Why Onboarding Is Broken (and How to Fix It)

A conversation inspired this article with Lila Nazef, VP of Customer Success at Neocase, who was featured on the podcast “You Should Know.” In this episode, Lila shares sharp, field-tested insights on why onboarding often fails, how HR can reclaim its strategic role, and what’s holding back digital transformation.

Onboarding should be magical. So why does it feel like a mess?

You land the perfect candidate. Offer accepted. Spirits are high.

Then… nothing. Silence. Confusing emails. No contract. IT isn’t ready. HR isn’t answering. Day one starts with paperwork, not purpose.

Sound familiar?

It’s the onboarding paradox: the most critical stage of the employee lifecycle is also one of the most broken. And no, it’s not just “a systems issue.” It’s a signal.

“Onboarding is often the first time HR exposes its internal complexity to the outside world. And that complexity? It’s rarely invisible.”

The problem isn’t people. It’s disconnected processes.

Too often, onboarding gets buried under manual steps and fragmented tools:

• Preboarding checklists live in Excel
• Contracts sit in someone’s inbox for weeks
• Hiring managers forget what they’re supposed to do
• IT, Facilities, HR — everyone works in silos

And while your HR platform might promise a unified journey, it often lacks the flexibility to adapt to your real-world processes.

No wonder new hires feel lost. No wonder HR teams are exhausted.

A modern onboarding journey is not a form. It’s an orchestrated experience.

What if onboarding wasn’t about tasks, but moments?

What if you could:

• Trigger entire onboarding workflows from your HCM events
• Coordinate HR, IT, Legal, and Facilities across one timeline
• Let new hires sign contracts, upload documents, and access their personalized portal — before day one
• Archive everything directly in your document repository

Neocase does exactly that, no dev required. It's prebuilt onboarding workflow integrates seamlessly into your existing stack, and you can tailor every step to your organization’s needs.

“It’s not about adding more tools. It’s about making your stack work together intelligently.”

👉Discover Neocase's Employee Journey solution to help you secure your employees' lifecycle, from preboarding to offboarding.

The onboarding experience isn’t cosmetic. It’s cultural.

A broken onboarding flow tells your new hires everything they need to know about how your company communicates, operates, and values its people.

Fixing it isn’t a tech upgrade. It’s a leadership move.

And HR should lead that charge.

Listen to the episode
🎧 “Is HR Dead Weight or Your Secret Weapon?”
with Lila Nazef (Neocase)
→ Listen now the full episode here