The onboarding process: A complete guide for NZ employers

Growing a business is hard, and finding the right people to help grow your business is even harder. So, when you’ve found exceptional talent for your business and you’re ready to welcome your new team member, how can you make their first impression a great one? How can you give new hires an onboarding and induction experience they’ll remember for all the right reasons?

We know how, and we’ve shared our intel in our new guide. We’ll help you build an onboarding and induction process that makes new hires feel like they belong, even before their first day.

This guide to onboarding covers: 

• The ins and outs of effective employee onboarding
• Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
• How a positive onboarding experience affects retention
• The best way to get prepared for a new team member
• A comprehensive onboarding checklist 

Download the ultimate employee onboarding and induction guide by filling in the form on the right. 

What is an employee onboarding process?

The employee onboarding process is all the steps that you take as an employer to transition a new employee into the business. Through the process, they go from a candidate who has formally accepted a job offer to a set member of your team. 

That often includes the necessary initial paperwork, getting them set up with equipment they need to work and running an induction to settle them into the role.

Why a strong onboarding process matters

Onboarding is often an underrated part of the employment process, but it’s a critical one. An onboarding process — good or bad — can set the tone for your new employee’s career with your business. It has the potential to fast-track a person’s transition into a business, or slow it way down. 

Here’s a few reasons why onboarding is so crucial. 

It can boost engagement and retention

When new employees feel supported and valued, they’re starting their career with you on great footing.  Foundations are everything, right? To feel valued within a business, you need to feel like you’re being invested in from day one. This all starts with onboarding. The experience that your new hire has during their first week can put them on a path to long-term success at your company.

Create a smooth first week

Your people shouldn’t be wasting time in their first week filling out endless new hire paperwork or setting up. That’s time they could be spending getting to know their new teammates or learning about the work they’ll be doing. 

A good onboarding process will have the documentation sorted before the start date, so that the first week can be spent more productively. More coffee shouts, less paper scanning. 

Support compliance and clarity

When you’re following a structured onboarding process, there’s no need to fear that you’ve missed out on acquiring important information from your new employees.

An onboarding checklist (like the one in this guide), will make sure that you collect all necessary payroll, HR and personal information. Whether you’re doing this manually or with the help of HR software, you can be confident that you have everything you need to employ your new person compliantly.

Onboarding vs induction: What’s the difference?

Onboarding and induction are two different things, but they’re sometimes conflated. It’s important to understand what each involves and how you can optimise both. After all, an onboarding process can be easily spoiled if the employee has a lacklustre induction. 

What’s an induction?

Induction is typically a short and focused process that occurs immediately after an employee joins the organisation. The primary goal of induction is to provide new employees with basic information and essentials they need to start working effectively. It is a brief introduction to the company, its policies‌ and the immediate work environment. The key features of induction include:

• Introduction to the company’s mission, vision, and values.
• An overview of company policies, rules, and regulations.
• Introduction to the workplace and essential facilities.
• Basic information about employee benefits and perks.
• Completion of essential paperwork and formalities, such as tax forms and employment contracts.

What’s onboarding? 

Onboarding, on the other hand, is a more comprehensive and extended process that takes place over weeks or months. It is designed to help new employees assimilate into the company culture, understand their roles in depth‌ and establish relationships within the organisation. The main objectives of onboarding are:

• Introducing new employees to their teams, colleagues‌ and supervisors.
• Providing a deeper understanding of the company’s structure, processes‌ and goals.
• Facilitating the development of job-specific skills and knowledge.
• Clarifying performance expectations and setting goals.
• Offering ongoing support and guidance to ensure a smooth transition into the new role.
• Addressing any questions or concerns the new employee may have.

Key goals of the onboarding process

It’s important to know what you want to achieve from the onboarding process. Here are a few common goals to work towards:

• Kick-starting employee engagement: Your new hires should feel welcomed into the team and have a good understanding of the business’ values and company mission — and how they can contribute.
• Practical administrative support: Your people shouldn’t be wasting time filling out endless new hire paperwork or setting up‌. A good onboarding process will have all that organised in advance.
• Instilling workplace culture: Having a sense of belonging is crucial for new hires to do their best work. They need to feel empowered around relationship building and team camaraderie from day one.

The eight essential steps in the onboarding process

Effective employee onboarding is a structured journey designed to fully integrate a new hire into your organisation. It’s more than just paperwork; it’s a strategic process that spans from the moment an offer is accepted through the employee’s first several months. 

We’ve broken this journey down into 8 essential steps to follow.

Step 1 – Preboarding and preparation

This is all about setting the stage perfectly so your new team member can hit the ground running. Make sure their workspace is ready to go, whether that means setting up their desk with supplies and active security access, or shipping all the necessary tech (computer, phone, software access) to remote hires.

And it’s not just about the gear; it’s about the communication. Communicate with your new hire in advance so they know what to expect. Get the ball rolling by sharing the exciting news about the arrival internally too, maybe dropping a fun personal tidbit so everyone has an easy way to say hello. 

Step 2 – First day welcome

The first day is all about creating a warm, memorable experience for the new employee. Ensure a small welcome gift (like a company mug or T-shirt) is waiting for them right at their workspace. Kick off the day with a friendly office tour and key introductions, especially to their manager and their assigned buddy or mentor. 

Beyond the initial welcome, focus the day on clarifying their path forward. They should have a meeting with their manager to clearly discuss role expectations and how their work connects to the company’s bigger picture.

Step 3 – Cultural introduction and values

What motivates your team isn’t the break room coffee, although that can really help. It’s your company’s mission and values. And these should be communicated to your new hires from day one. Share your mission and values with new employees to motivate them and have them eager to get started. It will also make sure that their work will be immediately aligned with the company’s goals.

Step 4 – Role clarity and expectations

If the new starter finishes the new employee induction or onboarding process without knowing their main responsibilities of the new role, something wasn’t made clear to them. And that fault is on you.

Make sure they have a firm understanding of how the team operates, how their role fits into that and what their key goals will be throughout their time at the company.

Step 5 – Paperwork and compliance

No new employee wants to start off their new career with a large amount of paperwork to sieve through, so consider paperless onboarding. 

A paperless onboarding solution can help you eliminate this stack of paperwork for your new starters – recruiting, onboarding, and managing employees can be done 100% digitally with cloud-based hr software. They can even fill in the important details before their first day. 

Step 6 – Integration and training

This is where the real learning begins. The first week and month should be focused on immersing your new hire in their role and the team. Formal training sessions are crucial for essential software, processes and company standards. Schedule opportunities for the new employee to shadow key team members to see how the work gets done in practice, not just in theory. 

Make sure they know exactly who to ask for help. That buddy or mentor relationship from day one needs to be active and supportive. By the end of this phase, they should be comfortably navigating their daily tasks and team workflows.

Step 7 – Feedback and check-Ins

Great onboarding is a conversation, not a monologue. Structure a series of formal and informal check-ins with the manager, the buddy, and even HR to gauge how the new employee is settling in. Don’t wait for a quarterly review. 

Aim for check-ins at the 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day marks. Remember, this isn’t just a performance review; actively solicit open and honest feedback from the new hire about their experience. What’s confusing? What’s working well? This is your chance to catch and correct issues early..

Step 8 – Review and improve the process

The only way your onboarding process gets better is if you commit to continuous improvement. Following the lead of top talent organisations, regularly review your onboarding process to ensure it’s still relevant and effective. Use the feedback gathered in Step 7 to identify bottlenecks, confusing steps, or missing information. Whether it’s an annual deep-dive or a quick quarterly review, treat your onboarding process as a living document that evolves with your company and your employees.

Common onboarding mistakes to avoid

Providing a great first impression is vital for keeping staff happy, engaged and productive. To make sure your new team member feels truly welcomed and set up for success, avoid these common onboarding blunders:

Unpreparedness

Nothing says “we weren’t ready for you” like faulty equipment, missing logins, or a desk that hasn’t been set up. Always be prepared! Have their laptop, access codes, and any necessary uniform waiting and tested before they arrive.

Overloading with information

Don’t overwhelm your new starter with a mountain of paperwork or a full day of dense information. This can make them feel disheartened or confused. Spread out the learning and use digital solutions to eliminate physical stacks of forms.

Lack of clarity

The goal of onboarding is clarity. Avoid using unexplained jargon or acronyms, and never let them finish the process without a firm understanding of their main responsibilities, goals and how their role impacts the bigger picture.

Impersonal experience

Your new hire should feel like a valued teammate, not just another payroll entry. Inject personality into their experience by providing a welcome gift, introducing them properly to the wider company, and personalizing their welcome message.

No follow-up

Communication is key. After the employment agreement has been signed, don’t leave them hanging. Send a quick, friendly check-in a few days before they start.

Then, once they’re onboarded, don’t stop supporting their development. Continue check-ins and always ask for feedback on the onboarding process itself.

Best practices for a great onboarding experience

While avoiding mistakes is essential, truly exceptional onboarding requires you to go one step further. It means adopting practices that actively build loyalty, accelerate proficiency and make new hires feel like they’ve found their professional home. Here are the core best practices that elevate your process from sufficient to outstanding:

Embedding values early

Your company culture is your greatest competitive advantage, and onboarding is the first place it should shine. Don’t just mention your values; demonstrate them. Instead of a generic presentation on ‘integrity’ or ‘innovation,’ share concrete examples and stories of current employees living those values. Introduce them to employee resource groups (ERGs) or social committees straight away to foster early connections and a sense of belonging. 

The best practice here is to make the new hire feel like a part of the team’s fabric, not just a cog in the machine. A strong cultural start is what kick-starts loyalty and motivation.

Automation and personalisation

In today’s workplace, manual processes are productivity killers. Leverage cloud-based HR and payroll software not just to support compliance, but to deliver a modern, personalised experience. This means automating routine tasks like scheduling introductions, assigning training modules and sending automated check-in reminders. 

By eliminating administrative waste, managers and HR can dedicate their time to high-value interactions, like detailed role discussions and mentorship. The goal is to make the process effortless for everyone involved.

Beyond the check-In

While formal check-ins are important, a best practice is establishing a culture of proactive, informal communication. Encourage all team members to reach out and share a small tip, offer help or invite the new person to lunch. This organic support system makes the assimilation process feel natural. 

Furthermore, ensure managers are trained to use the probation period effectively, not as a time of scrutiny but as a structured development roadmap. Clearly outline the probationary milestones and support needed to achieve them, reinforcing the idea that the company is committed to their success.

Measuring ROI

Exceptional onboarding is a strategic investment, so treat it like one. The best companies don’t just complete the process; they measure its impact. Beyond collecting feedback on the process itself, track key metrics like time-to-autonomy (how quickly the new hire can handle core tasks without supervision) and 90-day retention rates. By consistently analysing these figures, you can prove the return on investment (ROI) of a high-quality onboarding program. 

This data-driven approach ensures you are continually refining the experience, keeping it sharp, engaging, and directly aligned with your business goals. By following these practices, you transform onboarding from a task into a strategic talent advantage.

Build a seamless employee onboarding process with Employment Hero

At Employment Hero, it’s our mission to make employment easier and more valuable for everyone. Beyond the recruitment process, onboarding is your new hire’s most important interaction with the business. That’s why our onboarding software is designed to simplify the whole process, making the experience enjoyable for everyone. 

With our software, you can send out important legal documents before their first day, easily add their details to our comprehensive system and work through an automated onboarding checklist. 

The information in this article is current as at 30 November 2025, and has been prepared by Employment Hero Pty Ltd (ABN 11 160 047 709) and its related bodies corporate (Employment Hero). The views expressed in this article are general information only, are provided in good faith to assist employers and their employees, and should not be relied on as professional advice. Some information is based on data supplied by third parties. While such data is believed to be accurate, it has not been independently verified and no warranties are given that it is complete, accurate, up to date or fit for the purpose for which it is required. Employment Hero does not accept responsibility for any inaccuracy in such data and is not liable for any loss or damages arising directly or indirectly as a result of reliance on, use of or inability to use any information provided in this article. You should undertake your own research and seek professional advice before making any decisions or relying on the information in this article.