11 Companies with the Best Onboarding Programs: Find Inspiration for Your Strategy

Creating a successful onboarding program is essential for employee retention and engagement.

This article explores 11 examples of companies known for exceptional onboarding experiences, revealing best practices and strategies for enhancing onboarding at your organization. Discover actionable insights from companies with standout onboarding practices, including cultural integration, continuous feedback, and the use of technology.

1. Zapier: Efficient onboarding through automation

Zapier’s onboarding process is known for its innovative automation tools and remote work culture, seamlessly integrating new employees through automation.

Zapier faced three main challenges when onboarding new hires:

1. Managing calendar events
2. Integrating new hires
3. Pairing new hires with experienced employees

The Zapier team leveraged automation to overcome these as follows:

• Calendar events: With a couple of clicks, Zapier’s onboarding managers can automatically delete unwanted calendar events and add required new-starter events, alleviating the manual clicking and deleting of each event
• Integrating new hires: Zapier’s onboarding workflows are automatically launched from its recruiting platform, adding new hires seamlessly to the program. This eliminates manual processes and saves around 30 minutes per new hire
• Pairing new hires: Zapier automatically matches new hires with experienced employees, avoiding manual matchmaking and ensuring new hires are paired with well-suited mentors

Ashley Priebe Brown, onboarding specialist at Zapier, estimates that automating onboarding has saved her over a year and a half in working hours over the past few years, allowing her to prioritize the human aspects of onboarding.

Zapier’s automation promotes consistency and scalability across any location, in-person or remote, facilitating a structured yet flexible approach across its global workforce.

2. Buffer: Role and social integration with a buddy system

Buffer, celebrated for its transparent and remote-first culture, uses a buddy system for onboarding new hires. Buffer’s onboarding buddies ensure new hires receive a guided introduction to the company and their roles.

There are three key players in Buffer’s onboarding process:

1. Hiring manager: Typically, the new hire’s direct supervisor initiates the onboarding process. They select a suitable role buddy (see next) and set a roadmap with 30-, 60-, or 90-day milestones, staying connected with onboarding buddies to facilitate a smooth transition for the new starter
2. Role buddy: A peer who works in the same or similar role and is the go-to person for any task-related questions. They check in with the new starter regularly, e.g., once or twice a week via Zoom, and maintain regular communication through email or messaging (e.g., Slack). The peer supports the new hire in getting up to speed with their job responsibilities.
3. Culture buddy: A colleague from a different team who guides the new hire through discussions about company culture, history, and accepted practices. They also provide coaching and feedback, supporting the new starters as they settle into Buffer’s unique work environment. Regular communication is maintained via weekly chats (first six weeks) and meetings (after six weeks)

Buffer’s buddy system emphasizes personalized support, making it easier for new hires to navigate their roles, make meaningful social connections, and integrate into Buffer’s fully remote environment. It is a crucial element of Buffer’s onboarding process, ensuring that new starters are set up for success in their first 90 days.

3. Google: The Noogler system for seamless onboarding

Google, one of the world’s most recognized companies, has developed an onboarding process integrating new hires—“Nooglers”—using a blend of fun and structured guidance.

Here’s how the Noogler system works:

• Pre-boarding manager preparation: The day before they start, Nooglers receive an automated notification to:
  • Assign a buddy
  • Explain the Noogler’s role and responsibilities
  • Introduce co-workers
  • Set up regular check-ins for the first six months
  • Encourage open communication about any potential issues
• First day: Nooglers receive a distinctive “Noogler hat” on their first day, symbolizing their initiation into Google culture. They also receive a set of actionable tasks delivered “just in time,” ensuring they receive information as needed without being overwhelmed
• Ongoing support and integration: Nooglers’ buddies play a crucial role throughout their first six months, offering guidance and support to help them navigate and settle into Google’s environment. Regular check-ins with managers help monitor progress and address any concerns early on.

Google’s Noogler system is designed with human behavior in mind, featuring a just-in-time approach, a culture-centric focus, and continuous support and guidance. This makes onboarding effective and engaging, ensuring that Google’s new hires are well-prepared and connected from the start.

4. Zappos: Immersive customer support training

Zappos is known for its exceptional customer service and strong company culture. Its onboarding process emphasizes customer support and its core values of collaboration, long-term goals, and happiness to ensure new hires are fully integrated into the company’s culture and values.

Zappos’ onboarding process features:

1. A focus on culture: Every new hire gets a comprehensive introduction to Zappos’ culture, including a short onboarding video highlighting Zappos’ core values, workplace environment, and the role of each employee in upholding these standards
2. Customer support training: A standout feature of Zappos’ onboarding process is customer support training that lasts for several weeks and involves hands-on experience at call centers. This immerses new employees in Zappos’ customer-first philosophy and ensures they’re fully aligned with Zappos’ service standards
3. The offer: After their training period, Zappos offers each new hire $4,000 (plus payment for their training period) to quit the company if they don’t feel a good fit. This is known as “the offer” that (reportedly) only around 1 percent of new hires take up. Those who choose to stay demonstrate a strong alignment and commitment to Zappos’ mission, culture, and way of doing business

Zappos’ focus on customer service and culture equips new hires with essential skills and a deep understanding of the company’s commitment to its customers, resulting in an effective and highly engaging onboarding process.

5. Hubspot: Comprehensive product training

Hubspot, a marketing and customer service software leader, highlights product training in its onboarding process. This familiarizes new starters with Hubspot’s complex suite of products, regardless of their experience.

Hubspot’s onboarding process emphasizes:

1. Structured onboarding: Hubspot uses a structured and comprehensive onboarding process called “Foundations.” This includes all the essential information for new starters, from company culture to role expectations.
2. Product training: In-depth training on Hubspot’s products is a central feature of its onboarding process. Video tutorials and training modules provide new starters with the resources and knowledge to navigate Hubspot’s products and support them effectively, particularly for those who are unfamiliar with them.
3. Remote adaptation: Hubspot’s onboarding process functions effectively in a remote environment, with specific onboarding content and product training to make the transition to remote work seamless for new hires.

Hubspot’s onboarding process goes beyond basic orientation, fostering long-lasting relationships and equipping new employees with the tools they need for success.

A recent new starter’s experience highlights the positive impact that Hubspot’s onboarding process has:

6. Meta: Immersive bootcamp onboarding

Meta, formerly Facebook, uses intensive bootcamps in its onboarding process to immerse new engineers into the company’s culture and technical environment. This approach accelerates integration into Meta’s culture and enforces its high standards.

Meta’s onboarding bootcamp experience includes:

1. Team rotation: New engineers rotate between different teams over six-week periods, working on real-world projects. This allows them to understand the breadth of Meta’s codebase and helps them identify which teams align best with their skills and interest
2. Hands-on learning: During bootcamp, engineers tackle challenging problems and contribute to production code from day one, fostering rapid learning and building confidence to take on significant responsibilities quickly
3. Mentorship and feedback: New hires receive continuous mentorship and feedback during their bootcamp experience, helping them navigate the complexities of Meta’s infrastructure and culture while feeling valued and supported

Meta’s bootcamp accelerates technical proficiency and deeply integrates new hires into the company’s dynamic environment. This approach has prompted some recent Meta employees to say that their bootcamp onboarding experience “is one of the best things about joining Facebook [Meta].”

7. Netflix: Culture-centric onboarding

Netflix strongly emphasizes culture during its onboarding process to ensure new hires are deeply aligned with the company’s core values.

Netflix’s onboarding process features:

1. Cultural immersion: New starters are introduced to Netflix’s culture from day one, an environment that prioritizes freedom and responsibility. The onboarding process includes in-depth discussions on the company’s values, such as integrity, innovation, and openness, to help new hires understand how Netflix works
2. Role-specific training: Netflix provides tailored training that focuses on the specific needs of each role, providing new hires with technical skills and cultural context
3. Ongoing support: New hires receive continuous support and feedback during their early days at Netflix, including a buddy system that pairs them with experienced colleagues and allows them to integrate smoothly and confidently into the company’s dynamic work environment

Netflix’s culture-centric onboarding approach promotes engagement with the company’s mission and values, fostering a cohesive and motivated workforce. This reflects a “welcome home” philosophy, demonstrating Netflix’s commitment to ensuring new hires feel valued and included from the outset.

8. Spotify: Innovation through “controlled chaos”

Spotify is known for its dynamic and creative culture, translating to an onboarding approach centered around “controlled chaos.” This fosters innovation and adaptability among new hires.

Spotify’s controlled chaos onboarding includes:

1. Immersive introduction: New hires are immersed in an environment promoting innovation and problem-solving, including some deliberatively unstructured areas that encourage new starters to navigate challenges independently and develop innovative solutions
2. Team integration: New hires quickly integrate with their teams and engage with real projects that contribute to Spotify’s goals, helping them acclimate to Spotify’s fast-paced, ever-evolving workplace and encouraging them to think outside the box
3. Mentorship and support: New employees aren’t left to navigate their new workplace alone, with mentorship and peer support being integral to the onboarding process, providing guidance and a balance between structure and autonomy

Katarina Berg, Spotfy’s CHRO, describes Spotify’s use of controlled chaos for effective onboarding:

9. Taktile: Continuous feedback in onboarding

Taktile, known for its automated decision-making software, emphasizes feedback as a core element of onboarding. This helps new hires integrate quickly into the company’s dynamic environment.

Taktile’s onboarding features:

1. Structured feedback loops: Regular check-ins and feedback sessions through the initial months give new employees timely, actionable feedback on their performance, helping them align with company expectations and learn how to improve.
2. Peer and manager support: Feedback from managers and peers provides new starters with a well-rounded perspective on their performance. This collaborative approach helps new employees feel supported from all angles.
3. Milestone-based evaluations: The onboarding process is structured around key milestones, with feedback provided at each stage. This helps new hires understand their progress and areas for improvement, contributing to their growth and confidence in the company.

Taktile’s focus on continuous, structured feedback makes its onboarding process highly effective. This extends to ongoing performance monitoring and reviews by leveraging innovative tools such as Deel Engage to enhance feedback delivery:

This promotes a supportive environment that encourages open communication and professional development, helping new hires quickly adapt and thrive.

10. Accenture: Virtual reality onboarding in the Metaverse

Accenture leverages virtual reality (VR) to enhance its onboarding experience using its futuristic facility at One Accenture Park. This virtual campus allows new hires to immerse themselves in Accenture’s culture from day one, fostering stronger connections and smoother transitions into the company.

Accenture’s onboarding process includes:

1. Immersive orientation: New employees begin their journey at Accenture in the Metaverse, where they experience a virtual orientation at One Accenture Park. This immersive experience allows them to explore the company’s culture, meet colleagues, and start building professional relationships in a dynamic, engaging environment
2. Cultural integration: VR-based onboarding familiarizes new hires with Accenture’s values and work culture in a uniquely personal way, creating a more meaningful and memorable first-day experience
3. Scalable engagement: Having onboarded over 150,000 new hires in the Metaverse, VR helps Accenture scale its onboarding program while providing a consistent and personalized experience for its large global workforce.

Accenture’s use of VR creates a unique and engaging onboarding experience that aligns with growing onboarding trends in the modern workplace:

11. Verisys: Personalized remote onboarding

Verisys, a leading provider of healthcare data, switched to remote work in 2020. In response, it developed a robust onboarding process to integrate new hires remotely and effectively from a technical and cultural perspective.

The key aspects of Verisys’s remote onboarding are:

1. Remote readiness: Verisys provides new hires with tutorial videos and comprehensive technical guides to help them set up their home offices and work equipment correctly. These are designed so that even non-IT-savvy employees can get started without delay.
2. Personalized experience: New hires receive equipment and company swag delivered to their homes, such as decorations and balloons. This personalized touch creates a welcoming atmosphere and a positive first impression despite the remote setting
3. Support and engagement: New employees are given a warm welcome message in their respective team channels on Slack, fostering an immediate connection and engagement with their colleagues

Verisys’s focus on remote readiness and personalized onboarding ensures new starters feel fully supported from their first day.

Best practices for companies with exceptional onboarding practices

The key learnings from companies with the best onboarding practices include:

• Cultural integration: Embedding new hires into company culture, as Netflix and Buffer do, fosters a sense of belonging and alignment with company values, which are crucial for long-term retention
• Continuous feedback: Feedback loops, like those at Taktile, help new employees quickly align with expectations and gain confidence from the start, boosting performance
• Role-specific training: Tailored training, as Hubspot provides, equips new hires with the specific skills they need to contribute effectively from the start
• Technology: Leveraging technology, as Accenture does with VR, creates immersive and scalable onboarding experiences that engage and prepare employees in innovative ways
• Buddy systems: Peer support, as Buffer and Spotify offer, gives new starters guidance and a personal connection, making the onboarding experience smoother and more engaging
• Personalized onboarding: Personal touches, like Verisys’s home-delivered equipment and swag, help remote employees feel welcomed and valued, enhancing their onboarding experience
• Scalable engagement: Scalable onboarding processes, like those at Accenture, provide consistency and quality for a large, global workforce

Take your onboarding program to the next level with Deel

Deel Engage provides a comprehensive suite of features designed to streamline and elevate your onboarding process, whether remote or in-office. Here’s how Deel can help:

• Customizable onboarding workflows: Build tailored workflows for specific roles, incorporating automated tasks, training modules, and checklists for new hires, providing a structured and personalized onboarding experience
• Seamless Slack integration: Facilitate onboarding directly with Slack, allowing new hires to access onboarding materials and participate in activities with ease
• AI-powered LMS: Develop interactive courses with AI, track progress, and evaluate learning outcomes to provide an educational and engaging onboarding process
• Interactive content creation: Craft interactive onboarding materials, including video tutorials and quizzes, making onboarding more dynamic and enjoyable
• Continuous feedback: Gather feedback from new hires on their onboarding experience and garner insights to refine and improve the onboarding process
• New hire performance evaluation: Assess new hires’ performance and provide constructive feedback to support their growth and integration into your organization
• Global compliance support: Ensure your onboarding processes adhere to local regulations across multiple countries with Deel’s global HR and compliance solutions

Additionally, Deel HR, our truly global HRIS solution, is always included for free.

Book a demo to see how our solutions can help you deliver a highly engaging and effective onboarding program for your new hires.