Historically, onboarding was almost non-existent. It evolved from a simple orientation process which, though it gave a brief about the organization’s history and culture, lacked structured approaches to assimilate new hires into their roles or the organization. The term ‘Onboarding’ originated in the 1970s and has gained prominence since the 1990s when companies realized the importance of properly integrating new hires into their roles and the organization.
The advancement of onboarding took a giant leap with technological advancements. In the early years, onboarding was purely face-to-face or written documents. But the dawn of the internet era saw the rise of virtual onboarding, allowing global companies to onboard employees from any corner of the world.
Over the years, companies have started recognizing the significant correlation between effective onboarding and employee engagement and retention. This led to increasing innovation in the onboarding process such as ‘Buddy or Mentor Programs’ or ‘First 100 days onboarding plan’.
The 21st century introduced a new era of onboarding. Business leaders have started to realize that onboarding is more than just paperwork. It’s about welcoming, training and giving the necessary tools for the new hires to swiftly adapt and feel like part to the organization. It’s about creating a lasting first impression.
The global pandemic of 2020 and the shift towards a majority remote workforce further changed the landscape and accelerated the move towards virtual onboarding. This challenged leaders to make the remote onboarding process as engaging and effective as the traditional face-to-face onboarding. This evolution is still ongoing and it is expected that the onboarding process will continue to adapt to the needs of the virtual workforce.
Overall, the onboarding process has shifted from being a mundane administrative task to a strategic function, impacting the engagement, productivity, and retention of the new hires. This revolution in onboarding signifies the importance of leadership in guiding new hires every step of their journey from their first day.