Onboarding Best Practices for Teams Under 40 Employees
When you're running a lean team, every new hire matters. And so does their onboarding experience.
But many startups and small businesses skip this crucial phase, thinking onboarding is only for big companies with HR departments and handbooks the size of novels.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
In fact, if you have under 40 employees, onboarding is your secret weapon—to reduce turnover, build culture, and get people productive faster.
Here’s how to do it right.
1. Start Before Day One
Onboarding starts before someone walks in (or logs in). Once your offer is accepted:
Send a welcome email outlining start date, what to expect, and who they’ll be meeting.
Share any tech setup info or company tools in advance (Slack, email, HR platform, etc.).
Consider mailing a small welcome package—even just a card or sticker goes a long way.
Why it matters: Preboarding reduces anxiety and signals, “We’ve got our act together.”
2. Make the First Day Human
Instead of leading with forms and policies, focus on connection:
Start with a welcome conversation, not a checklist.
Introduce them to the team in a fun, low-pressure way (coffee chat, Slack shoutout, or team lunch).
Assign a buddy or onboarding guide—even if it’s just the founder or team lead.
Yes, they need to sign things. But they also need to feel like they belong.
3. Structure the First Week—But Keep It Light
No one needs 40 hours of training modules. Instead:
Provide a clear schedule for the first 3–5 days.
Mix “how we do things” with “who we are”:
1:1s with key team members
Overview of mission, values, and what success looks like
Introductions to all the tools and technology they’ll need to use
Light reading or recorded content about the business
Include small wins—like shadowing a customer call or submitting a tiny task—to build early confidence.
4. Clarify Expectations Early
At big companies, roles can be vague. At small companies, they’re often way too vague.
Fix that by:
Sharing a 30/60/90-day plan with concrete outcomes
Explaining how performance is reviewed and what “great work” looks like
Aligning on communication norms (Slack? Email? Asana?)
This avoids confusion and builds autonomy fast.
5. Check In (More Than Once)
You don’t need an HRIS with automated nudges to check in. Just do it.
A quick check-in after day 1: “How’s it going so far?”
A 15-min sync at the end of week 1
A 30-day reflection chat (ask: “What surprised you? What could we do better?”)
Listening now = fewer retention issues later.
Bonus: Keep It Scrappy but Repeatable
Document what worked in a Google Doc, Notion, or even a sticky note. Better, take advantage of AI to help you document and organize your ever-evolving onboarding process. You’re building a repeatable system—without building bureaucracy.
Final Thought
Onboarding doesn’t need to be complicated—but it does need to be intentional. With just a little structure and a lot of human touch, your new hire can go from “What did I get myself into?” to “This is exactly where I belong.”
Want help designing an onboarding experience that fits your size and culture?
At Spring People Solutions, we help small teams scale people practices without the HR bloat.
