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HR2Go Podcast Transcript – August Episode
Karen: Welcome to HR2Go by Effective Workplace Solutions. In this episode, we’re diving into a topic that’s often treated as an afterthought—but it really shouldn’t be—because it’s a critical component in setting your team up for success from the outset. I’m talking about employee onboarding and how we engage with our newest employees.
I imagine most of us have seen, heard, or experienced what happens when onboarding is executed poorly. Team members are confused about their role, managers are frustrated, and in the worst cases, compliance risks leave your business exposed. It’s a mess—and it’s completely avoidable.
Joining me today is someone who knows a thing or two about getting onboarding right: Sarah Stone, Capability Strategist and co-founder of LinkABLE, a business helping organisations design smarter, more scalable onboarding and learning experiences. Sarah, welcome to HR2Go!
Sarah: Thanks, Karen. I’m so excited to be here with you today. You and I always have great conversations, so I’m looking forward to where we’ll go with this.
Why Onboarding Matters for Business Success
Karen: Let’s start big picture. Why do you believe onboarding is so foundational to a successful workplace?
Sarah: Onboarding is critical for a number of reasons. One is speed to impact—the quicker a new hire becomes effective, the greater the return. The cost of not getting it right can be as much as six months of salary. That happens when recruitment or onboarding falls short and you have to refill the role, leaving others to pick up the slack.
There’s also the compliance side. Onboarding is your first chance to ensure employees understand their rights, responsibilities, and workplace culture. Without that clarity, businesses end up in trouble.
Karen: Exactly. If you skip onboarding, you invite risk. We’ve seen businesses end up at the Fair Work Commission because employees never received policies or had expectations explained. Onboarding isn’t optional—it’s essential.
Common Pitfalls and Myths in Onboarding
Karen: What are the most common onboarding pitfalls you see, especially in small or growing businesses?
Sarah: A big one is “tribal knowledge”—critical information stuck in people’s heads rather than documented. When someone leaves, that knowledge walks out with them. Another is failing to create something scalable and repeatable. Small businesses often scramble to put an onboarding process together only after the wheels have fallen off.
Karen: Yes, we often get called in once things have already gone wrong—contracts misunderstood, policies never given, expectations unclear. At that point, the business is already exposed.
Sarah: Another myth I hear is that onboarding is just a checklist or a lunch with the manager. In reality, it needs to be an experience and a structured pathway that can last up to 12 months.
Karen: I’ve definitely experienced the “tick and flick” version—forms to sign, a quick tour, and then you’re on your own. That doesn’t work.
The Role of Leadership in Employee Onboarding
Karen: What’s something businesses often miss in their onboarding process?
Sarah: Setting expectations for leaders. Organisations might have materials for new hires but fail to clarify what managers should do at each stage—say, at day 1, day 15, or day 90. Without that consistency, experiences vary widely.
Karen: I love that point. Clear expectations for leaders not only help them succeed but also build trust with new hires. It’s often overlooked.
Sarah: Absolutely. We need to set leaders up for success too—they’re juggling full-time responsibilities as well as onboarding.
What Great Onboarding Looks Like in 2025
Karen: Let’s talk about solutions. What does great onboarding look like today?
Sarah: In 2025, onboarding should be a blended digital and human experience. That means a knowledge hub, a learning hub, and structured pathways combining technical and soft skills. Leaders should be engaged at the “moments that matter,” and the process should foster emotional connection as well as knowledge transfer.
Karen: Yes—digitising ensures consistency, but human touch builds relationships. Both matter.
Sarah: Exactly. One company I worked with had a “Rookie Morning Tea” for new hires to connect with senior leaders. Those moments make people feel part of the organisation straight away.
Compliance and Legal Obligations
Karen: Compliance is a big focus for us at EWS. How can structured onboarding help businesses meet their legal obligations?
Sarah: If onboarding is well crafted, it’s an opportunity to embed compliance. For example, turning policies into digital content within a learning pathway, tracking completions with timestamps, and including Q&A checks to confirm understanding. That way, you can prove employees not only received but understood key policies.
Karen: That’s invaluable. Too many businesses rely on a welcome email and good intentions, but in today’s environment, that’s risky.
Real-World Examples of Effective Onboarding
Karen: Can you share a real-world example of a business that improved its onboarding process with LinkABLE?
Sarah: Sure. One client, Live Life Alarms, needed to capture and share tribal knowledge consistently. We worked with subject matter experts, documented processes, and built a knowledge management system integrated with Salesforce. What used to take leaders about 30 hours to onboard someone now happens largely through digital modules—with face-to-face where it matters. Time to productivity halved, and new hires had information at their fingertips.
Karen: That’s incredible impact.
Sarah: Another client had a 12-month onboarding program for complex work. By linking knowledge to onboarding modules, we expect to reduce that by three months while also building a technical stream that prevents bottlenecks.
Practical Tips for Business Owners
Karen: For business owners listening who know their onboarding isn’t where it should be, what are three simple steps they could take right now?
Sarah: First, seek feedback from recent hires—even up to 12 months back. Ask about their experience and what could improve. Second, calculate how many hours your team spends onboarding—it’s often more costly than realised. Third, clarify what new hires truly need to feel connected and purposeful, and design onboarding around that.
Karen: And I’d add: review your policies and contracts to ensure they’re current and fit for purpose.
Sarah: Absolutely. That compliance piece is vital.
Where Does Onboarding End?
Karen: One final question: where does onboarding end, and what comes next?
Sarah: Onboarding starts before day one and can extend up to 12 months. Businesses should map out key milestones, like performance reviews and development conversations. Onboarding flows directly into probation, development planning, and culture building—it’s the foundation for the entire employee lifecycle.
Karen: Exactly. Just because someone has login details doesn’t mean onboarding is done. It’s about building capability, connection, and alignment.
Closing
Karen: Sarah, thank you so much for sharing your insights today. Onboarding, when done well, makes everything else work better. When done poorly, it drains time, energy, and creates compliance headaches. Where can listeners find out more about LinkABLE?
Sarah: You can find us at linkablelearning.com, on all social platforms, and on LinkedIn. Please feel free to connect.
Karen: Thank you, Sarah. And to our listeners—if you’re wondering whether your onboarding is protecting your people and your business, please reach out to us at Effective Workplace Solutions. Visit ewsolutions.com.au for HR or employment law advice. Thanks for listening to another episode of HR2Go.
Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and readability. It captures the full conversation while removing filler words and repetition.