New Staff Onboarding: How to Set New Hires Up for Success

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You may remember that we covered everything about a successful customer onboarding journey. And while your customers obviously matter (they're the lifeblood of your business, after all), staff onboarding is just as important, yet often overlooked.

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Bringing someone new onto your team isn't just about getting them to show up and start teaching. It's about giving them the tools, confidence and support to do their best work from day one, and that takes more than a quick tour and a "you'll figure it out."

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A well-structured onboarding process can be the difference between and confident, long-term team member and someone who walks out the door before the term is even over.

Staff that has a positive onboarding experience are 82% more likely to stay with you and are 70% more productive opposed to staff members with a negative experience.

So, what should be the in your onboarding process? Let's break it down.

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Start before Day One

Don't wait until their first day to begin onboarding. The so called 'Preboarding' is just as important and describes the process of engaging and preparing new hires for their roles prior to their offical start date (so the time between an employee accepting their job offer and their first day). 50% of job offers are actually abandoned before the start date due to doubts or competing opportunities. Preboarding combats this by maintaining engagement through communication, team introductions, and early paper work.

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Let's get into the preboarding activities:

• Send a warm welcome email
  Include the basics: start date and time, what to bring (e.g. ID, water bottle, lunch), dress code, parking instructions, and who they’ll meet on day one. You could even attach a little welcome PDF with photos of the space or a friendly note from their manager.

• Record a team welcome video
  This can be super casual: a 30-second iPhone video of the team waving and saying “We can’t wait to meet you!” It humanises your business and helps reduce first-day nerves.

• Give them a 'who's who' cheat sheet
  A short PDF or Canva doc introducing key staff members with names, photos, and fun facts (e.g. “This is Carla, our dance program coordinator - she runs on coffee and Taylor Swift”).

• Tidy up the admin early
  Send out contracts, tax forms, direct debit details, Working With Children check requirements, anything they can knock out before day one so it’s not a paperwork party when they walk in.

• Send a calendar invite for their first day
  It's simple, but can help prevent any confusion or missed communication.
  

• Invite them to follow your socials
  It’s an easy way for them to get a feel for your culture, see your classes in action, and start feeling like part of the crew.

You could also throw in a little swag (branded water bottles, shirts or notebooks) if this is within your budget. Preboarding doesn’t need to be perfect, but it does need to be intentional. It sets the tone for everything that follows. And trust us: if someone feels valued before they’ve even stepped through the door, they’re far more likely to stay long-term.

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A proper Introduction to your Business (and Tools) 

Business Overview

You live and breathe your business. But your new hire doesn't (yet). Give them the resources to familiarise themselves with who you are and what your business stands for. Include:

• Your story: Why did you start? What do you stand for?
• Your values and vibe: Are you fun and casual? Professional and structured?
• The community you serve: Who are your customers? What do they care about?
• The team: Who does what, and who should they go to for help?
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Software Overview

Your business might also be using a few different platforms, such as a class management system, to manage scheduling, payments and customer communication. Walk your new team member through each tool, and explain how each one fits into their daily workflow, don't just dump logins and hope for the best. Better yet, record quick screen-share videos they can refer back to later. Key things to include:

• Where to find class schedules and how to make changes
• How to check in students or mark attendance
• How to handle payments, cancellations or refunds
• Where to record progress notes or customer interactions

This tour sets the foundation for a confident, capable employee. Plus, it saves you answering the same “Where do I find...?” questions every second day.

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Set Expectations early

If you want your new hire to thrive, you’ve got to be crystal clear about what’s expected of them. Ambiguity breeds anxiety, and no one wants to spend their first week wondering if they’re doing everything wrong.

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Start with a detailed role overview, not just the stuff from the job ad, but the actual day-to-day stuff they’ll be doing. Break it down:

• What tasks are theirs?
• What does success look like after 30, 60, 90 days?
• What’s most important to get right early?
• How do breaks look like?
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Then zoom out and show them how they fit into the bigger picture. How does their role support the team? How do they contribute to the customer experience?

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Also clarify the practical side:

• Who do they report to?
• How often are check-ins?
• What’s your policy on communication (e.g. preferred channels, response time)?
• Any quirks or ‘unwritten rules’ they should know?

The clearer you are, the more confident they’ll feel. And that means they’ll settle in faster.

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Create a Mentoring Program

Even the most independent new hire will appreciate having someone they can turn to for those “small but important” questions, like “where do we keep the spare equipment?”

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Start by letting them observe. Have them sit in on a class, watch how the team handles customers, or see how admin tasks flow throughout the day. Encourage them to ask questions, take notes, and absorb the rhythm of the role.

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Once they’ve seen a few examples, give them the chance to step in gradually:

• Let them take attendance
• Handle a basic customer question
• Help set up for a class or pack down at the end
• Assist during a session while a more experienced staff member leads
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After they understand the gist of it, assign a buddy or a mentor, someone who is experienced and who can answer questions and check-in with them regularly. It's less intimidating to ask a peer than to bug the boss every five minutes.

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Tips for success:

• Choose a buddy who’s friendly, patient and genuinely happy to help
• Let the buddy know what’s expected of them (e.g. catch-ups every few days, being available for quick check-ins)
• Encourage informal chats—like lunch together or a debrief after classes

This phased approach builds confidence and helps them get comfortable without the pressure of being thrown in the deep end.

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The magic happens when they do the thing, not just learn about it.

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Check in early and often

One of the biggest onboarding mistakes? Assuming no news is good news. Just because your new hire seems fine doesn’t mean they aren’t struggling behind the scenes.

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Regular check-ins help you catch any issues early, offer support, and show that you genuinely care about their success.

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A good cadence might be:

• Day 1: Quick chat at the end of the day to see how they’re feeling
• End of Week 1: What’s working, what’s unclear, what they’re enjoying
• Week 2 and 3: Check-in on progress, challenges, and team dynamics
• End of Month 1: Review goals and map out next steps
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Keep these relaxed and conversational. You’re not grilling them, you’re opening a dialogue. Ask open-ended questions like:

• “How are you settling in?”
• “Anything that’s still unclear or confusing?”
• “What’s been your favourite part of the job so far?”

You’d be surprised how much someone will open up if you give them a safe space to share.

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Ongoing Learning and Feedback

Training doesn't stop at onboarding. Let them know how they can keep learning, whether that's staff meetings, professional development sessions, or just a shared folder with helpful resources. Make feedback a two-way streets. Ask "What's still unclear", "What's something we could have done better in your training" or "What would you like more support with"?

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At the end of the day, onboarding isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about helping someone feel like they belong. Like they matter. Like they’re not just filling a role, they’re becoming part of something meaningful. A thoughtful, well-paced onboarding process builds confident staff, better classes, and a stronger business.

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And hey, if you're using tools like Udio to streamline admin, scheduling, and comms? That’s one less thing your new team member has to stress about.

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