New Hire Onboarding (NHO) is how you give every new hire a smooth, consistent start before they move into Role-Based Training. Done well, it helps you:
Accelerate time-to-productivity for new hires
Improve satisfaction, engagement, and retention
Ensure compliance with your policies and procedures
Foster a positive impression of your culture and values
Standardize the onboarding experience across your business
š” Why separate New Hire from Role-Based Training?
New Hire training gives all new hires a broad introduction to your business, its culture, and basic procedures, regardless of their Role.
Role-Based Training is tailored to the skills, knowledge, and responsibilities of a particular position.
Table of Contents:
What to Include
Starting from scratch? A great NHO training typically covers:
Onboarding & Introduction to your Business | ā¢ Cover "need to know" information about your business, department, and Role |
Business Overview | ā¢ Offer Courses that give a high-level understanding of your business and the new hire's specific Role(s) |
Brand & Culture | ā¢ Immerse new hires in your brand, values, and culture |
HR Policies | ā¢ Attach your team handbook as a Resource at the end of your NHO Module |
Compliance | ā¢ Cover all necessary compliance training and paperwork |
Initial Validations | ā¢ Implement checkpoints to ensure new hires are progressing as expected |
š” See a real example: Check out Newk's Eatery's New Hire Onboarding Module on the Opus blog.
How to Build New Hire Onboarding in Opus
We recommend structuring your content as a Module, so you can:
Reuse Courses, Check-ins, and Resources across different Modules.
Reassign specific Courses down the road to reinforce your team.
Step 1: Create your New Hire Onboarding Module
Organize your NHO Module using Sections
Put all of your new hire training in one Module.
Set the Order in the Module's Settings card: Any order, One step at a time, or One section at a time.
Or unlock Sections only after a certain number of days have passed.
ā ļø Pick order or delays: Switching the Module to an ordered option removes any time delays between Sections. Opus asks you to confirm first.
Get a step-by-step guide in How to Create and Manage Modules.
Step 2: Set up Assignment Automations
ā Before you start: Publish the Module first. To create Automations, you need the Update Automations permission. Admins have it by default.
Once you've created your New Hire Module, set up an assignment Automation so that Trainees can begin training as soon as they log into Opus.
You can segment Automations based on hire date, Role, Location, and more.
On the Module's Overview tab, click Create automation in the Automations row. Learn how to assign Modules in How to Assign Courses and Modules in Opus.
Step 3: Track completion reporting
Once your training is assigned, track completion in these places:
Completion Grid
Select your New Hire Module(s) on the Completion Grid to track all of your new hires. Find it on the Reporting page.
Module Reporting
Open your Module and go to Reporting > Content for analytics on the Module itself: accuracy, Rating, Avg time, Completion over time, and a breakdown of each step.
Use Assigned, Past due, and Self-serve to see who has it.
Open individual Courses, Resources, or Check-ins to get even more data.
Start with Past due: Reporting > Past due shows which new hires are behind, so you can follow up before they fall further back.
š” Move new hires into Role-Based Training with a Path: Once team members complete their NHO Module, a Path can automatically assign Role-Based Training Modules. Choose the NHO Module in the Path's Training completion step, and use Time delay steps to space out the assignments.
ā”ļø Learn more:
Paths Overview: how to create a Path.
Getting Started: Role-Based Training: what to build after onboarding.
FAQ
How long should the New Hire Onboarding process take?
The duration can vary, but a comprehensive New Hire Onboarding program that also features Role-Based Training typically spans 7-10 days.
How do I measure the success of our NHO Module?
Useful metrics to track include:
New hire ramp-up time: Completion over time in Reporting > Content
New hire satisfaction: survey responses from open-ended questions
Feedback from Managers on new hire performance: for example, Check-in results and Course feedback
What if I need more than one Module for my New Hire Onboarding?
You can organize NHO training in a single Module with multiple Sections, or across multiple Modules in a Path. The choice affects how completion data is reported:
Sections in one Module: timed unlock rules control when content is released, and it's all one assignment.
Modules in a Path: Modules are assigned one after another automatically, as separate assignments you can track individually.
What if my business has trainers who mentor new hires?
Support your trainers or buddy system with Check-ins. Use them to:
Capture trainer observations and feedback throughout the onboarding period
Create structured evaluation forms for trainers to document progress consistently
Set up regular milestone Check-ins to track new hire development
Where can I find other examples of training?
Browse real training examples on our blog for best practices and inspiration.