The success of a new employee doesn’t start on their first day — it starts with great onboarding. Startups that grow fast know one secret: employees who feel welcomed, supported, and guided in the beginning stay longer and perform better.

Here are the best onboarding practices followed by India’s most successful startups like Zomato, Razorpay, Zepto, Swiggy, and many others.

⭐ 1. Pre-Onboarding Before the First Day

Top startups start onboarding even before Day 1, making the new hire feel valued.

Best practices include:

Sending a welcome email

Sharing the job role, responsibilities & first-week plan

Providing access to required tools

Sharing company policies, culture deck & team introduction

Sending welcome goodies (optional but impactful)

This reduces anxiety and helps new hires blend in instantly.

⭐ 2. A Warm, Structured Welcome on Day 1

Instead of a boring HR session, successful startups make Day 1 memorable.

What they do:

Team introduction meetings

A personalized welcome note

Office tour (if offline)

Set up devices, accounts & tools

A fun ice-breaker session

This sets a positive emotional tone and builds early connection.

⭐ 3. Clear Role Expectations Using a 30-60-90 Day Plan

Fast-growing startups give new hires absolute clarity on what to achieve.

A sample 30-60-90 plan:

30 Days: Learn processes, tools & product

60 Days: Start taking ownership of tasks

90 Days: Lead projects or deliver measurable results

This eliminates confusion and boosts productivity.

⭐ 4. Buddy or Mentor Assignment

Many successful startups assign a buddy — a colleague who helps the new hire learn quickly.

Benefits:

Faster learning

A friendly support system

Reduced pressure

More confident integration into the team

It also reduces early-stage attrition significantly.

⭐ 5. Access to Tools, Training & Resources from Day 1

Startups ensure every employee gets what they need to succeed:

✔ Login access
✔ Task management tools
✔ Training videos
✔ Product demos
✔ SOPs
✔ Playbooks
✔ Official communication groups

This saves time and prevents the common “I don’t know what to do” situation.

⭐ 6. Culture Immersion Sessions

Growing startups spend time explaining their culture, values & work style, so new hires understand how the company works.

These sessions include:

Company mission & vision

How teams collaborate

Leadership communication style

Dos & don’ts

Work-life expectations

Culture fit starts with clarity — not guesswork.

⭐ 7. Regular Check-Ins (Daily or Weekly)

Top startups don’t ignore new employees after Day 1.

They schedule:

Daily check-ins (first week)

Weekly 1:1s

Monthly performance sync-ups

This helps track progress, clear doubts, and ensure the employee feels supported.

⭐ 8. Encouraging Open Feedback

Successful startups ask for feedback from new hires:

What was confusing?

What needs improvement?

How smooth was the onboarding?

This helps refine the onboarding process and improve retention.

⭐ 9. Celebrating Early Wins

Startups often recognize early contributions to boost motivation.

Examples:
🎉 “New hire of the month”
🎉 Shoutouts in team meetings
🎉 Reward points / badges
🎉 Appreciation emails

Small celebrations build confidence and loyalty.

⭐ 10. Smooth Transition Into the Team

After the onboarding period, the employee is seamlessly integrated into real projects and has:

✔ clear ownership
✔ measurable goals
✔ right mentors
✔ trust from leadership

This ensures long-term performance and retention.

📌 Final Thoughts

Onboarding isn’t just a formality — it’s the foundation of employee success. Startups that invest in well-structured onboarding benefit with:

Higher retention

Better productivity

Faster learning

Stronger culture

Happier teams

If you're a startup or small business, start implementing these practices — the results will be visible within weeks.