The cost of getting it right - Onboarding.
A case study from The HR Agency
Client Overview
A UK-based organisation with 230 employees partnered with The HR Agency to support its internal HR function with additional capacity and expertise. The organisation was experiencing high employee turnover, particularly within the first 12 months of employment, and required a structured review of its onboarding process.
The Challenge
Despite having an onboarding process in place, it was inconsistently followed across the organisation. Line managers either did not fully understand the process, lacked training, or did not trust its effectiveness. This resulted in a poor and inconsistent new starter experience and contributed to high early-stage attrition.
The organisation commissioned The HR Agency to deliver a six-month HR project to review, redesign, and implement a more effective onboarding programme that would improve employee retention and support long-term organisational growth.
Our Approach
The HR Agency worked alongside the internal HR team to conduct a comprehensive onboarding review, combining strategic insight with employee and manager feedback.
The project included:
A full review of the existing onboarding, induction, and probation processes
Visionary interviews with senior leaders to ensure the redesigned onboarding programme aligned with the organisation’s long-term strategy and future ambitions
Structured interviews with line managers to identify what was working and where improvements were needed
Employee surveys with individuals who had joined within the previous 12 months, capturing both quantitative onboarding experience scores and qualitative feedback
The findings clearly demonstrated the need for a redesigned onboarding programme, improved induction and probation frameworks, and management training to ensure consistency and accountability.
The Solution
The HR Agency designed and implemented a new end-to-end onboarding programme, supported by:
Redesigned induction and probation periods
Clear guidance and expectations for line managers
Targeted management training to build confidence, capability, and consistency in onboarding delivery
The Results
Twelve months after implementation, the internal HR team reviewed the impact of the new onboarding programme and presented them to the Executive team:
Employee turnover in the first 0–12 months reduced by more than 50%
Onboarding experience scores increased significantly across all measures
The project exceeded the client’s expectations, delivering a measurable improvement in employee experience while significantly reducing the direct and indirect costs associated with high staff turnover.
Demonstrable return on investment
This project shows how targeted, well-designed HR interventions can deliver measurable commercial outcomes. By reducing early-stage employee turnover and improving the new starter experience, the organisation achieved a clear return on investment through lower recruitment costs, reduced management time, and stronger employee engagement.
Engaging The HR Agency provides experienced, flexible HR support that delivers practical solutions and measurable impact — supporting organisations to invest in their people with confidence.