From application to retention: How inclusive onboarding processes retain IT talent in the long term
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Most people think that recruiting ends with the signing of the contract. In reality, this is where the next big risk begins.
After all, if you want to successfully attract IT talent, you have to retain them above all else. And this is exactly where many companies fail and often unnoticed. Between the contract offer and the first sprint in the team, more than just motivation is lost—trust, belonging, and commitment are also lost.
This is particularly evident for tech teams that work remotely or in a hybrid model. Distance makes integration more challenging. Added to this are barriers that have long remained invisible – for neurodivergent talent, for employees with disabilities, or for those who think differently from the majority.
The problem: Onboarding is often understood as an operational process – a bit of software access, a few welcome rounds, done. What's lacking is an inclusive, strategically planned onboarding process that takes diversity seriously and creates psychological safety.
That's exactly what this article is about: Why candidate experience must continue during onboarding. How accessibility becomes the norm instead of the exception. And how we can use smart technology to enable not only processes, but also genuine belonging.
The status quo: Candidate experience ends too soon
There is a lot of talk about candidate experience in recruiting – but it usually ends where the real culture shock begins: on the first day of work. While application processes have long since become professionalized, onboarding remains a blind spot in many companies.
An example: According to Personalwirtschaft, the average cost of replacing an employee is around €30,000, not including opportunity costs or productivity losses (Personalwirtschaft 2024). Nevertheless, many companies invest hardly any structured resources in the first few weeks. Yet this is precisely when it is decided whether a new team member will stay or mentally check out before the first commit goes live.
This is particularly evident in IT. Developers are used to working efficiently with clear structures and they compare this experience. Onboarding that makes them feel like they don't belong will have consequences. If there is a lack of barrier-free access, clear contact persons, or a culturally sensitive welcome, the shortage of skilled workers quickly turns into a loss of trust.
At the same time, new colleagues in the tech sector often experience a certain social coldness: little direct communication or no clear support. What is missing is a genuine sense of arrival. And what remains is uncertainty.
Yet it wouldn't take much to change this. A well-thought-out, inclusive onboarding process not only provides orientation, but also sends a strategic signal: You are in the right place. You are seen. And you are valued with everything you bring to the table.
Accessibility & inclusion: The new standard for IT teams
Inclusion doesn't start with building ramps. It starts in the mind and in every little moment of arrival. For IT teams that are increasingly working in a hybrid, remote, or international environment, this means that an accessible onboarding process is a minimum requirement for modern employers.
The problem is that many barriers are invisible. Neurodivergent talents, for example, need different forms of communication and orientation than neurotypical colleagues. A structured introduction, clear written procedures, or the opportunity to familiarize oneself with tools in advance can be crucial here. Without these adjustments, companies lose valuable employees before they even have a chance to show their potential.
There are also obstacles lurking in the digital space: career pages that are not compatible with screen readers, welcome emails that are not written in simple language, tools that only offer visual orientation—all of this not only makes access more difficult, but also sends a clear message: you are not being considered.
But there are counterexamples: companies that offer remote onboarding days in various formats – synchronous and asynchronous. Teams that openly address neurodiversity and work with inclusive communication standards. And HR departments that see accessibility not as a project, but as an attitude.
Accessibility in onboarding is no longer a special case. It is the new standard – or it is a criterion for exclusion.
Using digitalization correctly: AI in the service of participation
The use of AI in recruiting is polarizing and rightly so. Too many systems have been trained with distorted data, too often reproducing existing exclusions. At the same time, this is precisely where a great opportunity lies: if we understand AI not as a black box but as a tool for inclusion, it helps to make structural barriers visible and removable.
For example, AI-supported text analysis can check job offers for unconscious exclusions and suggest gender-fair, accessible language. Matching algorithms can be trained to focus not on traditional resumes, but on skills, project types, or individual strengths. This increases the chance of making atypical candidates visible – especially in tech fields where career changes and self-learning are widespread.
Another lever: adaptive learning systems and chatbots in the onboarding process can pick up new employees where they are – linguistically, cognitively, or professionally. Instead of rigid standard processes, smart technology enables a personalized, barrier-free introduction. According to McKinsey, 63% of the companies surveyed see AI as a key to better integration of new employees – provided it is used consciously and fairly (McKinsey 2023).
Of course, AI cannot replace human interaction. But it can prevent people from being lost due to ill-conceived processes. When trained and used correctly, it becomes a translator between people and systems. And thus an ally of inclusive corporate culture.
Conclusion: Those who integrate before it hurts are acting with foresight
Onboarding is a statement – about how seriously diversity is taken, how consistently processes are designed, and how well teams are prepared to enable true integration.
Especially in the IT industry, where the battle for talent has long been global, companies cannot afford to continue as usual. Those who take on new employees without really letting them settle in risk not only high turnover, but also the loss of trust and cultural capital.
The good news is that there are ways. And there are tools. Smart technologies, accessible formats, clear communication – all of this can be designed today. Inclusive onboarding processes are not a cost driver, but an investment in productivity, team spirit, and future viability.
Those who understand this think of candidate experience not as a campaign, but as an attitude. And they start where candidates become colleagues.
Do you want to design your onboarding process so that new colleagues not only find their way around, but really feel at home? We support you with experience from IT practice, a clear eye for barriers, and smart approaches that make digital processes human. Get in touch with us. We'd be happy to talk about how to turn your onboarding into a real welcome.
Sources
- McKinsey (2023): Closing the tech talent gap: Adopting the right mindset.
- Human Resource Management (2024): The problem with quiet hiring.
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