We continue our discussion on talent acquisition amid workforce shortages. Today, we focus on one of the critical stages of employee adaptation — preparing a new hire for their first day, commonly known as onboarding or internship.

In large companies, the onboarding process is usually well-structured and consists of several clearly defined stages. In small businesses, however, an intuitive approach often prevails: the newcomer is immediately “immersed” into the team to see whether they can adapt. This resembles the idea of tossing a baby into the water to see if they’ll swim. It’s a high-stress method that relies heavily on the new hire’s leadership skills or exceptional adaptability.

Typically, a new employee starts with high motivation, initiative, and a willingness to work at full capacity. But if they encounter a tightly knit team that is indifferent or even resistant to their arrival (a topic we covered in earlier articles), their stay is likely to be short-lived. In such cases, all the recruitment efforts and costs are wasted.

How to Create an Effective Onboarding System?

1.Pre-Employment Orientation
Before the official start date, ensure the new hire fully understands their job responsibilities, goals, and performance evaluation criteria. This includes reviewing the job description, corporate standards, and operational rules relevant to the role.

2. Verifying Understanding of Goals and Tasks
After orientation, it’s crucial to assess how well the employee has grasped the information. This can be done through a verbal check-in or a brief test.

3. Assigning a Mentor
Ideally, the new hire should be assigned to an experienced mentor responsible for their onboarding. The mentor monitors the newcomer’s progress daily and provides guidance at each stage. Without proper mentorship, there’s a risk that unprepared team members may pass on outdated practices.

Moreover, onboarding is an opportunity to “reboot” internal processes, aligning work practices with current standards — rather than letting the established team overwhelm the new employee.

4. Active Leadership Involvement
Managers should personally oversee the onboarding process — staying informed about daily progress and checking results at each stage. New employees often notice inconsistencies between declared standards and actual practices more quickly than others. This feedback can become a catalyst for positive change, including the revision of outdated procedures.

5. Analyzing Turnover Reasons
Finally, it’s not enough to integrate new hires effectively — it’s equally important to analyze why some eventually leave. We’ll cover this in our next article.

Building a clear and consistent approach to onboarding is more than a response to staffing challenges — it is a long-term investment in business resilience. The Fuel and Energy Business Association supports the implementation of modern HR standards across companies in the energy sector. We believe that when onboarding processes are structured, managers gain confidence, employees feel supported, and businesses achieve stronger outcomes.

Andrii Kopylov
Head of the Standards Committee