The IT market in Belarus remains highly competitive despite recent transformations. Companies continue to hire developers, analysts, testers, and managers, but more often face not a hiring problem, but a challenge with onboarding new employees. According to HR practice, up to 20–30% of IT specialists consider changing jobs in the first months after joining, if the onboarding process is formal or chaotic.
Onboarding in IT is not just an introductory briefing or giving access on the first working day. For tech teams, it becomes a full-fledged management tool that affects the speed of reaching productivity, engagement, loyalty, and ultimately, business results. This is especially relevant for Belarusian IT companies, where projects are often distributed between international clients, remote teams, and different jurisdictions.
In Belarus, onboarding has additional functions. Companies operate in accordance with local labor legislation, use hybrid employment formats, attract foreign specialists or hire staff according to EOR models. All this requires a systematic approach to onboarding: from legal and organizational issues to the establishment of team communication and the transfer of corporate culture.
A well-thought-out onboarding process reduces staff turnover, reduces the burden on team leaders and HR department, and minimizes the risk of errors at the beginning of the project. There are no universal solutions: the approach for a junior developer, senior engineer or IT manager will be fundamentally different.
This article explains what onboarding in IT is from a practical perspective, its stages, how to consider the specifics of the Belarusian market, and common mistakes companies make when integrating new employees.
What is IT Onboarding and Why It Is Crucial for Business
In IT, onboarding is a systematic process of integrating a new employee into the company, team and project environment. Its goal is to provide a predictable and manageable transition from a formal beginning to a stable performance. Unlike traditional approaches, IT onboarding covers not only organizational issues, but also technological, communication and management aspects.
For Belarusian IT companies, onboarding is an important part of the personnel and management infrastructure. High hiring costs, limited qualified staff and project work require each new employee to participate quickly in processes without losing quality or additional load on the team.
The Difference Between Onboarding, Informal Onboarding and Introductory Briefing
In practice, the terms “onboarding,” “informal onboarding” and “introductory briefing” are often used interchangeably, but they have fundamental differences.
Introductory Briefing
The introductory briefing is an official procedure related to the labor legislation and company rules. This includes familiarization with internal rules, occupational safety, corporate policy and is usually done on the first day. Its purpose is to comply with mandatory requirements, not to integrate an employee into workflows.
Informal Onboarding
Informal onboarding is a broader process of getting an employee used to new working conditions, team and corporate culture. It can be spontaneous and may not have a clear structure or responsible people.
Structured Onboarding
Structured onboarding is a planned and manageable process that begins before the first working day and continues for the first few months. In IT, onboarding includes the exchange of technical documentation, setting up access and the environment, immersion in the project architecture, defining team roles and establishing regular feedback. The key difference is that structured onboarding is focused on measurable results and business goals.
The Impact of Onboarding on Productivity, Engagement and Retention
High-quality onboarding directly affects how quickly an IT specialist achieves its performance target. Without a clear structure, the first weeks are often spent searching for information, clarifying roles and correcting avoidable errors.
Onboarding also forms the first managerial impression of the company. For IT specialists, especially middle and higher levels, process transparency, clear expectations and access to key project members are important. Without these elements, involvement falls during the first months.
Practice shows that systematic onboarding reduces the likelihood of resignation during or after the probationary period. Employees quickly begin to see themselves as part of the team and understand their value, which is especially important in remote or hybrid work, typical for Belarusian IT companies.
Financial and Managerial Consequences of Poor Onboarding
Poorly organized onboarding leads to direct and indirect business losses. Direct losses include rehiring, training and compensation if the employee leaves early. Indirect losses are inferred on slower development, redistributed workload in the team and lower project quality.
From a managerial point of view, weak onboarding increases the burden on team leaders and project managers, who have to solve problems manually. This reduces attention to strategic tasks and project management.
In the Belarusian IT market, where companies often work with several clients and tight deadlines, the consequences of weak onboarding are increasing. Early mistakes of a new specialist can delay deadlines, create reputational risks and increase costs, exceeding investments in a structured onboarding process.
Features of IT Onboarding in Belarus
Features of the Belarusian IT Labor Market
The Belarusian IT market has high competition for qualified specialists, especially middle and senior levels. Companies often operate in a limited recruitment environment and are focused on retaining existing staff. This emphasizes onboarding as a tool to reduce early staff turnover.
The workload of the project is another feature. New employees often join active projects with tight deadlines and complex architecture, leaving little room for a “soft landing”. Onboarding should be well structured to ensure quick access to key information and responsible persons.
Companies also use different employment models: classic employment contracts, contractual agreements, civil law agreements and personnel hired through outsourcing or EOR models. Each of them has requirements for the onboarding process.
Labor Law and Domestic Policy
Admission to Belarusian IT companies must comply with labor legislation. In the recruitment process, familiarization with the rules, working hours and responsibilities of employees should be integrated into the onboarding process, and not isolated as an official step.
Effective onboarding synchronizes personnel and legal processes: timely signing of documents, proper accounting of working conditions and compliance with probationary deadlines. This reduces conflicts and misunderstandings that can affect loyalty at an early stage.
Internal policy also matters: information security, personal data processing and rules of interaction with customers. For IT specialists, these documents are directly related to daily work. A simple signature without explanation does not guarantee understanding.
Hybrid and Remote Work Formats
For many Belarusian IT companies, hybrid or fully remote work is standard. This complicates onboarding, as informal learning and communication are reduced or absent.
Digital onboarding tools are becoming important: structured knowledge bases, checklists, internal portals and regular online meetings. Managed processes with responsible persons, stages and checkpoints are crucial.
Hybrid formats require clear coordination: a new employee must understand when to interact with the team offline and online. The lack of clarity often reduces involvement and creates a sense of isolation, especially in the first months.
Working with Foreign Specialists and Distributed Teams
Many Belarusian IT companies attract foreign specialists or work in distributed international teams. Onboarding adds cultural, linguistic and organizational aspects.
For foreign employees, onboarding includes an understanding of local rules of interaction and company culture. Without a structured approach, onboarding takes longer, and communication barriers appear.
In distributed teams, process transparency and common standards are crucial. Onboarding should provide equal access to information and management support regardless of location. Otherwise, there is a fragmentation of the team and a decrease in efficiency.
The Main Stages of IT Onboarding
Effective IT onboarding is a step-by-step process with clear goals, responsibilities and control points. Its goal is not only to represent the company, but also to provide a managed transition from the beginning to the independent contribution to the project. In Belarusian IT companies with a high project load and remote teams, phased onboarding is important.
Pre-Onboarding: Preparation for the First Day
Pre-onboarding begins from the moment of acceptance of the proposal and continues until the first working day. This forms the first systematic impression of the company and lays the foundation for integration.
Key tasks before onboarding include preparation and coordination of documents, creation of corporate accounts and access, as well as providing basic information about the company, project and team. In IT, early definition of the technical environment, development tools and communication channels allows an employee to start working on the first day.
For remote or hybrid formats, preliminary communication is crucial: a new employee must know who to contact, how the work schedule and initial expectations are structured.
First Day and Week: Organizational and Technical Integration
The first day and week determine the pace of onboarding. Information overload should be avoided while maintaining the necessary structure.
Organizational integration includes familiarization with internal rules, communication policy and corporate procedures. In IT, they should be related to practical work, not just documents.
Technical integration includes setting up tools, access to repositories, test environments and internal knowledge bases. The first tasks, priorities and expected results should be clear. A mentor or responsible person reduces the number of mistakes and speeds up learning on a specific project.
The First Month: Immersion in the Project and Team
During the first month, adaptation moves from organizational to participation in the project. The employee begins to perform tasks that affect the team’s results and interacts with key project participants.
Regular feedback on technical results and interaction with the team is essential for identifying problems and adjusting expectations.
For distributed teams, communication planning, task transparency and access to information are crucial. Without them, onboarding slows down even for highly qualified employees.
The probationary period is a continuation of onboarding, not a separate step. Its purpose is to assess compliance with the company’s expectations and adjust the development.
Evaluation criteria include independence, quality of tasks, compliance with deadlines and effectiveness of communication. Regular meetings with the team leader or manager monitor progress and solve problems.
A systematic approach reduces unexpected management decisions and premature departures, giving the company a clear idea of the work of employees.
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Effective IT onboarding requires clear role distribution among all participants. Assigning responsibility solely to HR or the team creates gaps between formal procedures and practical work. In Belarusian IT companies with high workload and distributed formats, coordination is critical.
HR Department Responsibilities
HR structures and manages onboarding. Responsibilities include developing processes, defining stages, timelines, and checkpoints.
HR handles employee registration, pre-onboarding coordination, and orientation with internal rules and corporate policies. These actions must be integrated into the overall onboarding process.
HR also collects feedback, monitors early turnover risks, and coordinates with department managers. In remote settings, HR often links new employees with the organization.
The Role of Team Leader and Project Manager
Team leaders and project managers are responsible for professional integration. They set clear expectations, priorities and evaluation criteria.
The team leader covers technical aspects: project architecture, code base, development standards and internal tools. Without their participation, onboarding loses its practical value.
Project managers focus on processes, deadlines and communication with the team and the client. New employees should understand the workflow, decision-making and performance evaluation.
Team and Mentor Participation
The team is an informal but critical participant in onboarding. Daily interaction determines the speed and quality of onboarding.
The mentor or buddy system reduces the workload of the group leader and solves operational problems. Mentors explain non-obvious aspects, internal agreements and norms of communication.
In distributed teams, new employees should deliberately be involved in meetings, discussions and common communication channels.
Employee’s Responsibility
Onboarding is not one-sided. Employees should actively participate, ask questions and take responsibility for integration.
In IT, where independence is high, it is unrealistic to expect step-by-step instructions. New employees should study the materials, follow the agreements and report difficulties.
Clearly defined responsibilities prevent gaps in expectations, ensuring effective onboarding.
Common Mistakes When Onboarding in Belarusian IT Companies
Even with official personnel processes, onboarding is often fragmented. Errors reduce productivity, create conflicts in expectations and increase early frame turnover. The problems are systemic, related to the organization of the process, and not to the competence of employees.
Formal Approach and Lack of Structure
A common mistake is the formal attitude to onboarding, limited to documents and briefings. Without structure, onboarding turns into disparate actions not related to real tasks.
New employees should independently understand processes, search for information and clarify roles. This slows down productivity and increases the team workload. Formal onboarding also hinders management oversight.
Information Overload
Companies often overflow new employees with information in the first days: long presentations, numerous documents and numerous meetings without setting priorities.
For IT specialists, technical information takes time to understand and apply. Overload hides key aspects such as project goals and expectations, leaving employees formally included, but unclear in their role.
Lack of Communication and Feedback
Irregular communication and feedback are common problems. New employees may not know whether their work meets expectations or what mistakes are crucial.
In Belarusian IT companies with remote and hybrid formats, this risk increases. Without scheduled meetings, employees may not work properly for several weeks, which will be noticeable only at the end of the probationary period.
Regular feedback corrects actions and reduces uncertainty, which directly affects engagement and motivation.
Assignment of Onboarding Only to the HR Department
To entrust all responsibility for onboarding to the HR department is a management’s mistake. The HR department can organize processes and documents, but without the team leader, manager and team participation, practical onboarding fails.
HR eventually performs formal functions, while professional integration occurs spontaneously, creating a gap between business expectations and actual onboarding.
Effective onboarding requires common responsibility, while the HR department, managers and team act consistently.
Conclusion
Onboarding in IT is not a supporting HR process, but a management tool that directly affects business efficiency. In the Belarusian IT market, with high hiring costs, distributed teams and rapidly developing projects, structured onboarding is a competitive advantage.
Formal onboarding delays productivity, increases the workload of the team leader and increases early staff turnover. A well-structured technique reduces risks, increases engagement and provides predictable business results.
There are no universal solutions. Effective onboarding should take into account the specifics of the company, work format, team composition, employment model and legal requirements. This requires an integrated approach that combines the methods of personnel management, management and operational activities.
The Spex team works with Belarusian IT companies to ensure turnkey onboarding: from structure and stage development to practical implementation for remote, hybrid and distributed teams, including foreign employees and EOR models. This allows companies to focus on products and projects without wasting time and resources on fixing onboarding errors.
How to contact us
For more information or to request a consultation on expert HR and payroll and EOR services in Belarus, do not hesitate to contact us. We are here to help and support you. Phone and email communication options are available for your convenience:
+375293664477 (WhatsApp/Telegram/Viber);
info@spex.by.
About the Author
Daria Fedorova
Marketing Specialist
Daria Fedorova is a marketing expert with years of experience supporting businesses entering and expanding in the Belarusian market. She combines strategic marketing expertise with knowledge of legal and administrative processes, helping companies successfully establish and grow their presence in the country.
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