Suntory Oceania steps up their onboarding experience

The Suntory Induction Programme, SIP for short, was designed to create a unified, and inclusive induction programme that would support new hires, empower managers, and reflect Suntory’s global identity.

With the workforce projected to grow dramatically, and at speed, the need for a scalable, structured and culturally grounded onboarding experience became urgent.

The primary goals of SIP were to create an induction experience that:

• ensured every new employee felt welcomed and aligned with the company’s vision, brands and leadership philosophy
• connected new hires with Suntory’s unique culture and values
• supported time-poor managers with clear processes and tools
• could adapt as the organisation rapidly grew.

Inspire Group ran a co-design session with Suntory Oceania taking into account survey feedback from new starters and managers. The programme aimed to provide a clear journey map, practical tools for managers and buddies, and a culturally inclusive perspective reflecting the heritage of Suntory Oceania.

The design and delivery of SIP was driven by a clear mandate: create a consistent, scalable, and culturally aligned induction experience across Suntory Oceania.

Through surveys and co-design workshops the team actively engaged managers, recent new hires and returning employees in shaping the programme. This process surfaced lived pain points and co-created solutions, embedding engagement from the ground up.

SIP was crafted:

• as a one-stop shop for all things induction related
• in a scalable way so that it could be delivered both virtually and face-to-face
• to be agile and easy to reshape and build out as new content and resources are built
• to maintain a high-quality and engaging onboarding experience, informed by internal and external research and benchmarking against global best practices
• around three core user pathways—new starter, manager, and buddy
• to ensure the onboarding journey was tailored to the unique needs of Suntory Oceania, making it both practical and deeply resonant.

The structured approach of the SIP ensures that before their first day new hires already feel connected, informed and eager to immerse themselves in the Suntory way of working. By reducing uncertainty and fostering engagement early, the company strengthens retention, productivity and cultural alignment from the very start.

Before day one new starters receive a personalised SIP welcome email with details about their first day, their team and company expectations, plus a QR code linking to a welcome video message from Suntory executives

On day one new starters are given a welcome pack containing a journal, which covers what to do on day one, week one and month one. A structured onboarding journey map provides a clear view of the new starter’s first days and weeks, helping them feel prepared.

Recognising that onboarding isn’t a one-person job, SIP introduced a buddy system, with their own guide, task checklists and role expectations. This not only shares the workload but fosters team cohesion and cross-functional support.

To reinforce long-term capability, SIP, also introduced MSIP—Manager SIP—a quarterly manager onboarding session where people leaders can deepen their understanding of onboarding expectations, explore challenges and share best practices.

These MSIP sessions were complemented by drop-in clinics post-launch, where managers were walked through the new resources, given the rationale behind design decisions, and feedback was captured in real time.

SIP’s delivery model was purpose-built to make onboarding manageable and meaningful for leaders already operating under pressure. Everything from the smartcard pathways to the printable templates was designed to save time, remove ambiguity, and reinforce accountability.

Consistency was the most noticeable outcome of SIP which introduced a unified experience through guided pathways, role-specific resources and clearly sequenced milestones.

The programme has been incredibly successful and sentiment from both new hires and managers signalled that SIP had delivered on its mandate: to be not just functional, but foundational.

The following lessons emerged from the formal evaluation process at the 12-month mark:

1. Manager engagement is non-negotiable. When people leaders are supported with clear tools, expectations, and forums for learning, they become more confident, more consistent, and more connected to the onboarding experience.
2. Engagement can’t be assumed: it must be designed. Virtual Connect sessions, buddy roles, drop-in clinics, and forums all played a part in creating meaningful touchpoints that drove ownership and momentum.
   For managers the benefits have been equally pronounced.
   
   Following programme rollout, the majority of people leaders reported feeling more equipped to onboard new hires, and that the programme clarified what was expected of them.