The laptop was ready and the first week was a blur of new faces, new information, workplace tours and perhaps even a team lunch. By Friday afternoon, your new employee has survived their first week.
So, what happens on Monday?
For many organisations, the first few days of a new employee’s experience are carefully planned. There are forms to complete, people to meet, systems to learn and plenty of questions to answer, but then normal work starts to take over.
The manager’s calendar fills up again, the team gets busy and regular meetings, deadlines and competing priorities return. Without anyone really deciding it, the expectation can become: they’ll ask if they need something.
This is often where the real work of onboarding begins.
A good induction helps a new employee understand the workplace, their role, important expectations and the practical information they need to get started. But induction and onboarding are not the same thing.
Induction generally concentrates on those important early days, while onboarding is the broader process of helping someone integrate into the organisation, understand how things really work and build the confidence, relationships and capability they need to perform their role. Australian Industry Group's What is the difference between induction and onboarding explores this distinction in more detail.
The first 90 days provide an opportunity to keep building on that foundation without needing three months of elaborate activities.
During the first week, checking in feels natural. Managers are likely to ask how things are going, whether the employee has everything they need and whether there are any questions.
A month later, those conversations can easily disappear, particularly if the employee seems to be doing well. Appearing settled, however, doesn't necessarily mean someone has everything figured out.
Some questions only emerge once an employee starts doing the job. These may include:
Regular check-ins give those questions somewhere to go. Managers might ask:
A check-in shouldn't become another status meeting. There needs to be room for the employee to say I'm still not sure without feeling they should know the answer by now.
New employees usually learn what to do before they fully understand why things are done that way.
Knowing how to complete a process is useful, but understanding why a particular customer matters, why another team needs to be consulted early or what has been tried previously provides valuable context that rarely comes from an induction presentation. It develops over time through conversations, experience and exposure to different parts of the business.
As the weeks progress, managers can start sharing more of the thinking behind the work. This might mean talking through the reasoning behind a decision, including the employee in a useful meeting or explaining how their work connects with other areas.
Gradually, the employee moves from simply doing the job to understanding how their role fits into the bigger picture.
At the beginning, nobody expects a new employee to know everything and questions are encouraged. As the weeks pass, however, employees may become less comfortable putting their hand up.
Should I know this already? Have they already explained this? Am I going to look silly if I ask?
Managers can make a difference simply by continuing to invite questions rather than assuming employees will raise them when needed.
It is recommended that regular communication and a structured 30, 60 and 90-day plan, along with role clarity, development opportunities and connections with colleagues and managers are supported.
Supporting a new employee doesn't mean hovering over them. At some point they need opportunities to test what they have learned, make decisions and establish their own place in the team.
Giving them something meaningful to own can help. It could be a piece of work, responsibility for a regular process or the opportunity to take the lead on a manageable task.
The aim is to gradually move from 'we're showing you how things work' to 'we trust you to contribute here'.
The first few months also provide a useful reality check for the employer.
Think back to what the employee heard during recruitment. What were they told about the role, culture, flexibility, development opportunities or team environment? Has that matched what they have experienced?
Australian Industry Group's induction planning guidance highlights the importance of avoiding over-promising and under-delivering during recruitment and induction. It is worth remembering that while the organisation is assessing the new employee, the employee is also deciding whether the organisation is right for them
Instead of waiting for an employee survey or exit interview, try asking:
“Has anything about the role or workplace been different from what you expected?”
The answer may reveal something useful about the onboarding experience, recruitment messaging or how the role operates in practice.
A simple way to stop onboarding quietly fading away is to build three points into the employee's first few months.
Around 30 days: Are they settling in? Are expectations clear? Do they have the information and relationships they need?
Around 60 days: Where are they becoming more confident? Where do they still need support? Are they getting opportunities to contribute?
Around 90 days: How well have they integrated into the role and team? What have the employee and manager learned? What should the next few months look like?
These don't need to become another layer of paperwork. They are simply prompts to make sure someone hasn't quietly fallen into the gap between new starter and established employee without anyone noticing.
A good first week can help lay the groundwork. Australian Industry Group's guide to the first week of induction covers practical steps such as checking in with the employee, reviewing their progress, agreeing on short-term goals and making sure they know where to go for support. The 30, 60 and 90-day conversations can then build on that foundation as the employee settles into the role.
A carefully planned first week can make a great first impression, but it is what happens in the weeks that follow that shapes the broader onboarding experience.
The welcome might be over and the induction checklist might be complete, but the employee is still finding their feet, learning how the organisation really works and working out where they fit.
Don’t let onboarding end just as the employee is starting to need it most.
For assistance with your workplace matters, members of Australian Industry Group can contact us or call our Workplace Advice Line on 1300 55 66 77 for further information. Australian Industry Group has an extensive range of training courses to support employers on their learning and development journey.
The HR Resource Centre’s new Attracting, Recruiting and Onboarding Talent topic has been designed by our HR and workplace relation’s experts to provide Australian Industry Group members with comprehensive resources, support and tools to help them to effectively manage the recruitment process.
This topic covers a wide range of essential aspects, including best practices for attracting top talent, innovative recruitment strategies, and effective onboarding processes.
Georgina is Senior HR Content Editor – Publications at Australian Industry Group. With more than 25 years' experience in human resources and leadership, she has demonstrated her expertise across a diverse range of industries, including financial services, tourism, travel, government, agriculture and HR advisory. She is an accomplished writer and editor who creates engaging content that educates and informs. Georgina's writing includes a variety of formats, such as blogs, articles, policies, templates and guides.
