Say it like this
- We need to improve our onboarding experience.
- The onboarding process is taking too long.
- Is the new hire finished with onboarding?
Use it at work
New hires
- Your onboarding starts Monday with IT setup.
- I'm your onboarding buddy this month.
Product
- Our onboarding flow is too long. Users drop off.
- Let's add a checklist to user onboarding.
Improving
- What would have made your onboarding easier?
- Let's update the onboarding docs.
Don't say this
Onboarding as a past action needs past tense; yesterday signals past tense.
Don't mix it up
| Term | What it is | Who writes or uses it | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| onboarding | Getting new people or users started | HR, product | First days |
| offboarding | Process when someone leaves | HR, IT | Last days |
| ramp-up | Time for a new person to get productive | Managers | First months |
Practice
Try it
4 quick exercises
1. We need to improve our _______ process to retain more junior developers.
2. Which sentence uses 'onboarding' incorrectly?
3. You want to say that new employees need help understanding the company. Which sounds most natural?
4. Rewrite using 'onboarding': 'We need to make sure the new person from Germany knows how the office works and can access all the systems they need.'
Say it out loud
Phrase 1 of 3
"We need to improve our onboarding experience."
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More about onboarding
Real examples(3)
- in a standup
"We should prioritize completing onboarding for the new backend engineer by Friday."
- in an email
"Please send the onboarding checklist to the HR team before the new developer arrives."
- in a team meeting
"We're onboarding a new customer to our SaaS platform next quarter, so we need to prepare our infrastructure."
More mistakes(2)
Handle with care. Often confused with training. Onboarding is the entire process of integrating someone new; training is just one part of it. Do not use it as a verb in formal writing without context.
- ✕The onboarding is very boring.✓The onboarding process is very boring.
Onboarding alone is abstract; add 'process' or 'experience' for clarity in formal contexts.
- ✕We will onboarding new clients soon.✓We will onboard new clients soon.
The infinitive or base form is 'onboard,' not 'onboarding' in future tense with will.
Other forms(3)
- onboarding noun
"The onboarding of new staff takes approximately two weeks."
- onboard verb
"We onboarded three engineers this month."
- onboarding adjective
"The onboarding team is responsible for integrating new hires."
Often used with(5)
- onboarding process · The structured steps new employees follow; very common in HR and tech contexts.
- onboarding experience · How the process feels to the new person; used to describe quality of integration.
- onboarding checklist · A list of tasks to complete during onboarding; common in startup and tech environments.
- fast-track onboarding · Accelerated onboarding for senior or urgent hires.
- customer onboarding · The process of helping new clients set up and start using a service.
Similar words(3)
- orientation · More formal and traditional; often used in large corporations. Onboarding is more modern and tech-industry focused.
- induction · Common in UK English; similar meaning but slightly more formal than onboarding.
- integration · Broader term; onboarding is a specific type of integration process.
Opposites(2)
- offboarding
- exit process
Questions(4)
- What is the difference between onboarding and training?
- Onboarding is the complete process of integrating someone new into an organization, including setup, access, orientation, and cultural integration. Training is just one component of onboarding focused on teaching specific skills or tools.
- Can you use 'onboarding' as a verb in formal tech English?
- Yes, but use the base form 'onboard.' You can say 'We onboard new customers' or 'We are onboarding a new engineer.' The -ing form is primarily used as a noun: 'Our onboarding process is strong.'
- Is onboarding used only for hiring people?
- No. While most common for new employees, onboarding also applies to customers, clients, products, and services being integrated into systems. For example, 'customer onboarding' or 'onboarding a new API.'
- How long does onboarding typically take?
- This varies widely. For tech roles, initial onboarding (first setup and orientation) may take 1-2 weeks, but full productive onboarding can take 2-3 months. For customer onboarding, it may be a few days to weeks depending on product complexity.
