Imagine a new employee on their first day with their new company, either in-office or remote. They receive a lot of emails and a half-hearted introduction. After sitting at their desk for hours with no direction, a former co-worker texts them to ask how it's going. Do you think they'll have something positive to say? 

Unfortunately, this is a common scenario. About a third of all new employees leave before 90 days on the job, according to Gallup.

Onboarding is a critical time for new employees. They're not only getting up to speed on processes and procedures, but they're also forming opinions about the company they've joined. If they don't feel guided and supported from day one, there's a chance they will soon leave.

From day one, new hires should know that they are a valued part of the team and are supported as they acclimate to their role. But it goes beyond a warm welcome—new employees are anxious to learn, integrate and achieve. They want to demonstrate their abilities and bring value to the business as soon as possible.

Here's how to create a mutually beneficial onboarding journey: 

1) Make it a defined program. Be intentional in what new employees will experience 30, 60 or 90 days in. Include expectations and priorities. What key performance indicators (KPIs) will they be measured on? How can they track their own progress or measure their learning? And where can they get extra support on challenging concepts? Make it clear that onboarding is a priority and part of their job performance. New hires should understand milestones and feel productive right from the start. 

2) Include leaders. One-on-one meetings with managers, mentors and executives can help uncover goals, priorities, challenges and other key areas for each business or team. 

3) Make it part of your culture. Ensure that the company culture is clearly demonstrated and reinforced by regularly communicating company performance and growth initiatives. Find ways to build community and rapport, such as team lunches, Zoom happy hours for remote employees or gifts for workers across locations. 

4) Emphasize accountability. Part of employee onboarding is making expectations clear. Communicate what's required and who will confirm that milestones or KPIs are achieved. Also, demonstrate when new hires are expected to perform tasks for their roles with little or no supervision. 

5) Add consistent recognition. A certificate, congratulatory lunch or just a callout at a staff meeting are all good ways to recognize completion of onboarding milestones. Acknowledgment shouldn't come just from leaders; include peers, direct reports and even clients in the celebration.

6) Don't limit recognition to job performance. It's natural to congratulate employees for achieving KPIs, but add in congratulations for more general milestones too, such as their first six months on the job or first solo client meeting. 

7) Personalize support. Hold regular check-ins to ask about the training experience and offer feedback on performance. If a new hire is struggling, spend time with your employee to answer questions, offer insights or clear up confusion. When the manager takes an active role in onboarding, employees are 3.4 times as likely to feel like their onboarding process was successful, according to Gallup.  

Employees who felt their onboarding was highly effective were 18 times more likely to feel highly committed to the organization, according to a Bamboo HR study. And 38% more employees who experienced effective onboarding were confident in their ability to do their jobs, compared to those who had ineffective onboarding.

A positive onboarding experience perpetuates outside your company walls, leading to employee referrals, better service for clients and a stronger company culture.

Bryan Lake is vice president of talent advisory at MarshBerry.