This paper presents a formal onboarding program proposal designed to address high first-year turnover among newly hired business consultants. After identifying that 90 percent of consultants hired over a three-year period left before their seven-month anniversary, a needs assessment revealed that inadequate support during early tenure was the primary driver of attrition. Drawing on research by Bell (2021), Sims (2013), and Walker-Schmidt et al. (2022), the paper outlines a one-year, five-phase onboarding program structured around four objectives: improving retention, increasing engagement, reducing time-to-productivity, and enhancing socialization. The program incorporates Lauby's four elements (Recruitment, Pre-boarding, Orientation, and Onboarding), the 4 Cs content framework, andragogical principles from Knowles et al. (2020), and the Kirkpatrick four-level evaluation model. An estimated implementation cost of $41,500 is also provided.
This paper demonstrates how to build a business case for a training initiative by linking organizational data (cost per replacement, retention rates) to an evidence-based solution, and then validating that solution with a multi-level evaluation plan. The use of the Kirkpatrick model as an evaluation structure is a particularly strong technique: it forces the writer to specify outcome measures at four distinct levels of rigor, from trainee reaction all the way to business results.
The paper follows a professional memo format with an executive cover section, a problem statement supported by needs assessment findings, a solution rationale drawing on published research, a detailed program description organized by phase and content area, a learning transfer section grounded in adult learning theory, and a formal evaluation and cost estimate section. An appendix provides a visual roadmap of all program activities, responsible parties, and time periods — a practical deliverable that reinforces the paper's applied focus.
Retaining top talent is crucial for any organization that wishes to maintain a competitive edge in today's marketplace. Failure to devise innovative ways to retain top talent places an organization at risk of incurring unnecessarily high employee turnover costs. Available data from the Institute of Corporate Productivity shows that the cost of replacing a single employee in the United States is between 90 and 200 percent of that employee's annual pay (Walker-Schmidt et al., 2022). Fortunately, studies have shown that effective onboarding is beneficial in increasing new employees' productivity, engagement, and retention (Walker-Schmidt, 2021). Guided by these findings, this proposal argues that a structured onboarding program would effectively address the problem of high turnover among new business consultants reported in the recent past. The high turnover among consultants has continued to deny the company the opportunity to benefit fully from available talent.
The problem is that turnover rates among new business consultants at the company are at an all-time high. Reviewed data shows that 90 percent of business consultants hired over the past three years did not reach their seven-month anniversary. This happens despite the company offering competitive salaries and bonuses, effective promotional opportunities, and high-visibility consulting assignments. Customers are complaining about having to adjust to a new consultant every six months, and some have threatened to withdraw their business from the company. At the same time, the cost of replacing exiting consultants is beginning to affect the company's net income and competitiveness. For instance, it costs the company approximately $50,000 in training and recruitment each time a consultant leaves. In light of this, the company president requested the department to investigate the high turnover among consultants and develop recommendations to address the problem.
A needs assessment conducted jointly by the manager of training and the staffing manager revealed that current and former consultants did not feel supported during their first six months of work. They spent a substantial amount of time trying to become accustomed to company systems, policies, and operations, with little support forthcoming from managers and other employees. As a result, they ended up missing deadlines, making mistakes, and producing reports that did not conform to the company's guidelines. The consultants were also under constant pressure from their managers to reach high productivity levels; yet, six months into their hire, most were still struggling to understand performance expectations, the company's consulting methods, and the corporate culture. Managers, for their part, admitted that they did not know how to help new hires learn what they needed to know about the company.
Onboarding is a strategic process that organizations use to attract new employees, engage them, accustom them to the organizational culture, and assimilate them into the organization (Lamb, 2011). During onboarding, the new hire is educated about their job and related expectations, as well as about the company's processes, procedures, policies, values, and goals (Walker-Schmidt, 2021). Ultimately, this makes it easier for them to socialize into the corporate culture.
The primary reason consultants leave within a short time appears to be their inability to assimilate into the company's corporate culture, systems, and processes. Naff et al. (2016) point out that 16 percent of senior executives in the United States who leave their jobs within the first year of hire do so because they do not understand performance expectations, owing to the lack of a strategy to help them assimilate quickly. As Walker-Schmidt et al. (2021) note, onboarding helps new hires build an emotional connection with the company, transforming them from outsiders to insiders. Studies have shown that onboarding ultimately improves retention among new hires. In one study, Walker-Schmidt et al. (2022) found that onboarded employees in the information technology sector stayed one year longer than their counterparts who did not receive onboarding. Another study (as cited in Bell, 2021) found that an effective onboarding program increased retention rates by 52 percent while also increasing organizational commitment and job satisfaction.
Studies have additionally shown that onboarding programs result in higher levels of employee productivity by reducing the risk of guesswork and stress for newly hired employees (Bell, 2021). A study by Texas Instruments (as cited in Bell, 2021) found that onboarded employees took two months less to reach full productivity relative to counterparts who did not go through an onboarding program. In a survey of the world's top-performing companies, the Aberdeen Group also found that onboarding improved time-to-productivity for new employees by 62 percent (Bell, 2021). For these reasons, an onboarding program would be a fundamental requirement for increased performance, organizational commitment, job satisfaction, and retention among new business consultants.
Traditionally, the company has used an informal onboarding system not guided by any standard organizational plan. The proposed program, by contrast, is a formal onboarding program guided by a documented set of coordinated procedures and policies, and geared at providing the new hire with information about their job while helping them adjust in terms of both socialization and task performance (Bell, 2021). The program pursues four primary objectives:
Objective 1: To increase first-year retention among new business consultants by 50 percent by the end of the second year of implementation (Bell, 2021). This will be achieved through providing on-the-job training as well as tools and information that clarify job-related expectations and responsibilities, thereby reducing the risk of errors and guesswork.
Objective 2: To increase engagement levels of new consultants by 35 percent by the end of their first year. This will be achieved by increasing new hires' knowledge of the company's environment, policies, and culture, and by assigning mentors to offer extra support and help them acclimate (Bell, 2021).
Objective 3: To reduce time-to-productivity among newly hired consultants from one year to six months (Sims, 2013). This will be achieved by providing the needed tools and information during orientation and onboarding to develop job knowledge, thereby reducing guesswork and the stress it causes (Bell, 2021).
Objective 4: To increase socialization among newly hired consultants by 40 percent by the end of their first year (Bell, 2021). This will be achieved by providing tools, information, and supports that enable the new hire to receive feedback and build strong networks with peers and subordinates (Bell, 2021).
The traditional onboarding approach adopts a one-time, one-stop model in which, over the first few days or weeks, the employee is given large volumes of information about company procedures and policies and then left to find their way (Sims, 2013). However, this approach often results in information overload among new hires (Sims, 2013; Bell, 2021). A more effective onboarding program takes a phased approach, enabling the new hire to socialize and build networks with those who mentor, coach, and teach them, as well as with other new employees (Sims, 2013). According to Bell (2021), effective onboarding programs are designed to connect with new hires before they report for their first day and extend well into their first year.
Accordingly, the onboarding program for new consultants will run for one year and will be subdivided into five phases: (1) activities prior to physical reporting, (2) activities for the first day, (3) activities for the first month, (4) activities for the first quarter or 90 days on the job, and (5) activities for the remainder of the first year (Sims, 2013). The program will take place at the company premises, which offers the advantage of allowing new hires to observe and experience the organizational culture firsthand while minimizing costs by eliminating the need for external conference facilities (Bell, 2021). The first week will be anchored by an orientation workshop held in the company's conference hall. The manager in charge of training will ensure the room has comfortable seating, functioning air conditioning, and sufficient lighting to foster a productive learning atmosphere (Cordiner, 2017).
Bell, T. (2021). Onboarding: improving employer and employee relations. Certified Public Manager Applied Research, 2(1), 1–8.
Cordiner, S. (2017). The theory and principles of creating effective training courses: What to do before creating your course. Maintraining Pty Limited.
Kirkpatrick, J. D., & Kirkpatrick, J. K. (2016). Four levels of training evaluation. Association for Talent Development.
Knowles, M., Holton, E. F., Swanson, R. A., & Robinson, P. A. (2020). The adult learner: The definitive classic in adult education and human resource development. Taylor & Francis.
Lamb, J. (2011, May). Onboarding: Your next value-add? Employee Benefit Advisor, 9(5), 58–59.
Lauby, S. (2018). A roadmap for onboarding managers. Management Development, 35(1806), 1–17.
Naff, K. C., Riccucci, N. M., & Freyss, S. (2016). Personnel management in government: Politics and process (7th ed.). CRC Press.
Sims, D. M. (2013). Creative onboarding programs: Tools for energizing your orientation programs. McGraw-Hill.
Spector, P. E. (2021). Industrial and organizational psychology: Research and practice. John Wiley & Sons.
Walker-Schmidt, W., Kaul, C., & Papadakis, L. C. (2022). Onboarding effects on engagement and retention in the IT sector. Impacting Education, 7(4), 8–15. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1369047.pdf
Walker-Schmidt, W. (2021). Onboarding effects on employee engagement and retention: A mixed-methods study exploring extending onboarding and its impact on long-term employment and retention. [University Thesis]. https://baylor-ir.tdl.org/items/325a19bc-7653-4f7a-977b-8192ddc2cc08/full
Prior to the New Employee's Reporting
Mail the employee a signed welcome letter outlining the orientation process and informing them where to park and how to access the premises on their reporting day. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 1 day)
Mail the employee a CD or DVD outlining available employee benefits. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 1 day)
Activate the employee's work setup: provide office supplies, set up the phone number and voicemail system, set up the computer and connect it to the shared printer, and provide passwords for access to the computer, email, and company intranet. (IT Representative — 1 day)
Set up the employee on the payroll system. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 1 day)
Activate internal security processes: staff ID, temporary badge, and parking permit. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 1 day)
The New Employee's First Day
Greet the new employee and guide them through the building's security access system. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 1 hour)
Issue the new employee the onboarding roadmap showing what they will be participating in. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 20 minutes)
Take the new employee on a facility tour and introduce them to their peers. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 1 hour)
Guide the new employee in selecting a benefits package. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 30 minutes)
Guide the new employee in completing all necessary forms and documentation. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 1 hour)
Assist the employee in accessing the computer on their desk, their email, and the company intranet. (IT Representative — 1 hour)
Assign a buddy or peer mentor to offer additional support — such as taking the new employee to lunch — to help them feel welcome and settle in. (HR Division / Staffing Manager)
Provide basic safety training: acquaint the employee with fire assembly points and the location of fire extinguishers. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 40 minutes)
The New Employee's First Week
Organize a meeting for the employee to meet company executives and division managers. (HR Division / Staffing Manager — 2 hours)
Organize and administer the orientation workshop (content based on the 4 Cs: Compliance, Clarification, Culture, and Connections). (HR Division / Staffing Manager; Respective Division Manager — 2 days)
Provide basic job-specific training, including guidance on accessing the project management and expense reporting software. (Division Manager — 1 day)
Introduce the employee to the projects they will be handling through a lecture and provision of project materials such as binders and reports. (Division Manager — 1 day)
Provide relevant employee handbooks and guides for reference. (HR Division / Staffing Manager; Division Manager)
Acquaint the employee with performance goals and educate them on the philosophy and processes of performance appraisal. (Division Manager — 1 day)
The Employee's First Three Months (90 Days)
Carry out a formal feedback session to obtain the employee's input and new ideas for improving the onboarding process. (HR Division / Staffing Manager; Division Manager — 1.5 hours)
Follow up to ensure all training scheduled for the first 90 days has been administered. (HR Division / Staffing Manager; Division Manager — 1 hour)
Hold a performance appraisal on the 90-day anniversary to clarify performance expectations and provide feedback on the employee's progress. (Division Manager in the presence of the Staffing Manager — 2 hours)
The Employee's First Year on the Job
Carry out a formal feedback session to obtain the employee's input and new ideas for improving the onboarding process. (Staffing Manager; Division Manager — 1.5 hours)
Hold a formal performance appraisal at the one-year anniversary to provide feedback on the employee's performance. (Division Manager in the presence of the Staffing Manager — 2 hours)
Administer on-the-job training to the employee as needed through mentorship, coaching, and apprenticeship. (Division Manager; Staffing Manager — as per requirements)
Assign the employee as a buddy or mentor to another newly hired employee. (Division Manager — 1 hour)
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