Onboarding in the Dub-Dubs (2020s): Start From the Beginning

Onboarding in the Dub-Dubs (2020s): Start From the Beginning

by Nikkie Handy

If you’ve hired anyone in the last five years, you’ve probably experienced the same moment: it’s Day 1, you’ve welcomed your new team member, and 20 minutes in, you’re wondering, “Wait… how do they not know this?”

Let’s be honest—basic workplace skills aren’t as universal as they once were. Whether it’s responding to an email professionally or showing up on time with a pen and a notebook, many business owners are left scratching their heads. It’s tempting to blame “kids these days,” but if the pattern keeps repeating… the problem might be closer than you think. Like, much closer.

I often find myself in great conversation with a child care business owner, and then comes the moment that feels like we’ve wandered into a pity party. And the party planner always seems to have the same party room lineup:

‍

😢 Party Room 1 - My hires don’t have basic communication skills.

😢 Party Room 2 - My hires lack foundational knowledge.

😢 Party Room 3 - My hires jump ship before I can build them up.

‍

I'm happy to commiserate, but I’m a problem solver by nature. So, new plan: cancel the pity party—let’s rewrite the invite. Meet me in the winner’s circle. It’s a gold ribbon party now.

You may have guessed where this party bus is headed: Onboarding. Follow me to the party bus. You wouldn’t drop a child into a Pre-K classroom and expect them to already know the routine, right? We check for understanding, we differentiate, we scaffold. Your adult learners deserve the same care. Let’s redesign those “party rooms” into high-impact learning zones.

‍

🎉 Party Room 1: Lowered Expectations

If you’re here, it’s time to reimagine how you onboard your adult learners. If your system assumes every professional arrives with polished communication skills, but reality shows otherwise, it’s time to rebuild.

Common pattern: New hires prefer texting over email or in-person communication.

Try this:

🥳 Add a 15-minute workshop on choosing the right communication channel.●

🥳 Provide a cheat sheet of pre-written templates for email, text, and in-person scenarios.

🥳 Party booster: schedule a practical activity where new hires apply the skill in real-time.

According to Bauer (2010), structured onboarding significantly improves new hire confidence, satisfaction, and performance—especially when it includes guided communication expectations.

‍

🎉 Party Room 2: Build a Solid Base

Here’s where you might be battling constant corrections of your newcomers while simultaneously grasping for praise-worthy moments. Your new hire hits the floor, and suddenly you’re knee-deep in incident reports and missing progress logs.

Common pattern: You’re assuming common sense, protective instincts, and people skills. But these are not givens.

Try this:

🥳 Create scenarios that explicitly teach common sense and professional judgment. Check out Abbate’s take > (Abbate, 2021)

🥳 Use video modeling for safety supervision, then extend it with role play and observation exercises.

🥳 Party booster: teach relationship-building as a skill—don’t assume it just happens.

Research shows that onboarding which includes behavioral modeling and practice results in stronger integration and performance outcomes (Kammeyer-Mueller et al., 2013).

‍

🎉 Party Room 3: Say the Quiet Part Out Loud

Let’s start here with one simple but powerful question:

                   What does someone need to know, believe, and feel by the end of Week 1?

Once you know that, build backward.Three Quick Wins to Modernize Your Onboarding:

🥳 Create a Day 1 Experience – Think “first day of school” energy. Be ready. Be intentional.

🥳 Teach the Unspoken – Clearly explain what you assume everyone knows.

🥳 Build Micro-Moments of Mastery – Let your new hire experience small wins early. Confidence is a culture builder.

‍

🎯 The Big Picture

Good onboarding isn’t just about checklists—it’s about cultural assimilation. Your systems, values, and expectations don’t speak for themselves. You have to teach them.

If you keep finding yourself frustrated with your newest team member, ask yourself this:

                What if the problem isn’t the person… but the process?

‍

📝 References

Bauer, T. N. (2010). Onboarding new employees: Maximizing success. SHRM Foundation. https://www.shrm.org/foundation

Kammeyer-Mueller, J. D., Wanberg, C. R., Rubenstein, A. L., & Song, Z. (2013). Support, undermining, and newcomer socialization: Fitting in during the first 90 days. Academy of Management Journal, 56(4), 1104–1124. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2010.0791

‍