What is employee onboarding?
Employee onboarding is a process designed to integrate and train new employees, helping them settle into an organisation.
This process covers not only administrative and bureaucratic procedures but also an introduction to the company culture, its values and internal dynamics. Effective onboarding enables new employees to feel part of the company from day one, improving their productivity and engagement. The process begins when a job offer is made and continues until the employee becomes a productive member of the organisation.
For this reason, MWM decided to take part in a training programme, specifically focused on onboarding in the logistics sector.
Through meetings, seminars and guided workshops, MWM explored best practices for optimising the onboarding process for new employees.
But what exactly is employee onboarding? What are its benefits and key stages? In this article, we explore the meaning of onboarding in detail and share MWM’s experience of the training programme. The process is still ongoing, but it is already providing valuable insights into how we can further improve relationships with our employees.
Why employee onboarding is important
Recruitment is not only time-consuming but also costly. Onboarding is therefore much more than a formality: it is a crucial factor in a company’s success. A well-structured onboarding process offers several benefits:
- Reduced employee turnover: a structured welcome helps employees feel valued and motivated to stay with the company, avoiding costly recruitment cycles.
- Increased productivity: new employees who receive clear, targeted training can contribute to business performance more quickly. Effective onboarding helps new recruits feel part of the company from day one, supporting their productivity and engagement.
- Improved employee engagement: effective onboarding encourages a sense of belonging and greater employee involvement. Employees learn what the organisation expects of them in terms of skills, communication style and attitude.
- Easier integration: onboarding helps new team members understand the company culture and build relationships with colleagues and managers. The aim is to create an environment where employees feel part of a team working towards shared goals.
The key stages of employee onboarding
The onboarding process can be divided into several stages, which may vary depending on the size and complexity of the company.
- Pre-onboarding (before the first day)
• Sending information materials (company handbooks, policies and regulations)
• Creating a personalised onboarding plan
• Communicating with the new employee to clarify any questions and expectations - First day and first week
• Official welcome to the company
• Introductions to colleagues and a tour of the premises
• Provision of work equipment (computer, access badge and login credentials)
• Initial briefing with the line manager - First month
• Role-specific training and introduction to company procedures
• Support from a company mentor or tutor
• Initial operational tasks and progress assessment
Training is part of the long-term onboarding process and is best supported by a company mentor or tutor. Even the most experienced employee needs a period of training to understand how processes work within a new organisation or team. - First three to six months
• Regular feedback and performance review meetings
• Full integration into the company culture
• Potential assignment of new responsibilities
Integration into the organisational culture is an ongoing process. However, those responsible for onboarding should provide employees with a comprehensive overview of the company culture when they first join. - First year
• Assessment of employee performance and satisfaction
• Adjustments to the employee’s professional development plan, where necessary
• Consolidation of the employee’s role within the organisation
It is important to maintain regular contact with employees to ensure they feel supported and engaged. Scheduling periodic meetings provides an opportunity to review their progress together, identify any challenges and address areas requiring improvement.
Where necessary, the onboarding process can be adapted to better meet the needs of both the employee and the company. This approach helps employees establish themselves in their roles, increasing their confidence and improving their performance.
MWM’s training programme: building an effective onboarding process
MWM decided to invest in onboarding training by participating in Una Logistica fatta di Persone (Logistics Powered by People), a three-day training programme held in Milan and organised by CDO.
The programme addressed several key challenges facing the logistics sector, including:
- Staff shortages in the logistics sector
- The attractiveness of the sector and strategies to improve it
- Evolving skills requirements and the need for new professional roles
We chose to participate in this programme because the issue of people, closely linked to the attractiveness of our sector, is particularly relevant to MWM today.
As with previous initiatives, we wanted to create an opportunity to exchange ideas and experiences with other companies providing third-party logistics services and with logistics managers. This exchange of experiences enabled us to examine the challenges, strategies and methods adopted across the sector, from branding and marketing to recruitment interviews, onboarding and day-to-day staff management.
One of the most significant outcomes was the establishment of a dedicated onboarding working group, supported by the Politecnico di Milano Observatory and company mentors.
The group is currently collecting and organising best practices from each participating company to develop a reference handbook.
This document will be available to all members of the group and will serve as a guide for implementing new initiatives aimed at further improving human resource management in the logistics sector.