Major events like starting a new job might scare us, but they can be debilitating for people with Autism. Like everyone though, they can manage stress and anxiety better if they can prepare for changes in advance.

To ensure their new onboarding experience accomplished this, Autism Unlimited called upon the support of a wide range of people from right across their business to create an engaging, inclusive and anxiety-free experience for all.

Powered by Eli Onboarding, welcometoautism-unlimited.org was launched in March 2021 during the pandemic and became an instant hit. The responsive portal is by the side of every new hire (their manager and buddy) at every moment that matters, reducing anxiety and carefully guiding every new hire through tailored onboarding journey – a journey that’s as supportive and inclusive as possible, particularly to those with autism.

Since the portal went live it’s hit an average new hire engagement rate of 97%. Line managers aren’t far behind either, 93% of them taking ownership of their new hire’s onboarding, and helping to create a real sense of belonging in a very human way.

And it’s not just the new hire and their line manager interacting. The social areas of the site (events, messaging and the social wall) are the most visited areas of the portal, all of which has had a direct effect on voluntary attrition within that all important first 3 months. AU tracked a 5% reduction in attrition (21% to 16%) a year after going live and a further 4% by year two. That’s c12 people AU didn’t have to rehire and a huge cost avoidance for the charity. Perhaps that’s why we picked up Best Onboarding Strategy at the IHR awards in 2022 and Best Use of Technology at the RADs in 2023!