Congratulations. The interview went well, your ideal candidate accepted the offer, and you’re ready to celebrate another successful hire.
But, and it’s a BIG but, according to Employee Cycle research, 33% of new hires quit within their first 90 days, with 17% leaving within just 30 days.
Why? It comes down to poor onboarding and only paying lip service to the values you advertised during recruitment, once the new hire has accepted the offer.
These first 90 days are a critical time for you to make a strong impression on your new hire and demonstrate the values you boasted about during the interview process, and they felt aligned to as a new employee.
Values Integration Starts Immediately
Your onboarding process should begin the moment an offer is accepted not when your new hire turns up to the office on day one. Research shows that 82% of new hire retention improvement comes from strong preboarding, that critical period between acceptance and start date.
This is where values integration becomes essential. If you used a values-based recruitment strategy (and you should have), now you must deliver on those promises.
According to 2025 onboarding research from SHRM, 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experience great onboarding – and the difference between “great” and “adequate” onboarding? Values that aren’t just discussed, they’re demonstrated.
The Technology Advantage
2025 onboarding statistics show that 43% of employees prefer digital onboarding processes, and video onboarding increases information retention by 67%.
But technology should enhance, not replace, human connection around values. Use digital tools to streamline administrative tasks, freeing managers to focus on meaningful conversations about how values show up in daily work. This is especially important for hybrid and remote workers in your organization.
The Bottom Line
Brilliant values integration throughout onboarding is the difference between a new hire who becomes a long-term contributor and one who joins the 33% leaving within 90 days.
Consider preboarding strategy development, values-based onboarding curriculum design, manager training on values integration, recognition program development, and ongoing measurement and refinement.
The result? Organizations that live their values from day one build stronger cultures, reduce early turnover, and create the employer brand that attracts top talent in an increasingly competitive market.
