In today’s competitive business landscape, companies that excel at onboarding new employees gain a significant advantage in retention, productivity, and workplace satisfaction. Organizations with thoughtful integration processes transform newcomers into engaged team members quickly, while reducing the costly impacts of turnover. We asked industry leaders to share their approaches to effective onboarding, focusing on their integration methods and how they maintain consistency across their organizations.
What approach does your company use to onboard and integrate new hires effectively?
At Golden Hippo, we take a structured and engaging approach to onboarding to ensure new hires feel welcomed, supported, and set up for success. Our process includes a comprehensive orientation program that introduces employees to our company culture, values, and mission. We provide all new hires with a Hippo Buddy mentor, and provide ongoing check-ins to help new team members integrate seamlessly. Additionally, we foster a collaborative environment through Slack communities where new hires can connect with colleagues across departments, making their transition both smooth and meaningful.
How do you ensure a consistent onboarding experience across different departments or locations?
We ensure a consistent onboarding experience by providing a structured orientation program for both onsite and remote employees. All new hires go through the same comprehensive introduction to our company culture, values, and mission, regardless of their role or location. We use a mix of live sessions and digital resources to keep the experience engaging and informative. As part of their welcome, every new employee receives a Welcome Packet along with points to redeem in our employee store for exclusive Hippo swag. Additionally, regular check-ins and mentorship opportunities help new employees feel supported and connected as they transition into their roles.
Check out the Golden Hippo’s careers page here!
What approach does your company use to onboard and integrate new hires effectively?
At Appian, we believe that in-person experiences are game changers for learning and building strong connections. That’s why we go the extra mile to bring our new hires from around the globe to our HQ in Virginia whenever possible. We ensure new employees have support from the moment they start with Appian. The First Friend Program is part of orientation for all employees when they join–they’re paired with a buddy on another team to have a go-to person that welcomes them and they can turn to on their first day.
How do you ensure a consistent onboarding experience across different departments or locations?
We’ve designed structured onboarding that guarantees consistency while allowing for local customization. With two start dates per month, one at our Virginia HQ and another at our Chennai, India office, we offer in-person experience that fosters collaboration, builds cross-departmental connections, and fully integrates new hires into Appian’s culture from day one. Our onboarding facilitators work closely together to align on materials, training, and best practices, ensuring a unified experience across regions. At the same time, we empower regional leads to tailor content as needed, making sure it resonates with their audience and delivers maximum impact.
Check out the Appian careers page here!
What approach does your company use to onboard and integrate new hires effectively?
Joining a new company in a remote work environment can be challenging, so at Aura, we take a proactive approach to ensure every new team member feels confident, connected, and excited, as they transition into their new role. Clear communication is at the heart of our onboarding process. Through emails, Slack messages, a dedicated new hire website, and a virtual new hire orientation, we are able to equip new hires with everything they need for a smooth and successful start. To foster a sense of connection and excitement, we celebrate each new hire by delivering a welcome kit filled with Aura swag to their home, and announce their arrival in a company-wide email. Finally the onboarding process concludes with All-Star Academy, an in-person program designed to build relationships with colleagues, introduce them to leadership, and immerse them in our company culture. Aura’s overall onboarding experience ensures that every new hire feels welcomed, supported, and prepared to make an impact on day one.
How do you ensure a consistent onboarding experience across different departments or locations?
Each of our new hires, regardless of role or department, receives the same onboarding experience and come together on two separate occasions. The first is our virtual new hire orientation which occurs on their first day, and reviews our company’s mission, culture, and processes. The second occurs within their first 90 days, when all new hires are invited to an onsite onboarding program called All-Star Academy in our Boston headquarters, where they participate in multiple team building activities, attend presentations from our executive team members, and attend a happy hour with other employees.
Check out Aura’s careers page here!
What approach does your company use to onboard and integrate new hires effectively?
At Snap, we understand that new hires are looking for more than just stability; they want to work in a friendly environment that upholds strong values and a positive culture. While many companies promise similar things, Snap provides the reassurance employees need through our smooth and thorough onboarding process.
From the very beginning, new hires are welcomed with an organized transition from onboarding to their respective teams and hiring managers. Our seamless approach helps them feel confident in their decision to join the company. Additionally, the onboarding team arranges welcome sessions with various teams, including a special session with one of our executives, highlighting how much they are valued within the organization.
How do you ensure a consistent onboarding experience across different departments or locations?
To ensure a consistent onboarding experience across different departments and locations, Snap maintains a well-structured process that includes a personalized experience for each new hire. Our onboarding specialist plays a critical role in this, acting as the main point of contact for all stakeholders, including IT, managers, and facilities. This ensures there is one source of trust and a single channel of communication, which helps prevent any confusion and guarantees smooth coordination.
Our onboarding specialist also ensures that everything runs smoothly across teams, departments, and locations by paying attention to the unique details of each new hire’s situation. For in-office workers in the US and Costa Rica, we collaborate closely with stakeholders to provide a personalized welcome, and for remote workers, we adapt our approach to ensure they feel just as welcomed and integrated, despite the distance. This unified effort allows us to deliver a consistent, seamless onboarding experience no matter where or how our new hires are working.
Check out Snap Finances’s careers page here!
What approach does your company use to onboard and integrate new hires effectively?
At Vista, we’ve designed a world-class remote onboarding experience that fully integrates new hires into our company and culture, ensuring they feel supported, engaged, and set up for success from day one.
Our approach begins with Preboarding and a structured communication process, ensuring a smooth transition from offer acceptance to a new hire’s first day, providing all the essential information through multiple touchpoints. To foster a sense of belonging, new hires are offered an Onboarding Buddy and shipped a branded Welcome Kit to their home, reinforcing our company culture from the start.
Once onboard, new hires follow a structured learning journey that includes a customizable checklist, an onboarding course on our online 360-learning platform, sync onboarding sessions, and weekly meetings with their Onboarding Buddy. Additionally, our Onboarding Specialists are always available to provide guidance and support, ensuring no new hire feels lost or disconnected.
How do you ensure a consistent onboarding experience across different departments or locations?
We ensure a consistent and engaging onboarding experience through a cohort-based model, structured learning, and inclusive scheduling. We onboard new hires in cohorts every three weeks, with both an on-cycle and off-cycle week to accommodate hiring needs. While cohort-based live sessions and engagement activities officially begin in the on-cycle week, all new hires follow the same structured process, ensuring equal access to resources and a standardized experience. To ensure an equitable experience across different global time zones, we offer live onboarding sessions in multiple time slots so all new hires, regardless of location, can participate meaningfully.
By balancing structure, flexibility, and inclusivity, we ensure every new team member—no matter their department, location, or cohort timing—receives a seamless and engaging onboarding experience that sets them up for success.
Check out Vista’s careers page here!
What approach does your company use to onboard and integrate new hires effectively?
First Advantage is in the midst of one its most transformative seasons since its founding. The recent acquisition of Sterling allows for expanded screening solutions on a global scale, and welcoming new team members to the First Advantage team. With this, it was imperative for People and Culture leaders to reimagine its onboarding program to be even more streamlined, accessible, and scalable, in support of the exciting changes happening within the business. The First Advantage Global Onboarding (FA-GO) program was rebranded and enhanced to meet evolving needs. As the company’s comprehensive, self-guided online onboarding experience, it enables team members around the world to feel empowered to put their best foot forward. From understanding and getting excited about company culture and programming, to finding respective holiday calendars and instructions for submitting IT requests, FA-GO is strengthening its commitment to people, including its own.
How do you ensure a consistent onboarding experience across different departments or locations?
First Advantage is proudly a global company with an office presence in 28 locations around the world. Since the company’s workforce is global, it’s crucial to provide an onboarding experience that integrates new team members into the company as a whole, while also offering tailored resources specific to their roles and locations. Along with offering information that’s applicable to all regions, FA-GO features resources that are country-specific, such as benefits. FA-GO enables a tailored yet consistent onboarding experience worldwide, while unifying employees around a shared culture, mission, and values.