Onboarding in the AI Era: Elevating Human Connection for Lasting Success

Written by:

Deb Urbanik – Co-Founder and CEO, D. Whitney Consulting

Karen Taylor – Former Bioscience Global Onboarding Leader, Current Onboarding Practice Lead at D. Whitney Consulting

Effective onboarding connects new hires to purpose, culture, critical performance-driving information, and, most importantly, to each other. A well-structured onboarding experience clarifies your company’s purpose and mission and shows new talent how their role contributes to those outcomes. When done right, onboarding helps employees assimilate, engage, perform, and ultimately decide to stay.

The Role of AI in Onboarding

AI-powered solutions are revolutionizing the onboarding process. AI can:

• Personalize the onboarding experience by capturing employee goals, interests, and hobbies, fostering meaningful connections.

• Automate administrative tasks, freeing up onboarding leaders to focus on the employee experience.

• Analyze feedback, providing data-driven insights that help refine and improve onboarding strategies.

However, as companies integrate AI into their onboarding strategies, it’s critical to maintain a balance. Human connection remains the foundation of a strong and effective onboarding experience.

The Power of Inspired Human Connection

When we connect people to purpose, culture, their role, and their colleagues, it isn’t just human connection we are creating, it’s Inspired Human Connection and it builds engagement, performance, and retention. Studies reinforce this:

• A recent Enboarder study, cited in Forbes, found that 94% of employees are more productive when they feel connected to colleagues. Employees who feel connected are half as likely to leave within the next year and four times more likely to report job satisfaction.

• Despite being more connected through technological advancements, workplace loneliness is on the rise. According to the 2024 Gallup State of the Global Workplace report, 1 in 20 workers feel lonely at work, with 45% of employees aged 18-25 reporting workplace loneliness. Lonely workers are significantly more likely to leave their jobs (Integrated Benefits Institute study). Helping new talent connect with each other can help reduce workplace loneliness and improve retention. 

Effective onboarding fosters Inspired Human Connection, driving both performance and retention.

Is Your Onboarding Strategy Building Inspired Human Connection?

To evaluate your current onboarding strategy, ask yourself:

• Are hiring managers equipped with the tools, understanding, and accountability to build positive human connections with new talent?

• Do we have an effective Buddy system that prioritizes social connections?

• Are Buddies trained and supported with the right tools?

• For companies with dispersed locations, is there a local Onboarding Champion role to promote connection, learning, and socialization?

• Are there opportunities for Buddy and Manager connections before Day 1?

• What is the human contact experience on Day 1 (virtually or in-person)?

• Are welcome gifts personalized and meaningful? Do they include notes from the team?

• Are we leveraging AI to match new hires with Buddies, Managers, and colleagues based on shared interests?

• Does our cultural orientation include small group activities that connect employees to company values and purpose?

• Are we providing Leader ‘get to know you’ virtual or in-person meetups?

• How are we sustaining connections beyond Day 1? Consider:

  • Virtual social events tied to company values, featuring guest speakers and team activities.

  • Online communities via Slack or Teams where new hires, Buddies, and Onboarding Champions can interact.

  • Opportunities for new employees to participate in company-sponsored volunteer initiatives.

• Are we identifying high-performing new talent and inviting them to become Onboarding Champions at the end of their first year?

Partner with D. Whitney Consulting to Strengthen Your Onboarding Strategy

Inspired Human Connection doesn’t happen by chance—it’s designed into every step of the onboarding journey. If you’re looking to transform your onboarding experience and drive long-term employee success, D. Whitney Consulting can help.

Let’s create an onboarding experience that connects, engages, and retains top talent. Contact us today to get started.