EBA Odesa HR & Psychology Insights: The First Session on the Invisible Side of Onboarding

15/ 05/ 2026

Listen to online Stop   Today, the topic of onboarding and adaptation of new employees is especially relevant for businesses. In conditions of constant change, a high-paced working environment, and increasing competition for talent, companies are paying more attention not only to onboarding processes themselves, but also to employees’ emotional experience, team communication, and psychological support during the adaptation period. These topics became the focus of the EBA Odesa HR HUB meeting held on May 14 in a new interactive format — EBA Odesa HR & Psychology Insights. The first session was dedicated to “The Invisible Side of Onboarding: A Reality Check”. The event was moderated by Maria Chebruchan — HR Director of the Formag group of companies, psychologist, mediator, and MBA. Combining psychological expertise with practical HR experience, Maria helped participants look at the onboarding process through a psychological lens and created a space for open professional discussion. During the meeting, participants analyzed managerial and communication situations using examples from the movie The Devil Wears Prada, discussed the challenges and expectations faced by newcomers, shared their own onboarding cases and practices, and reflected on which approaches to adaptation are most effective in modern teams. Special attention was paid to the concept of psychological safety as a foundation for employee engagement and for creating an environment where people are not afraid to ask questions, make mistakes, and show initiative. International onboarding practices were also compared through examples from European and Asian companies. As part of the discussion, participants also explored the concept of Realistic Job Preview — the importance of honestly shaping candidates’ expectations already at the hiring stage — as well as the role of buddy systems in the adaptation process, the risks of toxic management, and the importance of the “invisible rules” of corporate culture that often remain unexplained to newcomers. A special addition for participants was a practical HR onboarding audit guide featuring tools that help companies reduce cognitive overload for newcomers and support them during their first 90 days at work, including check-in points, pulse surveys, and red flag escalation mechanisms. The meeting once again confirmed that effective onboarding is not only about processes and instructions, but above all about people, their experience, support, and sense of belonging within the team from the very first days of work. We sincerely thank member company GTI / Formag Group of Companies and personally Maria Chebruchan for their hospitality and partnership in organizing the event, as well as all participants of HR HUB Odesa for their active engagement, openness to discussion, and willingness to share their experience.

Today, the topic of onboarding and adaptation of new employees is especially relevant for businesses. In conditions of constant change, a high-paced working environment, and increasing competition for talent, companies are paying more attention not only to onboarding processes themselves, but also to employees’ emotional experience, team communication, and psychological support during the adaptation period.

These topics became the focus of the EBA Odesa HR HUB meeting held on May 14 in a new interactive format — EBA Odesa HR & Psychology Insights. The first session was dedicated to “The Invisible Side of Onboarding: A Reality Check”.

The event was moderated by Maria Chebruchan — HR Director of the Formag group of companies, psychologist, mediator, and MBA. Combining psychological expertise with practical HR experience, Maria helped participants look at the onboarding process through a psychological lens and created a space for open professional discussion.

During the meeting, participants analyzed managerial and communication situations using examples from the movie The Devil Wears Prada, discussed the challenges and expectations faced by newcomers, shared their own onboarding cases and practices, and reflected on which approaches to adaptation are most effective in modern teams. Special attention was paid to the concept of psychological safety as a foundation for employee engagement and for creating an environment where people are not afraid to ask questions, make mistakes, and show initiative. International onboarding practices were also compared through examples from European and Asian companies.

As part of the discussion, participants also explored the concept of Realistic Job Preview — the importance of honestly shaping candidates’ expectations already at the hiring stage — as well as the role of buddy systems in the adaptation process, the risks of toxic management, and the importance of the “invisible rules” of corporate culture that often remain unexplained to newcomers.

A special addition for participants was a practical HR onboarding audit guide featuring tools that help companies reduce cognitive overload for newcomers and support them during their first 90 days at work, including check-in points, pulse surveys, and red flag escalation mechanisms.

The meeting once again confirmed that effective onboarding is not only about processes and instructions, but above all about people, their experience, support, and sense of belonging within the team from the very first days of work.

We sincerely thank member company GTI / Formag Group of Companies and personally Maria Chebruchan for their hospitality and partnership in organizing the event, as well as all participants of HR HUB Odesa for their active engagement, openness to discussion, and willingness to share their experience.