Top HR Advisory Firm Shares New Blueprint to Fix Your Broken Onboarding

HR advisory firm McLean & Company has released an updated blueprint to overhaul employee onboarding, recasting it as a long-term strategic commitment that begins well before an employee's first day. The move aims to combat high turnover by turning a bureaucratic checklist into a driver of retention and company culture.

• A broken welcome mat: Most companies are still getting it wrong. With only 12% of U.S. employees reporting a successful onboarding, the typical experience often leaves new hires feeling lost and contributes to high turnover. The process is too often treated as a quick administrative task for HR, a model that falls short in an era of remote and hybrid work.

• It starts with 'yes': "Onboarding doesn't begin on day one – it begins the moment a candidate accepts the offer," says Kelly Berte, a practice lead at McLean & Company. The new approach treats the process as a shared responsibility between HR and team leaders, turning it into a "powerful driver of culture, clarity, and commitment."

• The long game: The firm's guide is designed to integrate employees into the company culture while setting clear expectations for their role and future growth. The philosophy casts onboarding as a way to build trust and performance from day one, giving companies a better shot at retaining talent.

In the new realities of work, a welcome packet and a first-day lunch are no longer enough. Companies are realizing that retaining the talent they hire requires a deliberate, long-term strategy that starts the moment an offer is accepted. The focus on the employee journey doesn't end with the first few months. In other news, firms are also developing frameworks to identify and retain at-risk talent, which connects to the broader need for clear career pathing.