New Hire, Same Mistakes: Why We Need to Change the Way We Think About Onboarding

Let’s start with a question: Does the outline for your new employee onboarding program fit onto a single Excel spreadsheet? If it does, you’re doing it wrong.

It’s no secret that most companies struggle to deliver effective new hire onboarding. I’ve seen it first-hand—both as an employee and as a consultant. I’ve worked with organisations that missed the mark entirely, and I constantly hear people say, “The onboarding at my last job was awful.”

So what’s going wrong? It’s rarely a lack of effort. Many companies have someone dedicated—at least part-time—to building and running these programs. The problem isn’t commitment; it’s that the same common mistakes keep getting repeated. Let’s take a closer look.

1. Lack of Strategic Planning
Like any meaningful initiative, onboarding should begin with clear goals and measurable outcomes. But too often, companies skip this step and jump straight to brainstorming what new hires “need to know.” That’s where things start to fall apart. Onboarding isn’t just about information—it’s about capability. What do new hires need to do in order to succeed?

Take Sales Development Reps, for example. Start by defining what success looks like at the one, three, and six-month marks. What KPIs should they be hitting? Then, work backwards: what specific skills and behaviours will they need to get there? Once you’ve mapped that out, design training that builds those skills in stages—timed to when they’ll actually need them, not all at once on day one.

2. Pretty Content (That’s Pretty Useless)
A lot of onboarding content looks great on the surface—polished LMS pages, sleek learning pathways, impressive visuals. But once you dig in, it’s a flood of information with no clear direction. Everything is crammed into week one, and every module feels like a brain dump.

The problem? There’s no distinction between what’s essential and what’s just “nice to know.” There’s no guidance, no prioritisation, and no time to absorb or apply the content. And worse—there’s often no opportunity to practise. It’s just passive consumption: video, quiz, repeat.

Great content isn’t just pretty—it’s purposeful. Every piece should support a specific skill, behaviour, or milestone in the onboarding journey. Without a content strategy that maps back to outcomes, you’re not enabling performance—you’re just decorating.

3. New Hires Have No Idea What Success Looks Like
Too often, new employees finish day four… day twelve… day fifteen… with no clue how they’re doing. No feedback, no benchmarks—just vague encouragement and a pat on the back.

One person told me their entire onboarding experience was a calendar full of “meet and greets”—over twenty one-on-one chats with people across the organisation. By the end, they were having a full-blown existential crisis: “What was the point of all that? What is my actual job?”

That’s not onboarding—that’s disorientation.

Effective onboarding programs give new hires clarity. They should know exactly what their learning objectives are, how those connect to their role, and how progress will be measured along the way. People want to know if they’re on track—and they deserve that clarity from day one.

4. The Invisible Manager
Sometimes I have to ask—where have all the managers gone?

Too often, leaders are absent from the onboarding process entirely. But their involvement is critical—from shaping the strategy, to supporting program design, to coaching and mentoring new hires on the job. Without that leadership presence, even the best-designed onboarding program will struggle to stick.

I frequently hear, “Our managers are too busy,” or, “That’s what Enablement is for.” But onboarding isn’t a hand-off—it’s a partnership. The most successful programs I’ve built were aligned with executive objectives and had managers actively involved in reinforcing skills, giving feedback, and helping new hires succeed in real time.

Bottom line: onboarding is a team sport.

5. Sink or Swim
Let’s be honest—onboarding doesn’t end after week one. Or week four. In reality, it spans the entire first year of a new hire’s journey. So why do so many companies treat it like a three-day crash course?

So we’re clear, onboarding is not: a quick tech login setup, a two-hour HR call, and a couple of dull slide decks meant to “give them a feel for the culture.” Then—nothing.

Too many organisations misunderstand what onboarding really means. It’s not just about paperwork and “getting settled.” A true onboarding program sets people up for long-term success—with structured training, coaching, mentoring, and on-the-job support that evolves over time.

The “sink or swim” approach doesn’t cut it anymore. In 2025, high performers won’t wait around to feel supported—they’ll walk. And they’ll find an employer that actually invests in their growth.

Let’s Build Something Better
The reality is, most onboarding programs aren't failing because people don’t care—they’re failing because the approach is outdated, misaligned, or missing key pieces.

Great onboarding isn’t about ticking boxes, throwing information at new hires, or hoping they figure it out. It’s about designing a thoughtful, strategic experience that helps people thrive—one that connects directly to performance, retention, and culture.

Onboarding is one of my areas of expertise—and something I’m deeply passionate about getting right. If you’re rethinking how your organisation welcomes and ramps new hires—especially in sales—I’d love to chat.

Ready to build something better? Connect to my calendar to book a meeting.