A Warm Welcome: How Inclusive Onboarding Can Cut Turnover and Boost Belonging

Filling a team vacancy generates excitement and relief, both for the hiring manager and the new employee. In the glow of high expectations of what the individual will add to the organization, few leaders think about attrition. Yet, roughly 31% of new hires will leave their jobs within the first six months. To beat those statistics, effective leaders can create an inclusive onboarding process that sparks feelings of belonging in those crucial early weeks.

When you integrate empathy and wellbeing into your onboarding process, you do more than ensure your new employee’s first few months on the job are smooth. Creating a warm welcome directly affects the bottom line. Cutting turnover is the most obvious benefit, as replacement costs can be up to twice the employee's annual salary. Thoughtful and intentional onboarding generates feelings of trust and belonging, increases team cohesion and improves employee engagement, which drives worker productivity.