Mentors and the silent first week
Paperwork can be complete while the first week is empty. Application analytics of onboarding completion has to treat the mentor pairing as part of the path, not as a courtesy.
In interviews, joiners rarely complain about the form. They describe looking for someone to ask about the kettle, the locker, or the Friday finish time. If the named mentor is at another site that week, the joiner learns to stay quiet. Quiet people still appear on the completion register.
A practical rule used in our studies: the mentor must be present on day one or a named deputy must greet the joiner by name. We write that as a finding, not as a slogan. Coordinators can check the diary before the welcome letter goes out.
When we report, we separate form completion from first-week completion. Both matter. Mixing them hides the week that actually determines whether someone stays.