TalentLMS, a leading employee training platform, in partnership with BambooHR, the easiest-to-use people platform for HR, payroll, and benefits, released new research exploring the effectiveness of onboarding across generations. The findings highlight administrative overload, the underuse of AI, and a growing preference for hybrid onboarding.

Conducted among 1,156 employees in the U.S. hired within the last 12 months, the TalentLMS-BambooHR survey explores employee integration, satisfaction, and the effectiveness of onboarding practices.

Key Findings on Onboarding Gaps

  • Over half of employees (52%) said admin-focused onboarding overshadowed job readiness.
  • Twenty-three percent reported struggles with skills-building due to insufficient personalized learning options.
  • Thirty-nine percent admitted to second-guessing their decision to join their company during onboarding, rising to 49% among Gen Z employees.

Roza Tapini, VP of People and Culture at Epignosis, parent company of TalentLMS, emphasized the importance of intentional onboarding design: “When done well, onboarding isn’t simply a program. It’s the foundation for workplace success. Employees who feel supported from day one emerge more integrated, capable, and engaged, underscoring the value of modern onboarding strategies that balance connection and skill-building.”

Generational Differences in Onboarding

  • Nearly half of Gen Z employees (47%) said onboarding overwhelmed them with excessive information, compared to 31% of Baby Boomers.
  • Gen Z missed the human touch the most (41%), followed by Millennials (33%), Gen X (29%), and Baby Boomers (18%).
  • Gen Z was most likely (44%) to turn to AI tools for onboarding questions rather than managers, followed by Millennials (37%), Gen X (29%), and Baby Boomers (14%).
  • Sixty percent of all participants said they received no AI training during onboarding, showing an untapped opportunity for HR teams to embrace AI-driven learning tools.

Hybrid Onboarding Shows Higher Satisfaction

According to the research, 75% of employees who experienced hybrid onboarding expressed satisfaction with the process. Dissatisfaction with post-onboarding support was also lowest among hybrid workers: 21% of remote employees reported dissatisfaction with access to ongoing training, compared to just 10% of hybrid employees.

Wende Smith, Head of HR Operations at BambooHR, explained: “Seventy-five percent satisfaction with hybrid onboarding is a signal. When onboarding blends digital efficiency with in-person connection, employees meaningfully connect to their future roles and teams and hit the ground running. HR leaders should audit their onboarding delivery: Are we aligning the format with role expectations? Are we being intentional with each touchpoint? The answers will directly shape retention and readiness.”

Importantly, 65% of employees view onboarding as the start of a continuous learning journey—an expectation HR leaders must meet to foster long-term engagement.

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