onboarding
noun
What onboarding means
The process of helping a new employee or customer get started, with introductions, training and information.
The onboarding for new staff takes about two weeks.
Good onboarding helps people feel welcome on day one.
Test yourself
Five questions about onboarding
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Question 1 of 5Meaning
What does onboarding mean?
Onboarding is everything a company does to welcome a new person and teach them how things work, such as meeting the team and learning the systems.
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Question 2 of 5Situation
In your first week, the company shows you around, sets up your laptop and trains you on its systems. This is your…
Showing a new person around and teaching them the systems is onboarding. An appraisal looks back at work you have already done, and redundancy and promotion come much later.
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Question 3 of 5Gap
The company has prepared a two-day ___ programme so that new hires meet their teams and learn the main tools.
A programme in which new hires meet their teams and learn the tools helps them get started, and that process is called onboarding.
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Question 4 of 5Similar word
Which word is closest in meaning to onboarding?
In British workplaces, induction is the usual word for the training and introductions you get when you start a job, which is the same idea as onboarding.
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Question 5 of 5Correct use
Which sentence uses onboarding correctly?
Onboarding is the welcome and training for people who are starting, and after of you need a plural such as new employees. Getting on a plane is just boarding, and nobody has onboarding when they leave.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer, Enter goes on.
Onboarding in a sentence
5 more examples of onboarding in everyday situations.
- At work
Your manager will run your onboarding during the first week.
- As a verb
We onboarded six new developers this month, so the office is busy.
- Apps
The app’s onboarding shows you three short screens before you can sign up.
- Job interview
Could you tell me what the onboarding process looks like for this role?
- Customer service
Our team handles onboarding for new customers and answers their setup questions.
How to use onboarding
Onboarding is a business word that many companies use. The verb is onboard, but people more often say “We onboarded three new hires.”
It can also be a new customer starting to use a product: user onboarding in an app.
Forms
- onboardverb
- onboardshe, she, it
- onboardedpast and past participle
- no pluraluncountable noun
Patterns
- the onboarding process
- onboarding for new staff / customers
- onboard someone (verb)
- an onboarding program / session
Common mistakes with onboarding
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NotThe onboarding of new employee was easy.
SayThe onboarding of new employees was easy.
After of, use the plural when you mean new staff in general.
Onboarding or induction or training?
- onboarding or induction
- Induction is the older, more British word for the introduction a new employee gets; onboarding is the usual word in US and tech companies and can include customers and app users too.
- onboarding or training
- Training teaches the skills for a job and can happen at any time; onboarding is only for the start and also covers introductions, tools, rules and paperwork.
Onboarding is a C1 word. Is that your level? Take the level test or count the words you know.
Onboarding word family and collocations
The words that go with onboarding, so you can use it in a whole phrase.
Common collocations
- employee onboarding
- an onboarding process
- onboarding checklist
- onboarding session
- customer onboarding
Word family
- onboarding (noun)
- onboard (verb)
Similar words
- induction (UK)
Questions about onboarding
What does onboarding mean in a job?
It means the steps a company takes to help a new employee settle in, such as meeting the team, setting up accounts, learning the rules and getting first tasks.
Is onboarding countable?
It is usually uncountable: you say good onboarding or the onboarding, not an onboarding. You can make it countable with a noun, as in an onboarding session.
Is onboard one word?
Yes, as a verb it is one word: to onboard someone. The separate phrase on board means on a ship, plane or train, or agreeing with a plan.
The word before
Do you still remember settings?
One question about the word from 17 October. Remembering a word a day later helps it stay.
One question
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What does settings mean?
Settings are the choices inside a phone, app or computer, such as the language, the sound or the brightness, that you can change to make it work your way.
Keys 1 to 4 pick an answer.
More work words
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B2
brainstorm
To think of many ideas quickly, often in a group, before you decide which ones are good. -
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postpone
To move an event or a task to a later time than planned. -
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bottleneck
A point in a process where work slows down because too much has to pass through one narrow place. -
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thorough
Done carefully and completely, with attention to every detail. -
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feedback
Comments about someone’s work or actions that tell them what was good and what could be better. -
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reimburse
To pay someone back money that they spent for you.