London, United Kingdom, July 7th 2022 – Cezanne HR, the UK’s leading supplier of modern, flexible and feature-rich HR systems for mid-sized businesses, has conducted research into the state of employee onboarding in the UK and Ireland, with some surprising results…

Poor onboarding practices are causing new hires unnecessary amounts of stress

Cezanne HR’s research discovered that nearly two thirds of employees found their onboarding experience stressful, whilst a fifth of all employees believed they were misled by their employer’s original job listing. Although people professionals understand the importance of onboarding, simple yet fundamental mistakes appear to be commonplace, and these are damaging the morale, confidence and trust of new hires.

The research also found that:

  • Over a quarter of remote workers surveyed said they’d been let down by poor onboarding
  • Only half of all new hires said they felt productive and capable of doing their jobs
  • Over a fifth of new hires said their onboarding made them question their choice in jobs
  • 20% of new employees felt they’d been left isolated or alone during their onboarding.

Paul Bauer, Cezanne HR’s Head of Content commented that “Onboarding new employees is an organisation’s opportunity to make that vital first good impression. A positive experience can lead to reduced turnover, higher staff engagement, and improved productivity – amongst other things. Yet, our survey has discovered that good onboarding practices aren’t as widespread as they should be, and this should be of real concern to HR teams.”

Less than half of all new employees are given everything they need to do their job

Another startling result from the survey was that less than 40% of new hires in larger organisations had the tools or equipment needed to start their roles right away. Paul went onto say that “New hires will be eager to get started and make their own good impression. They can’t do that though, if they don’t have the equipment, access or workspace to do it!”

“If a new hire feels isolated, forgotten, or unsupported, it can dramatically reduce their long-term chance of success with their new employer. It’s imperative that HR looks to address and prevent these types of issues when welcoming new staff, or they may risk losing the battle for talent.”

You can download the full report and actionable insights by following this link.