Onboarding: a key to employee retention and workplace well-being

Onboarding is crucial for the creation of a lasting bond between employees and the organization and, consequently, for the retention of new hires. However, there is a lack of research on the mechanisms by which onboarding influences employees turnover intention. Based on the Socialization of Resources Theory, the study analyses the role of organizational identification and employee well-being as possible links between onboarding and turnover intention. Previous onboarding research has primarily focused on corporate welcome sessions, while often neglecting the role of managers and coworkers in helping newcomers adjust effectively. This study aims to fill this gap by considering three dimensions of onboarding: Corporate Welcome, Managers’ Welcome, and Coworkers’ Welcome. A total of 114 complete responses were collected through an online survey shared on social networks during May/June, 2023. Most participants work in the private sector, in small/medium-sized companies operating in Portugal. Structural Equations Modelling with Partial Least Squares was used to test the hypothesis under study. The results evidence a positive effect of onboarding on employees’ well-being and on organizational identification. Workplace well-being mediates the relationship between onboarding and turnover intention. Additionally, the findings show that there are significant differences for gender, since the effect of Managers’ Welcome on Turnover Intention is stronger for males and the effect of Workplace Well-being on Turnover Intention is stronger for females. The model explains 65.4% of turnover intention variance.