Is your onboarding process setting new hires up to thrive—or just survive?
The onboarding process for new employees is more than paperwork and tours—it’s your chance to show new hires they made the right choice. Get it wrong, and you plant doubts. Get it right, and you build loyalty from day one.
Get ready to have your mind blown! Here is your dose of insights straight from Vivek Jain, the powerhouse CHRO at Capri Global Capital Ltd. We’re about to bust the mistakes you’ve been unknowingly following for decades.
Mistake 1: You are Burying New Hires Under the Paperwork
Imagine your first day on the job and you spend it filling out forms to get permission to even exist in the office. Trust me, anyone would have a doubt popped in their minds, “Eh, maybe this job isn’t for me.”
Let’s face it—no one cares about the company’s health plan until they’ve at least gotten warm smiles and maybe a decent lunch out of it.
So, how to let your new hires breathe and be excited about the new journey ahead?
The most effective method out of earlier researchers also is if you can create social networks for the employee. Yeah, any role in today’s environment requires you to network. Yeah, requires you to work as a team member and to connect with people.”
Vivek Jain in the CHRO Mindset Podcast
Here’s what you should do:
- Make human interaction your priority
- Invest in digital onboarding tools
- Spread paperwork across days
- Help new hires understand their roles
Mistake 2: You are Not Introducing Them to the Real Deal
Now, let’s talk about what really matters. Sure, you can give them a run-through of the company’s history—everyone loves a good introduction to company’s achievements and milestones, but no one remembers the mission statement after day 1.
They remember if they understood their role, felt supported, and knew exactly how their efforts would help the team win. That’s when creating an onboarding process checklist comes into play.
Onboarding is much more beyond sending a fancy box costing ₹2000 or ₹3000. It’s not just about day one; it’s about aligning the first day to the next 90 days and beyond.
Vivek Jain in the CHRO Mindset Podcast
Here’s what you should do:
- Outline a 30-60-90-day plan
- Provide ongoing support system
- Set clear performance goals
- Clarify role expectations
- Conduct regular check-ins
Mistake 3: You Are Making the Tech Work Look So Stressful
Okay, we get it—tech is everything including the onboarding process for new employees. But if your new hires must wrestle with endless passwords, clunky software, and a system that looks like it was built in the ‘90s, you’ve just set them up for a permanent headache. No one wants to learn your entire IT ecosystem before they even get to work.
Think about this: If it takes longer to log in than it does to send an email, you’re doing it wrong.
The tech is still evolving…the use of machine learning and neural networks in terms of customizing the induction program to the individual is what is the future that is coming fast to us.
Vivek Jain in the CHRO Mindset Podcast
Here’s what you should do:
- Simplify onboarding with automation
- Use intuitive software tools
- Enable self-paced learning options
- Minimize technical obstacles
Mistake 4: You Are Not Incorporating Them with the Company’s Culture
Culture eats strategy for breakfast. Want to build engagement, motivation, and long-term loyalty? Show them the company culture from their first day. If your onboarding process doesn’t show how your team collaborates, shares ideas, and tackles challenges together, you’re just another office with beige walls.
Many companies focus on flashy onboarding events like fancy hotel inductions, but these often fail to engage employees long-term. True onboarding is about embedding the employee into the organization’s culture and processes.”
Vivek Jain in the CHRO Mindset Podcast
Here’s what you should do:
- Integrate culture into onboarding
- Highlight team-building activities
- Promote peer mentorship opportunities
- Encourage open-door leadership policies
Mistake 5: You Are Not Checking Up on Them Regularly
No one likes to feel like they’re alone on this journey. Getting a check-in after the first week—or better yet, after a few days—goes a long way. It shows your new hire that they’re being supported, not just dropped into a “sink or swim” situation during onboarding new employee process.
And listen up, if they’re confused, stressed, or feeling disconnected? You want to know now, not three months down the line when they’ve already decided to leave.
Are you fitting into the job? Are you facing any challenges? Is there any gap between what you thought before joining versus what you’re experiencing right now?
Vivek Jain in the CHRO Mindset Podcast
Here’s what you should do:
- Ensure fast, open communication
- Check-in regularly with hires
- Ask about role satisfaction
- Inquire about training experience
Mistake 6: You Are Not Officially Closing Up the Onboarding Process
How many times do companies officially close the onboarding of new employee process? Employees usually must assume they are over it after some time.
Shouldn’t there be a checklist for them to help them understand that they have absorbed every important information needed for them to thrive in the long run?
They’ve been onboarded, they’re trained, they’re integrating—but did you welcome them into the team? If you don’t have a process to check in and officially close the onboarding process experience, you’re doing it wrong.
It surprises me how much effort people put to get those two days and three days in place, and then there’s a pit fall that the person experiences when they go back into the field.”
Vivek Jain in the CHRO Mindset Podcast
Here’s what you should do:
- Host a 30-day check-in meeting
- Send a personalized thank-you email
- Ask for feedback on onboarding process
- Revisit role goals and impact
- Provide recognition through team shout-out
Kotak’s Winning Onboarding Formula
Kotak, where Vivek worked as a transformational leader, has a structured new employee onboarding process.
Being one of the country’s most trusted financial institutions, it has implemented an “employee value proposition” (EVP), which emphasizes aligning employees with the company’s values and culture. Kotak also has a concept called “licensed to operate,” where new employees must pass an exam before they can start their actual job duties, particularly in roles like investment banking.
his ensures that employees have the necessary skills, knowledge, and proficiency in the language to handle their jobs effectively.