A Bad Onboarding Experience Sets Employees Up for Failure

Avoid Starting the First Day Fully Remote Without Support

While remote-first companies are common, the first day should never feel isolating. Employees often begin Day One with limited context, unclear expectations, and natural nerves and adding technical issues on top of that can sour the entire experience.

Better practices:

• If possible, host Day One in person or bring remote hires onsite for onboarding
• If remote is the only option, allow employees to log into their equipment the day before to confirm access
• Schedule welcome conversations and introductions early in the day so no one starts their job alone or confused

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Don’t Delay Introductions

A new hire should be welcomed visibly and promptly. Delayed introductions can leave people feeling awkward or disconnected from the team.

Better practices:

• Announce new hires to the team on their first day
• Encourage teammates to send welcome messages
• In remote environments, consider a short welcome call for the immediate team or department‍

Early acknowledgment signals belonging and removes the intimidation of reaching out cold to unfamiliar coworkers.

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Don’t Overload Employees With HR Tasks

While compliance requirements are unavoidable, front-loading an entire week with HR training can leave new employees feeling isolated from the actual work they were hired to do.

Better practices:

• Distribute HR tasks across the first few days or weeks
• Let employees complete some items before Day One if possible
• Balance administrative tasks with meaningful team interactions and project onboarding

This helps employees stay connected to the mission and prevents the role from feeling like an endless checklist.

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Don’t Expect Employees to Learn Everything at Once

Huge onboarding checklists and hours of pre-recorded meetings can be overwhelming. Employees need time to absorb context through conversation, collaboration, and real work, not just through documentation.

Better practices:

• Introduce key concepts first, and let secondary information come later
• Prioritize live conversations over long libraries of recordings
• Provide clear guidance for what needs to be learned immediately versus what can wait

A paced approach helps employees build confidence quickly.

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Don’t Throw New Hires Into Uncontextualized “Shadowing” Meetings

Inviting new hires to random meetings without background is rarely productive. Without explanation or context, “shadowing” becomes stressful rather than educational

Better practices:

• Start with dedicated onboarding conversations or team briefings tailored to the new hire
• Give context before every meeting they attend
• Ensure at least one person is assigned to pause and explain what’s happening

Intentional, guided onboarding accelerates learning far more effectively than passive observation

The Cost of Poor Onboarding

Negative onboarding experiences can leave employees feeling overwhelmed, unwelcome, and disconnected from both their team and their craft. Over time, this can diminish creativity, motivation, and even confidence in their abilities.

Conversely, a well-structured, welcoming onboarding process can energize employees, strengthen engagement, and reaffirm their passion for the work. Starting people off on the right foot pays dividends in morale, productivity, and retention.

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