Don't miss McQuaig's upcoming onboarding webinar "Onboarding That Sticks: Hacks to Boost Retention from Day One" on June 10th at 1PM ET.
For more information or to register please click here.
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Onboarding is a key phase in the employee lifecycle, setting the tone for a new hire's experience and long-term engagement. However, many HR professionals grapple with making this process seamless and effective. Let's delve into the common challenges faced during onboarding and explore how McQuaig's tools can offer solutions.
When onboarding is done well, it sets the foundation for how fast an employee will find their feet and take their place within a team. But too often, organizations run into avoidable pitfalls that undermine even the best hiring efforts. Let’s take a look at some of the most common onboarding challenges and how they can impact new hires.
These challenges highlight just how complex onboarding can be when it lacks structure, feedback, and personalization. By addressing each of these areas thoughtfully, HR teams can create a smoother, more supportive transition for new employees—laying the groundwork for stronger performance and longer tenure from day one.
Ineffective onboarding has tangible negative impacts on employee retention and organizational costs that can include:
These stats paint a clear picture: ineffective onboarding leads to disengagement, early exits, and significant financial strain. Prioritizing a thoughtful, structured onboarding experience isn’t a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative for retention, productivity, and long-term success.
McQuaig offers a suite of tools designed to address these challenges, ensuring a more effective and personalized onboarding process:
Together, these tools create a more engaging, structured, and responsive onboarding journey. With McQuaig, HR teams can go beyond checklists to deliver experiences that build confidence, foster connection, and set employees up for long-term success—starting from day one.
Tailoring the onboarding experience to reflect each new hire’s strengths, learning style, and development goals helps employees feel seen and supported from day one. When new team members receive relevant, role-specific guidance and opportunities to connect meaningfully with their teams, they ramp up faster, feel more confident in their contributions, and are more likely to stay long term.
As Sarah Wetzel, Director of Human Resources at engage:BDR, puts it:
“I truly believe that onboarding is an art. Each new employee brings with them a potential to achieve and succeed. To lose the energy of a new hire through poor onboarding is an opportunity lost.”
This kind of mindset underscores the power of thoughtful, individualized onboarding experiences. Organizations that invest in this approach lay the groundwork for stronger engagement, better performance, and a more connected culture.
A well-designed onboarding experience sets the tone for how employees feel about their role, their team, and the organization as a whole. When done right, it builds confidence, fosters connection, and accelerates performance — all while reducing costly turnover.
By addressing the common pitfalls of onboarding and embracing a more structured, personalized, and feedback-driven approach, HR professionals can transform the new hire experience into a powerful driver of engagement and retention. Tools like McQuaig make it easier to deliver tailored onboarding journeys that align with each individual’s unique strengths and development needs.
Ultimately, great onboarding isn't just about getting employees up to speed — it's about setting them up to thrive.