How Netflix Nailed Employee Onboarding (And How You Can Do It Too)

When the first Netflix culture deck was published publicly, it went viral. The deck spoke about how Netflix doesn't see the team as a family but as a sports team. And they build this "sports team" by:

1. Hiring only the best players
2. Encouraging players to support each other
3. Letting go of anyone who doesn't contribute enough to the team, as one bad player can ruin the entire team's performance

The deck triggered many polarized reactions (and continues to do). Some called it pressurizing, expecting employees to be at the top of their game all the time, while others found it a game-changer. 

Netflix culture isn't for everybody. Working (and succeeding) at Netflix is firstly adapting to this culture. And the company does well in getting new employees on board. 

As of February 2025, 90% of employees reported a positive onboarding experience, and 75% would not leave Netflix if offered a job for more money.

Clearly, Netflix is doing something right while onboarding new employees and helping them settle into this unique culture. So what does Netflix's employee onboarding process look like? And how can you replicate it?

How does Netflix run its onboarding process?

Netflix takes its onboarding strategy seriously to ensure a smooth transition. There are five major parts in their onboarding process.

1. Preboarding

Netflix doesn't simply give the offer letter and wait for the candidate to show up on the first day. Instead, they do some groundwork or preboarding between the interview and the day of joining to keep communication ongoing with the candidate.  

The four main steps of their preboarding process are:

1. Getting the paperwork out of the way: Most of the paperwork is signed digitally. So when employees step in on Day 1, they are not worried about documentation but ready to take in exciting information.
2. Soaking in culture: New hires are encouraged to read the culture document, so they understand the company's values, expectations, and work environment.
3. Getting tech ready: Tech support contacts the new hire and asks for the laptop or hardware of their choice and the software they need. This proactive approach ensures their workstation is ready, whether in-office or remote.
4. Branded welcome kit: Netflix sends out welcome packages like a blanket, jacket or shirt before the first day. These tiny details create a great first impression and foster inclusion and company pride

2. Onboarding buddy system

On the first day of work, the new hire gets an email from their onboarding buddy. Buddies act as peer mentors who helps a new hire sail through the initial days and get familiar with workplace culture, company policies, perks and benefits, and more. They also bridge social connections with the rest of the team and become a strong support system. 

At Netflix, buddies help new employees prioritize tasks and information, ensuring a balanced and manageable integration process.

3. Onboarding sessions

Onboarding sessions are designed as episodes spread throughout the first couple of months of being at Netflix. It focuses on: 

• Culture: Company values, history, and vision
• Benefits: Perks, health plans, and other employee benefits
• Technical training: Tech stack and tools
• Product features: Market positioning, and future roadmap
• Team introductions: Meet and interact with team members

Sessions are often planned as a cohort if multiple people join on the same day. These sessions often have interesting themes, like popular games, to make the onboarding fun.

4. Immediate project involvement

Netflix believes in the value of early contribution. New employees get projects and tasks within a week, which increases employee engagement, helps new hires feel integral to the team's success, and provides hands-on learning.

To support this, Netflix provides access to comprehensive project documentation and, when necessary, arranges specialized training sessions like a coding bootcamp to ensure new hires are well-prepared.

For example, Poorna Udupi, an Engineer at Netflix, shares his first production deployment was within a week of joining. And within four months of joining, he was working on a key product.

5. One-on-ones

Netflix onboarding doesn't skip on building human connections. New employees get a list of contacts to have one-on-one meetings. These meetings allow for:

• Feedback: A platform for new hires to share their experiences and insights
• Knowledge transfer: Exchange of critical information and best practices
• Relationship-building: Establishing trust and rapport within the team

For instance, Cecili Reid, Senior Software Engineer at Netflix, shares she got a list of contacts to connect with while onboarding. From the list, she connected with three employees for 45 minutes weekly. The conversations ranged from work advice to informal discussions, like hobbies.

New hires also attend an onboarding session with executive management so that the employee can understand the company's direction.

The pillars of Netflix's onboarding strategy

Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, struggled in his leadership journey with Pure software, his first startup. So, when Reed stepped into Netflix, he knew what he wanted to do and what to avoid. He collaboratively worked with Patty McCord, Former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix, on the culture deck. 

Ultimately, Netflix's philosophy was in place, which had five major points:

• Keep only our highly effective people
• Share information openly, broadly, and deliberately
• Encourage decision-making by employees
• Communicate candidly and directly
• Avoid rules

All these five philosophies reflect on their onboarding process. 

1. Keep only our highly effective people 

Patty McCord shared an interesting story about how this philosophy was born. One day she was talking with one of Netflix's best engineers. Before the layoffs, he managed three engineers, but now he was a one-man army.  So she told him she was trying to hire some help for him soon. But his response surprised her. "There's no rush—I'm happier now," he said. 

It turned out that laid-off engineers were merely adequate. He spent too much time fixing their mistakes. His words echoed in Patty's mind, and Netflix started focusing on hiring only A-level players.

Netflix brings in new hires who are talented and self-starters. And it reflects on the onboarding process—more of it in the next two points.

2. Share information openly, broadly, and deliberately

As the new hires are self-starters, the Netflix team shares as much information as possible while onboarding them. So they can figure out the path ahead and start working independently soon.

Reed Hastings also mentions in his book, No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention:

3. Encourage decision-making by employees

As per this philosophy, the company trusts new hires' judgment, and they work independently on the projects from the get-go.

4. Communicate candidly and directly

Netflix's culture memo stresses frequent communication. 

This value is reflected in their onboarding, as the process encourages regular one-on-one meetings.

5. Avoid rules 

Another point Patty McCord raises is: 

Netflix's onboarding is based on the assumption of having hired intelligent people who can fit into the culture. So there is little point in setting strict rules. 

None of the technical setups for new hires needs any formal approval. Instead, employees get what they ask. As a result, they enjoy freedom and flexibility from day one.

️Reasons why Netflix's onboarding is a hit

Proper employee onboarding has many benefits. Let's see how each part of Netflix onboarding makes the whole program successful. 

1. Preboarding motivates new hires to start  

Netflix engages with new employees immediately after they accept an offer. This proactive approach includes completing necessary paperwork, immersing new hires in the company's culture, setting up workstations, and sending welcome packages. Such steps not only make new hires feel valued but also reduce first-day anxiety and foster early engagement.

2. An onboarding buddy welcomes new hires the right way

An onboarding buddy creates a welcoming environment and ensures new hires are not clueless about whom to reach out to when they are stuck. It adds to the overall productivity. 

Case in point: At Microsoft, 73% of employees who met with their buddy two to three times in the first 90 days were more productive. This number rose to 86% for new hires who met with their buddy four to eight times and 97% percent for new hires who met with their buddies over eight times.

3. Onboarding sessions give a background of the game

Netflix designs its onboarding sessions as a series of engaging episodes spread over the initial months. These sessions help new hires with:

• Understanding the company's philosophies and culture
• Clearly defining roles
• Providing the relevant information
• Accelerating learning

These details help the employees to ramp up in their new roles.

4. Project assignments create a fast lane to get started with the journey

New hires get projects soon, so they aren't just limited to theoretical knowledge but have on-the-job learning. A project gives a reason to connect with stakeholders/team members and establish a working relationship. As a result, employees move up the learning curve fast, get those early wins, and stay motivated.

5. Frequent one-on-ones make the journey collaborative and not-so-boring

Netflix emphasizes regular one-on-one meetings between new hires and their direct managers, which provide a platform for feedback, knowledge sharing, and relationship building.

Comparably reviews show that 91% of Netflix employees said a direct manager was helpful with onboarding in the first 90 days. 83% of new hires socialized with team members outside work—with 39% doing so at least once a week.

How can you run an onboarding process like Netflix?

Onboarding isn't just a one-time activity where you just slap all documents on the new hire's face. Onboarding is an experience where the new hire slowly adapts to the culture and gets adequate support till they are fully productive (and even after it). 

You can replicate this experience using Deel Engage. Let's explore how.

1. Preboarding

You can create an automated preboarding workflow to: 

• Send automated emails to new hires
• Schedule sessions
• Create tasks for the tech team to follow up with new hires and complete the software/hardware setups
• Create tasks for managers, team leads, and HR to follow up or send any paperwork if required

This workflow ensures you never get out of touch with new hires while you get busy in the next round of hiring.

2. Onboarding buddy

One major part of Netflix onboarding is the buddy program. With Deel Engage, you can easily integrate buddy programs into your onboarding process. You can send surveys to identify volunteer buddies or have managers nominate the buddy as you prepare to onboard the new hire.

3. Onboarding sessions

Using the Engage LMS module and the Slack plug-in you can create a structured onboarding experience by:

• Automatically assigning an onboarding journey to new hires based on team, location, hiring date, etc.
• Planning all the onboarding sessions as a journey, not a set of documents, and also making it interactive using videos—easy integrations with platforms like YouTube, Google Drive, Typeform, and Loom are available

4. Project assignment

You can further assign any micro-learning lessons for a project or role-specific training if required apart from the onboarding journey.

5. One-on-ones

Deel Engage provides a Slack plug-in for setting up 1-on-1 calls. It has built-in reminders and a note-taking feature to encourage collaboration between managers and new hires.

Once onboarding is done, your employees don't just log off from the platform forever. Instead, a new experience is waiting for your new hires. The platform continuously enables new employees by helping them with:

• Further training and development to advance their careers in your organization
• Getting (360-degree) feedback
• Building human connections by automatically scheduling virtual coffee chats and more.

Onboard and empower your employees with an all-in-one solution. Book a call with one of your experts today.