Rethinking Your Company Onboarding Process

Transforming Onboarding from a Corporate Necessity into a Launchpad for Employee Success and Retention.

By Mike Sarraille and Ryan Norton

Before dawn breaks, a cohort of prospective leaders at the United States Marine Corps Officer Candidate School (OCS) gather, brimming with anticipation and resolve. They're on the precipice of a rigorous onboarding journey, a program so exceptionally designed that Inc. Magazine, in its April 1998 edition, deemed the Marine Corps "the best management training in America". This immersive program, strategically designed to not just equip them with technical competence but also embed a deep sense of shared values and purpose, culture, and mission, sets a high benchmark for corporate onboarding practices.

However, many businesses miss the full potential of a deliberate and structured onboarding process. With 88% of employees saying their company doesn’t do a great job when it comes to onboarding new employees, your onboarding process may be as good as not having one at all. Yet, many businesses fail to capitalize on this, neglecting the opportunity to instill their organizational values, ethos, history, and expectations within their workforce. It is one of the biggest missed opportunities in the private sector. Research by Brandon Hall Group found that organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82 percent and productivity by over 70 percent. Additionally, employees who attend a structured onboarding program are 69% more likely to remain at the company for at least three years.

Much like a first date, onboarding offers an invaluable opportunity to make a strong impression. It's a prime time to generate enthusiasm, impart a sense of belonging, and ignite a shared purpose among new hires. One noteworthy example is the Marine OCS, which reinforces the crucial importance of clear expectations and evaluation criteria from the onset. As Tom Kolditz eloquently discusses in his Harvard Business Review piece "Why the Military Produces Great Leaders," military leaders are expected to lead by example, showcasing expertise, dignity, and respect. This ethos, mirrored by private sector giants like Johnson & Johnson, communicates specific, measurable expectations for performance, behavior, and adherence to company values from day one. While the private sector can’t replicate or afford to replicate a 3-month 24/7 onboarding process like the military, they can design a multi-day onboarding process to increase retention, cultural assimilation, and improve employee engagement and performance out of the gate.

The military's emphasis on cultural immersion is another potent lesson for private sector organizations. By creating a sense of shared adversity through team training, they foster trust, vulnerability, and emotional bonding. To be clear, we're not advocating for subjecting new hires to the rigors of Marine OCS or Bootcamp. Instead, consider developing fun, engaging team-building events that nudge your employees out of their comfort zones and foster a sense of camaraderie.

Mentorship and peer support, integral components of the military's training programs, should be embedded in corporate onboarding. Johnson & Johnson is a notable example of corporations that have incorporated mentorship into their onboarding initiatives, fostering professional relationships and cultivating a sense of belonging.

Finally, just as the military emphasizes continuous improvement and adaptation in their training programs, businesses should persistently evaluate their onboarding processes to ensure alignment with their ever-evolving objectives. This commitment not only strengthens your company culture but also bolsters your brand, turning your organization into a talent magnet.

Businesses have much to gain from adopting military-grade precision in their onboarding processes. By crafting a structured, engaging, and immersive onboarding journey, organizations can lay a solid foundation for cultivating a strong culture and driving sustainable success. After all, onboarding is not just an administrative necessity, but a powerful instrument to ignite passion, instill shared purpose, and shape the future leaders of your organization.

About the Authors:

Mike Sarraille, a retired Navy SEAL and former Recon Marine, is the founder and CEO, Talent War Group and Legacy Expeditions. He is a Global Gurus Top 30 Leadership Speaker,   author of two Amazon best-selling books, "The Talent War" and "The Everyday Warrior," and leads Men’s Journal largest initiative the Men’s Journal Everyday Warrior.

Ryan Norton, a veteran in Talent Acquisition, who is currently the Vice President of Executive Search for Talent War Group. Ryan is known for his experience building talent acquisition strategies and pipelines for several companies, especially companies focused on hiring veterans and transitioning service members. In his current role as Vice President of Executive Search, Ryan works directly with the client to pinpoint what success looks like for roles and then flawlessly execute a strategy to identify the right candidate. Ryan, along with TWG aid hundreds of veterans every year in their military transition planning and continued career navigation in the civilian sector.