Most organisations think onboarding starts on day one. Graham Stow thinks it starts the moment someone is offered the job, and in this episode he makes a compelling case for why getting that gap right makes all the difference.

Graham is an onboarding and role transition specialist who works with organisations to understand how onboarding is actually being experienced by the people going through it, and what practical changes can be made to improve it. In part one of his conversation with Anna, he unpacks why onboarding and induction are not the same thing, why most organisations get the first 90 days wrong, and why the line manager is almost always the single biggest factor in whether a new joiner thrives or quietly starts looking for the exit.

The conversation covers the information overload problem, the danger of treating new starters as a resource to be rapidly deployed rather than a person to be supported, and the gap that opens up when HR builds a process but managers are left to deliver it without guidance or buy-in. Graham introduces the concept of the onboarding experience gap: the same process given to three different managers will produce three very different experiences.

Anna and Graham also explore the changing expectations of today’s workforce, why candidates are increasingly in a position to say no, and how the new Employment Rights Act changes to day-one unfair dismissal protections are making organisations rethink their probation period approach entirely.

The conversation closes on psychological safety and psychological contract, two terms that get used a lot but mean very different things, and why one can unravel the other quickly if it is not backed up by how managers actually behave day to day.

This is part one of a three-part conversation with Graham Stow. Find out more about his onboarding review, design, and enablement work at grahamstow.co.uk

Connect with Anna

Got a question or a topic you’d like covered on the podcast? Anna would love to hear from you.

Find her on LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok, or visit The People Expert to find out more about her work supporting line managers and HR professionals.

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annathomas-hr
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The People Expert: thepeopleexpert.co.uk