I’ve seen a lot of questions about how long it takes to get all the paperwork done for a new employee. Here’s what I think is going on:
Day 1 orientation
First, here’s a direct answer to the question “how long does onboarding paperwork take?”
On Day 1 of employment, the employee will attend an orientation session that lasts around 4 to 8 hours total. During this time, they’ll complete all compliance paperwork, which is one of the primary tasks of Day 1. They’ll also be given their workspace setup and introduced to their coworkers.
This means that the actual amount of time spent on paperwork can vary depending on how much other stuff you have to do on Day 1. But in general, the main task of Day 1 is paperwork.
But wait—what if your company has some sort of pre-boarding process? That could help reduce the administrative burden of paperwork.
Pre-boarding
Pre-boarding is when the company begins the onboarding process before the employee starts working. It typically begins when the offer is accepted, and continues until the first day of work.
In many cases, the initial paperwork and setup tasks are moved into this phase. This can include things like sending a welcome email, setting up equipment, or assigning someone to help the employee with any issues they may encounter during the transition period.
AI and self-service platforms can ease the administrative burden of paperwork, permissions, account setup, etc. But no matter how advanced your systems are, there’s still a fair amount of manual work involved in getting everything ready for a new employee.
The full onboarding timeline
Paperwork is just the beginning of the onboarding process. Most HR experts agree that onboarding should take at least three months. Small businesses with 5–50 employees should plan on a minimum of 90 days, and most effective programs last between 6 and 12 months.
One source says that onboarding should take at least seven months total—one month before the first day, and six months after.
In fact, effective onboarding is a process, not a one-off event. It spans days, weeks, and months.
What most organizations actually do vs. what research recommends
Unfortunately, most small businesses don’t follow these recommendations. Instead, they complete onboarding in under one week.
Only 12% of employees say their onboarding was great. And only 1 in 5 workers say that the company did nothing to help them find support and community. 23% were so disappointed by the experience that they cried within the first week.
There’s a clear gap between what companies do and what research recommends. Short onboarding leads to higher turnover risk. 20% of turnover happens within the first 45 days, and companies with strong onboarding see 82% better retention.
Treating onboarding as a transactional exercise fails to engage employees’ hearts and minds.
Why information overload creates a false sense of completion
New employees are usually overwhelmed on Day 1. They’re given a huge pile of documents and training sessions to go through, and they’re expected to remember everything they’re told. Highly unlikely that they’ll retain all of the information shared with them.
Giving every document and training session in the first week creates exposure, not understanding. It’s identified as a common onboarding mistake.