on to improve.

This process works best as an ongoing conversation. When Erik joined a new company, he was impressed by how open and easy‑going the leaders were.

‘We had weekly meetings about how I feel here, if there’s anything I need and if there’s anything that doesn’t meet my expectations—or if there’s something they had to tell me about expectations. It was a very two‑way process that made me feel very comfortable. My superiors would always be open to working with me to try to make me feel as comfortable as possible’.

These regular touchpoints ensured that Erik felt included throughout the entire onboarding process.

9. Provide ongoing support and feedback

Connection is crucial: 86% of new employees appreciate support from an induction buddy—and those connections can provide ongoing support long after the original period ends. Setting a check‑in cadence for managers also helps new employees feel valued and supported as you give them opportunities to receive and provide feedback early and often throughout the process.

Having an attentive supervisor made all the difference in Lyle’s experience. ‘My current manager did a really good job at making the process really easy, relaxed and comfortable. She pretty much walked me through it step by step and it really helped. She was always available for questions if I had any’.

10. Repeat when necessary

Undergoing induction again is helpful when employees have been away for a period, transition to a new role or there are substantial organisational changes. It can involve revisiting training, setting new goals, or providing additional resources.

Regularly assess progress and adjust as needed to support long‑term success.

Think of induction as an ongoing commitment to supporting and developing employees, not just a checklist. When you offload and automate checklists with induction software, you free up time to focus on truly effective, human‑to‑human induction—and you enjoy a paperless process.

The top nine benefits of effective induction

Focusing on the quality of induction is a smart way to make an immediate impact. The best induction pays off in meaningful, lasting ways:

1. increased employee engagement and productivity
2. increased loyalty and long‑term retention
3. improved understanding of roles and expectations
4. strong culture and team dynamics
5. more efficient recruitment
6. confident, capable employees who feel at home and included
7. increased transparency into company operations and objectives
8. a strong sense of trust among the employees you’ve invested in
9. reduced workload for other teams and increased efficiency overall

On a personal level, the best induction also creates an inclusive culture where every employee can thrive. A few interviewees shared how HR can create an inclusive experience.

Jon shared, ‘We focused on training and not so much on my identity,’ he said. ‘I don’t think my identity played a role in any of these interactions at all, which is what I wanted’.

Lyle spoke of his induction experience as someone with autism: ‘It’s useful to be able to categorise things, but when you’re supporting an employee who’s just starting, you want to support that employee—not their demographic. I felt very supported because they weren’t trying to support my autism specifically. They were just trying to support my needs as an employee’, he said.

‘Another thing is they just handed out solutions without demanding explanations for why I needed them’.

Expert tips for improving the induction process

Many (79%) HR professionals know if a job is going to be a good fit within the first month, compared with 65% of other workers. That might be because the signs are easier to spot when you work in employee experience—which makes it all the more unfortunate when poor induction repels the very people best placed to improve it.

So how do you begin improving induction at your company?

Keep track of what works and what doesn’t

A standardised process won’t fit every situation. Your induction should evolve with the changing needs of your organisation and even the individual needs of your new employees.

Regularly review and update your programme to incorporate best practice, industry trends and stakeholder feedback. Stay up to date with tools and new technology that enhance the induction experience.

Define trackable metrics to gauge success

Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) or metrics to measure the effectiveness of your induction programme. Examples include retention rates, time‑to‑productivity, engagement levels and feedback scores.

By tracking these metrics, you can evaluate the impact of your induction efforts and identify areas for improvement.

Be receptive to feedback and quick to accommodate

Create a culture of open communication from day one by actively seeking feedback from new employees and stakeholders. Encourage them to share experiences, suggestions and concerns during or immediately after induction. Be responsive to feedback and make necessary adjustments to address issues or gaps.

For Emma, one of our interviewees, a new role came with an overwhelming amount of online training—much of it irrelevant to her role. ‘It’s hours and hours of training that I have to do on my own, outside work hours,’ she said. ‘It’s just something that everybody had to do’.

In situations like this, HR has an opportunity—and a responsibility—to seek feedback and advocate for more efficient practices that improve the employee experience.

If requesting feedback from a large group of employees or new employees, provide an anonymous route to encourage honest feedback—the most useful kind of feedback when your goal is improvement.

Discover the best tools for induction

Truly effective induction is standardised but flexible. And it’s the humans on your team—recruiting managers, line managers, mentors and colleagues—who supply the personal touch.

But when you use HR software for new employees, much of the formal standardisation comes pre‑built with automated workflows and other time‑saving features.

Some features include:

• custom offer‑letter templates
• personalised welcome emails
• total rewards statements
• pre‑assembled digital new-starter packs
• digital right to work paperwork and e‑signatures
• automated self‑boarding checklists
• post‑induction new‑hire surveys
• digital document storage and organisation

With BambooHR^®, you get all of the above and more—including a ‘Get to Know You’ questionnaire as part of the pre-induction packet.

This gives new people a head start on introducing themselves to colleagues and it’s the kind of seamless, automated experience new employees expect: 97% of our respondents say it’s important for induction to include tools and software the company uses to streamline the process and 81% call it ‘crucial’.

New employees shouldn’t have to learn their way around your company the hard way. Give them the welcome and tools they need to have a positive experience—and watch them thrive alongside your organisation.

Induction FAQs

Who should be involved in employee induction?

Everyone plays a part in helping new employees feel welcome and comfortable, but key contributors will be HR, recruiting managers, mentors and the co‑workers they’ll partner with day to day.

Can you start induction before the employee’s first day?

Absolutely. With pre‑boarding packs, you can get admin and formalities out of the way, so the first day can focus on connections and culture.

How do you develop an induction process for the first time?

Start by defining clear objectives and a way to measure success. Then create a structured plan that incorporates culture, provides necessary resources and builds in feedback for continuous improvement.