Issue No. 05 | Onboarding vs. Orientation: What’s the Difference (and Do You Need Both)?
There seems to me to be a lot of confusion out there about orientation and onboarding.
As a small business owner, you might be wondering: Do I need to do onboarding? Orientation? Both? Are they the same thing?
A lot of small business owners use “onboarding” and “orientation” interchangeably or pronounce it like it’s one word — orientationonboarding — as if it were one singular event.
But they are very much not the same thing.
I get why — this was something I didn’t grasp very quickly in my early HR days.
Orientation and onboarding are two distinct events, and if you want your new hire to get up to speed fast and efficiently and be excited to be part of your team and business, you need both — even if you keep it simple.
Let’s break down the difference between onboarding and orientation.
What Is Orientation?
Orientation is the first-day basics. Think of it as the “welcome to the team, let’s get you settled” phase.
This is where you handle all the quick admin and give your new hire the lay of the land. Orientation usually covers:
Their paperwork
Company policies
A quick tour
Where to find things
Who’s who in the zoo
Logins, tools, passwords
A warm welcome and a few introductions
Orientation is typically short — maybe a couple of hours, maybe the whole first morning — but it sets the tone. It helps your new hire show up on day one with a little less first day jitters, knowing you’re prepared for them and knowing what their first day and first weeks will look like.
Orientation does not cover any of the job specific details. There is typically very little, if any actual work done on the first day.
This is where onboarding comes in.
What Is Onboarding?
If orientation is the first day, onboarding is everything that comes after.
Onboarding is the full process of integrating someone into their role, your team, and your business. It’s where you help them understand how things actually get done around here — the expectations, the goals, the culture, the communication style, and how their role fits into the big picture.
A solid onboarding process usually includes:
Role-specific training
Clear expectations
First-week priorities
Check-ins and feedback
Learning how to work with you + the team
Support, questions, discussions
Goal-setting and performance guidance
Onboarding isn’t a one-and-done task. Depending on the role, it can take 30 to 90 days (or more). But it doesn’t need to be complicated — especially for small businesses.
You’re simply helping a real human feel confident and capable in their new job.
One of my favourite ways to explain the difference:
Orientation tells them where the coffee is.
Onboarding helps them succeed in the role you hired them for.
Onboarding vs. Orientation: The Quick Breakdown
A fast side-by-side:
You need both — but neither needs to be complicated.
Do Small Businesses Really Need Both?
Short answer? Yes. Absolutely.
And here’s why.
1. Orientation prevents Day One chaos.
Without orientation, your new hire spends their first day guessing:
“Who do I talk to about payroll?”
“Where do I find the tools I need?”
“Wait… what’s the Wi-Fi again?”
A effective orientation helps your new team members feel welcomed and avoids having them standing around awkwardly twiddling their thumbs.
2. Onboarding helps them get up to speed and succeed faster.
If you’ve ever hired someone and felt like you spent the first month answering the same questions, this is why onboarding matters.
Onboarding helps them understand:
How to do their job
What you expect of them
What “good” looks like
Who to ask for help
How to prioritize
Clarity is everything, particularly in those first days and weeks.
3. It reduces turnover and saves you money.
People rarely quit because the job is hard.
They quit because:
they’re unclear or disorganized
they feel unsupported or don’t know who to go to
they’re unsure if they’re doing things right
they feel constantly behind
A structured onboarding process solves all of this — and it costs you nothing but a bit of planning.
4. It builds trust.
Onboarding is where you build the relationship.
It’s where they learn your style, your values, your expectations, and how your business actually runs.
Orientation gets them in the door.
Onboarding helps them feel like they know what they’re doing.
What This Can Look Like for a Small Business (Simple Version)
No 50-page manuals. No heavy policies. Here’s what a very doable process can look like:
Orientation (Day One)
Warm welcome
Paperwork
Quick tour
Basic policies
Tools + logins
Intro to team
Onboarding (Week One)
Their role priorities
Training schedule
Walkthrough of systems
How success is measured
Intro meetings with teammates or partners
Ongoing Onboarding (30–60 Days)
Weekly (or biweekly) check-ins
Feedback conversations
Adjusting priorities
Answering questions as they come up
Setting performance goals
Keep it simple.
Keep it human.
Keep it effective.
Quick Tips to Make Onboarding + Orientation Easier
Use checklists. Saves your sanity.
Have a Day One plan. Even a loose one helps.
Assign a buddy (yes, even in a 4-person business).
Schedule your check-ins in advance. No “oh right, we should talk about how it’s going.”
Talk about expectations early. Clarity is kindness.
______________________________
Small businesses absolutely need both — but neither has to be complicated, formal, or corporate. A little planning and a little consistency go a long way.
And if you want help building a simple, effective onboarding process for your small business?
You know where to find me — I love this stuff.