Onboarding vs. orientation: What's the difference?

Employee onboarding

The employee onboarding process occurs when a new employee is hired. The onboarding process acquaints a new hire with an organization, including its procedures, departments and overall corporate culture.

Onboarding is a multistep strategic process that acclimates an employee to the ins and outs of an organization before diving into an unfamiliar role, helping the new hire adjust to that role more effectively and efficiently. Besides improving operational output, proper onboarding boosts employee engagement and satisfaction, promoting long-term employee retention.

Not surprisingly, poor onboarding has the reverse effect. According to Paychex, 80% of new hires who reported feeling under-trained due to a poor onboarding process planned to quit soon, compared to only 7% of new employees who felt well-trained.

Effective onboarding starts well before an employee's first day with preboarding, which provides general information on the company and the new hire's role. Preboarding typically covers the time that spans from when an employee receives the offer letter to their first day at work.

Onboarding doesn't solely involve a new employee either; properly conducted, the process includes informing and preparing the employee's team about the new hire and departmental changes, along with addressing any questions or concerns.

Done well, onboarding is a powerful organizational retention tool. On the flipside, a poor onboarding experience creates a negative picture of the company and, if the experience is bad enough, often leads to quick quitting, or leaving a new job within months.

The time required to complete an onboarding plan varies depending on an organization's needs and the type of role an employee is about to enter, but several weeks to a few months from the employee's official start date is a reasonable range.

The onboarding process typically involves several steps, including the following:

• Furnish an employee with any technology or equipment needed to perform job duties, including any device such as a laptop or company phone, and access to essential software programs.
• Introduce an employee to colleagues and the organizational structure, including different departments and heads, emphasizing the new hire's direct team and manager.
• Provide resources to an employee, such as insurance enrollment information, the employee handbook and any extra company benefits and programs.
• Explain the organization's mission and values, and their importance in the employee's daily role.
• Establish initial goals and objectives for an employee, such as a 30-60-90 day plan.

Employee orientation

Employee orientation is a related -- but unique -- part of a new employee's organizational journey. While onboarding refers to integrating a new hire into a company, employee orientation refers to a specific part of the onboarding process -- usually an employee's first official day -- that familiarizes them with their job.

While onboarding is a multistep process, orientation is a one-time event during which a new employee is introduced to the job and given all necessary information to continue the onboarding process. Orientation is typically handled by an HR department member and comprises an itinerary of activities.

To offset the vast amount of information that sometimes overwhelms a new hire during orientation, HR focuses on welcoming the employee and recognizing the new hire's situation, providing resources and reassurance to foster the best possible start.

As noted, the orientation process typically entails introductory activities, among them:

• An orientation agenda.
• New hire paperwork, including handbooks and company resources.
• Key company policies and practices.
• Workplace access, such as a key fob for onsite employees or logins for remote workers.
• Introductory meetings with colleagues and managers.
• A brief history of or introduction to the company.
• An agenda for the larger onboarding process.

Tips for successful employee onboarding and orientation

Successfully onboarding and orienting an employee has immediate and lasting returns for a company. For better onboarding of a new hire and maximizing its benefits for both the employee and the organization, consider the following best practices:

• Start early. Provide an engaging preboarding experience that ensures new employees have a preliminary understanding of the organization and their initial role in it.
• Make a plan. To avoid omissions and delays, develop an onboarding plan that explains objectives and goals during different parts of the onboarding process. Share the plan with the new employee to help set their expectations for the process.
• Create opportunities for connection. Allow ample opportunity for a new hire to connect with colleagues -- a team lunch and team-building activity are two examples -- to support the onboarding process.
• Align values. Explain organizational values and a company's mission with a new hire to ensure they align and underpin realistic expectations for an employee's contribution to the company.

For a better orientation experience for a new hire, consider the following HR moves:

• Prepare beforehand. Ensure all new hire paperwork, log-in information and resources are complete before the orientation to streamline the process.
• Set up an itinerary. An itinerary provides order and stability to everyone in the process.
• Assign a buddy. An onboarding buddy affords a new employee a good opportunity to shadow someone with similar duties, giving valuable firsthand experience to the new hire.
• Temper expectations. During orientation, employees are bombarded with information as they acclimate to a new environment. So, remind them that they're not expected to retain all the information given to them.

Alison Roller is a freelance writer with experience in tech, HR and marketing.