Joined a firm and soon realised the actions and behaviors didn’t match with the briefing and orientation pack?
Walked the floors and noticed how precious people were about who they knew or how close they sat next to the centres of power?
Wondered why there was inconsistency with the way employees were introduced and welcomed?
Or, why some announcements were hush-hush while others were highlighted?
Or, why unsaid rules were more prominent than the stated values?
Culture is most visible to newcomers in the first few weeks. It is communicated not by slides or slogans, but by everyday behaviours. Who gets invited to meetings? Who has access to leaders? What information is shared openly, and what is filtered or glossed over?
When onboarding fails to provide clarity, newcomers quickly learn that access, tenure, and visibility determine influence. Veterans hold knowledge and act as gatekeepers. Old-school employees prioritise legacy practices, while new hires with fresh perspectives are left to adapt quietly. Without clarity and psychological safety, newcomers avoid speaking up. Creativity, innovation, and trust are immediately compromised.
Signals that erode trust
Even well-intentioned onboarding can be counterproductive. Selective transparency, hiding real challenges, or only highlighting trivial updates communicates that honesty is unsafe. Francesca Gino’s research shows that organisations overly focused on “fit” discourage dissent and innovation. New hires learn that conformity is more valued than contribution.
Social Identity Theory explains how people form in-groups and out-groups naturally. If onboarding amplifies this by rewarding tenure over ideas, it reinforces hierarchical behaviour. McKinsey research highlights that employees absorb culture more from informal networks than formal announcements. When informal behaviours contradict the official message, trust erodes quickly.
How leaders can reset onboarding
Effective onboarding can be a culture-strengthening mechanism:
- Truth-telling early: Share both successes and failures. Avoid glossing over challenges.
- Connect across tenure levels: Use skip-level meetings and reverse mentoring.
- Assign meaningful tasks quickly: Give new hires ownership to foster engagement and contribution.
- Address old-school versus new-school tensions: Workshops and norms discussions help integrate diverse perspectives.
When leaders model transparency and make contribution more important than tenure, onboarding becomes a platform for trust, inclusion, and innovation.
The key question
If a newcomer joined your team tomorrow, what would they learn first: the culture you talk about or the culture you actually live?
