Onboarding is not a detail
- Audrey Lessard
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
We put a lot of energy into recruiting, attracting, convincing, selecting.
But much less into welcoming.
And yet, the first days in a new job are decisive. That’s where trust is built or not. That’s where a sense of safety emerges, where the foundations for engagement or disengagement are laid.
When onboarding relies on memory
Several times throughout my career, in very different contexts, I was asked to welcome a new employee.
I always said yes, I enjoy sharing knowledge and creating structure.
But almost every time, the same reality surfaced. I was told: “You’ll take care of the training.”
So I asked simple questions:
Where are the tools? Is there a guide? A checklist? A clear structure for the first few days?
Sometimes, I already knew the answers, having experienced it myself when I joined 😉
Often, the information was scattered. A document here. A PDF somewhere else. Things people “just know by memory.”
And once, the situation was even more revealing.
The person who usually onboarded new employees was sick. That very morning, I was asked:“Can you welcome the new hire today?”
Of course.
But when I asked, “What do we give them? Do we have a guide? A structure? ”The answer was: “No, we just go with memory.”
That’s when I thought: This makes no sense.
When everything depends on one person, it’s not serious, it’s patchwork.
What often gets overlooked after hiring
What’s striking is that in many organizations, training is well structured. But onboarding, those first critical days, often flies under the radar.
Yet a new employee is an internal customer. Exactly like in customer service.
If you walk into a store as a customer and hear:“It should be in that aisle.”
or
“That’s not me, probably someone else.”
The message is clear: this place isn’t very organized. You probably have plenty of similar examples in mind.
By contrast, when someone arrives and receives:
prepared tools
a simple guide
a clear structure
even a folder with the basics to take notes
It doesn’t cost much, but it changes everything.
To me, these small gestures send strong signals of seriousness and respect.
It wasn’t a performance day
That’s why, when I welcomed a new employee in my previous role, the first day was always different.
It wasn’t a performance day.
It was a creation day.
We were building a relationship.
My team and I took the time to explain the vision, hand over the tools and make sure access was working.
Most importantly, I asked simple but essential questions: How do you learn best? What do you need to integrate well?
Personally, I’m very visual. If something is explained without visual support, I understand but the connections form more slowly. Naming that upfront opened the door for the other person to share how they learn.
I also asked: How do you prefer to receive feedback? In a group? Privately? By email? One-on-one?
For some, public recognition is motivating. For others, it’s deeply uncomfortable. That’s not a preference, it’s part of who they are.
This isn’t about imposing a rigid structure. It’s about creating a clear enough framework so each person can then express themselves in their own way.
The people I support have varied profiles, but one thing comes up again and again: onboarding very quickly sets the tone for what will be possible next, either a real wow, or a first red flag.
This isn’t just a personal impression.
When the framework allows strengths to emerge
What I’ve observed in the field and in my personal life aligns with research in occupational psychology, notably the work of Amanda Kirby and Nancy Doyle, occupational psychologists affiliated with Birkbeck, University of London.
Among neurodivergent profiles, the authors draw on two examples, ADHD and autism, to illustrate how the framework transforms the work experience.
For instance, in people with ADHD, what is sometimes seen as difficulty sustaining focus can also translate into heightened vigilance, the ability to quickly spot details, mobilize high levels of internal energy, and perform well in dynamic or high-pressure environments.
These strengths are especially valuable in contexts where rapid response, adaptability, and situational awareness are required, such as classrooms, clinical or emergency settings, construction sites, or roles where attention, presence, and responsiveness are essential.
Regarding autism, the authors explain that what is often perceived as rigidity can become a remarkable strength when the framework is clear: the ability to follow processes precisely, detect errors, maintain sustained attention, understand situations quickly, make connections, and see the whole rather than isolated parts.
According to the authors, these qualities are particularly valuable in fields such as media, law, finance, technology, engineering, logistics, planning, editing, laboratory work, compliance or any role requiring rigor, coherence and a strong overall perspective.
Of course, these profiles also come with challenges, the authors note. Without a clear structure, a person with ADHD may be more easily distracted by noise, movement, or environmental disorganization. An autistic person may feel stuck when ways of working are never clearly explained, when rules are vague or when expectations contradict each other.
In other words, challenges don’t come out of nowhere. They often appear when the environment doesn’t support the person.
What’s needed isn’t a rigid framework, but a clear one. The rest can adjust.
And this isn’t just theoretical. I know it for myself too: when expectations are clear, I function better. And I strongly doubt I’m the only one.
This is exactly where onboarding becomes decisive. In the first days, when you don’t yet know anyone. When you observe, listen and try to understand how things work here, including the unspoken rules.
A clear framework reassures.
A vague one drains energy.
And that fatigue has nothing to do with competence.
Inclusion begins with onboarding
This is where inclusion becomes real, it lives in the experience.
We don’t always remember everything we were told. But we remember how we felt. (An idea often attributed to Maya Angelou.)
Welcoming someone isn’t just saying “welcome.” It’s creating safety, clarity, structure, and taking the time. It’s creating the conditions for success before performance is even discussed.
The good news is: this isn’t theoretical.
We see it in certain organizations, here and elsewhere, often recognized for the quality of their culture or truly inclusive practices. In these organizations, onboarding is seen as a continuation of recruitment, not an administrative formality.
They invest in clarity of roles, expectations and ways of working; in preparing tools; and in building relationships from the very first days. Because they understand that this is where long-term engagement and success largely take shape.
So the question is simple: In your organization, who is truly responsible for onboarding a new employee and how do you ensure that it is both clear and human?
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