Onboarding Makes Your Culture Sticky
Feb 22, 2026
Have you ever hired the perfect candidate only to lose them within the first year?
What’s your reaction when new employees seemed disengaged before they even learned their roles?
Does your onboarding uproot new hires before they grow roots in the company?
Proper onboarding can increase retention by 50% and accelerate productivity by 60%.
First Day Failure is Detrimental
Think about how deeply onboarding neglect infiltrates your organization:
- New hires arrive excited and find no desk, no computer, and no plan waiting for them.
- Nobody shows them where the bathroom is, let alone introduces them to the team.
- After months of selling the opportunity, you hand them paperwork and abandon them.
Ryan Englin told me on his Work Positive Podcast interview about an HR director who quit six months after starting. Why? On day one, no one showed her where the bathroom was. That moment set the tone for her entire tenure. She never recovered her commitment.
Shift from Paperwork to Purpose
The traditional approach to onboarding said, "Complete the forms and figure it out."
The R.E.T.A.I.N. framework says, "Invest ninety days growing roots so new talent flourishes."
On his Work Positive Podcast episode, Chuck Cooper shared research revealing about half of employees who changed jobs wish they had not made the change. Part of the reason is companies lacked a well-defined onboarding process to help them develop roots.
Chuck recommended at least a 30-to-90-day process with defined stepping stones for the new employee to grow into the company. Think of it as 90 First Days, not just one chaotic morning.
Got a Buddy?
What does excellent onboarding look like in practice? Ryan described to me a simple yet powerful approach: "Imagine she showed up and the person that greeted her said, 'Let me introduce you to your buddy.' This person is going to take you under wing, show you the ropes, teach you all the things about working here that have nothing to do with the work."
Chuck added another practice that separates good companies from great ones: "The CEO or highest-ranking executive meets with that new employee and talks specifically about the culture. If you are not willing to have that conversation, you will have a higher potential of losing that employee in the first six to twelve months."
Your R.E.T.A.I.N. Challenge
Try these three actions this week:
- Map Your Onboarding Reality: Shadow a recent hire. Ask where they felt confused, lost, or unheard. Identify the gaps between what you promise and what they experience.
- Assign a Buddy: Identify someone whose job includes helping new hires navigate their first days. Make cultural integration as important as task training.
- Schedule Leadership Welcomes: Block twenty minutes for senior leaders to personally welcome each new hire. Discuss culture, not just credentials. Show them they matter.
The Work Positive Bottom Line
The best leaders today invest in intentional onboarding that grows roots rather than abandoning new hires to figure it out.
Stop losing talent in the first year. Start cementing your culture from day one so you R.E.T.A.I.N. top talent today.
Taken from Dr. Joey's newest book, Stop the Revolving Door: How to R.E.T.A.I.N. Top Talent Today.
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