Examining the Relationship Between Onboarding Practices and Employee Turnover within the First Year of Hire

This study, grounded in the philosophical assumptions of epistemology and a Social Construct framework, looked to determine whether there is a relationship between a new hire's onboarding experience and attrition in the first year of hire. Utilizing Klein and Heuser's (2008) onboarding framework, which emphasizes Inform, Welcome, and Guide, Klein et al.’s (2015) validated survey was adapted with permission. Additionally, a validated survey from Hassan (2013), focusing on role clarity and job performance, was included in the adapted survey instrument with permission. A quantitative survey was deployed with the results analyzed utilizing IBM SPSS Statistics (Version 29) to determine the correlation between onboarding practices and turnover intention. As part of the survey, two open-ended questions were included to gather feedback on the respondents' experiences. The qualitative responses were reviewed and manually coded, focusing on themed onboarding practices and frequencies. The findings in this study corroborate the literature regarding onboarding practices and its impact on newcomer experience. The Welcome and Guide categories of the Inform Welcome and Guide onboarding framework were resoundingly highlighted as onboarding practices that influence the onboarding experience. Data from this survey highlights the statistics on the alarming number of newcomers who have turnover intention or voluntarily terminate employment versus those who stay. Future research could explore the positive impact of themed practices in depth, investigate the reasons for their ranking, and understand the value placed on Welcome and Guide practices by both those who underwent onboarding and those who did not.