Webinar Recap: How Continuous Onboarding Can Boost Retention and Engagement

Feb 26, 2025 | Articles, Onboarding, Webinar

Litmos recently hosted a webinar titled “Ready Set Go: Driving Productivity, Retention, and Time to Value with Continuous Onboarding,” which focused on how Litmos customer LaborMax Staffing revolutionized its onboarding program through their signature Progressive Learning Model. During the webinar, Litmos Chief Learning Officer, Dr. Jill Stefaniak and LaborMax Staffing’s Learning & Development Specialist, Jessica Crouse provided insights and strategies for improving onboarding processes, especially for organizations with small L&D teams.

LaborMax Staffing is a top U.S.-based staffing agency that takes a unique approach to learning and development. Their onboarding program, delivered through LaborMax University – powered by Litmos – has resulted in major wins for LaborMax Staffing in 2024 – resulting in $233K in savings, more than 27K course completions, and a four-week ramp up time for 71% of new employees!

To learn more about how you can streamline your continuous onboarding programs to drive retention and engagement, view the full webinar recording.

Onboarding is just the beginning

The webinar highlighted the importance of a continuous onboarding process, particularly in a high-turnover industry like staffing. Crouse emphasized that the first month of onboarding is crucial for building a solid foundation, however, she stressed that this is just the beginning: “This is not meant for you to completely know every single thing about your job right after you take it.” Dr. Stefaniak reminded attendees that a streamlined approach to onboarding can prevent cognitive overload for new employees, helping them feel less overwhelmed in their first 90 days.

The speakers also highlighted the importance of ongoing learning beyond the initial onboarding period. At the 6-month mark, LaborMax Staffing transitions new hires into a leadership initiative learning path, which focuses on the important skills that employees need to become better leaders. This initiative is not limited to managers but is available to all employees, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and leadership development.

Feedback and flexibility are the key to successful onboarding

Crouse also discussed the importance of follow-up meetings at the 2-month or 3-month mark, which is a critical period for new hires. Scheduling these one-on-one meetings can help L&D gain clarity and ask questions about each employee’s onboarding experience, while identifying knowledge or skill gaps that can be addressed with personalized support.

This and other more formal continuous feedback methods keep LaborMax Staffing’s onboarding program relevant and responsive, explained Crouse. “I am constantly asking for feedback. I have a survey that’s just set up, and anytime someone can fill that out, it just gets emailed directly to me.”

Dr. Stefaniak and Crouse also discussed the importance of being flexible and willing to adapt the onboarding process, based on feedback received or metrics collected. “Don’t be afraid to be flexible and adapt and kind of let go of what you think the process is supposed to be,” Crouse advised. As a team of one, Crouse stressed the importance of flexibility for her onboarding program. Small teams may need to pivot or change their approach quickly, so staying adaptable is key.

Diverse learning formats can enhance engagement and retention

The webinar showcased how LaborMax Staffing uses a variety of learning formats to keep employees engaged throughout the onboarding process – from videos and live instructor-led trainings, to pre-recorded podcasts. Crouse highlighted how well-received LaborMax Staffing’s own internal podcast was. The podcast, “Optimize Your Operations, The Max Perspective” got so much buzz that Crouse had internal leaders reach out with new topic ideas for future episodes. An informal and fun approach using multimedia formats, she argued, is what has helped LaborMax Staffing employees feel more connected to the company and better understand how their roles play a part in it.

To explore more best practices for personalizing, scaling, and enhancing your onboarding strategy (even if you’re a team of one!) watch the recording of “Ready, Set, Go: Driving Productivity, Retention, and Time to Value with Continuous Onboarding” today