Nearly two thirds of employees in the UK and Ireland found their onboarding experience stressful, according to a study by Cezanne HR.

Onboarding is the process of introducing new employees into an organisation and usually starts before their first day.

The study also found that fifth of all employees believed they were misled by their employer’s original job listing. At the same time, over a quarter of remote workers surveyed said they’d been let down by poor onboarding. 

Meanwhile, half of all new hires said they felt productive and capable of doing their jobs. Over a fifth of new hires said their onboarding made them question their choice in jobs, while 20% felt they’d been left isolated or alone during their onboarding.

Nearly half, or 39% said their current company onboarded them ‘really well’ while 40% said their company onboarded them ‘well enough’ and approximately 21% said their company provided little or no onboarding before their first day.

Paul Bauer, Cezanne HR’s Head of Content said, “Onboarding new employees is an organisation’s opportunity to make that vital first good impression. A positive experience can lead to reduced turnover, higher staff engagement, and improved productivity, amongst other things.”

“If a new hire feels isolated, forgotten, or unsupported, it can dramatically reduce their long-term chance of success with their new employer,” Bauer added.