Forget Onboarding! Drive Frontline Results With Everboarding

Hours. That’s how long it takes for a frontline worker to decide if they’re in or out. One rough shift (and a slightly better offer), and they’re gone! At Axonify, we know that great onboarding makes all the difference. We’ve worked with millions of frontline associates—and we've asked them directly what matters most when starting a new role and what sets them up for success. The results are in: It all starts with the right onboarding.

Onboarding boosts retention by 82 percent and productivity by more than 70 percent (BHG). Yet, only 12 percent of employees say their organization does onboarding well (Gallup). That’s a big problem on the frontline, where people often get hired and start the same day.

Nearly 75 percent of organizations say high turnover is one of their biggest frontline challenges (ATD). If you bury new hires in “click next” e-learning or overload them with classroom sessions, you can’t be surprised when they leave—especially when those sessions aren’t built to stick. If they don’t feel confident doing the job or find it enjoyable, they leave.

Fixing onboarding takes more than training videos. Frontline leaders need to rethink the purpose of onboarding—and how it sets the tone for the entire brand experience.

The Onboarding Trap

Frontline onboarding usually goes one of two ways.

The new hire gets handed to a peer with training called “they’ll show you how we do things.” There is no structure or manager support—just hope. Then, we’re shocked when performance is shaky and confidence is low.

The other version is total overload. We cram every detail into training to satisfy subject matter experts and check compliance boxes. Meanwhile, employees are just trying to remember people’s names and figure out where to buy non-slip shoes.

They might pass the test, but most of what they learned is forgotten in a few days because it’s outside the flow of work, lacks consistent reinforcement, and misses the role-specific context that connects to the bigger picture.

Shift to Everboarding

Onboarding is just the starting point. Shift from front-loaded training to everboarding: continuous learning that’s built into every shift.

• Start with support. On day one, show new hires how to find answers using your knowledge base, digital assistant, and any other tool that gets them unstuck fast.

• Pre-assess. Fast-track experienced hires by validating what they already know. Focus training where it actually makes a difference.

• Embed microlearning. Reinforce critical skills with short, targeted practice during every shift—just a few minutes at a time.

• Equip managers. Push real-time insights to frontline managers so they can coach in the moment and enable personalized growth.

Everboarding ensures support from day one—putting the right tools in your frontline’s hands so they feel confident and capable every shift.

Repurposing the First Few Days

With always-on support in place, we can stop treating the first few days like a firehose and start focusing on the experience.

Yes, compliance still matters. Safety training must happen. But we all know new hires won’t retain every policy and process thrown at them on day one.

One global retailer took a smarter route. They capped how much training a new sales associate can do on their first day. Instead, they spend most of this shift on the floor meeting the team, connecting with the manager, and getting a feel for the job. Training starts in earnest on day two and rolls out in focused chunks over the first few weeks.

The result: reduced turnover, greater consistency, and stronger frontline performance.

Retention Starts on Day One

Half of hourly workers quit within the first 120 days (UKG). It’s not a training problem. It’s an employee experience problem.

Everboarding shifts the focus from delivering content to building confidence. This approach fosters a continuous learning and support experience that meets frontline workers in the moments that matter—giving them the tools they need to succeed, exactly when they’re needed.