The topic of this study was the perception of online learning in an exploratory context. The problem addressed the high attrition rates among first-year employees in the financial industry. The problem negatively impacted the overall well-being of organizations, customers, and employees. The study aimed to explore new employees' and managers' perceptions of the effectiveness of online learning. The guiding theoretical framework was Kirkpatrick's model of evaluation. The qualitative exploratory case study best matched the problem, purpose, and research questions determining the perceptions of online learning effectiveness for new employees and managers. The sample included 10 new employees and 10 managers who responded to the recruitment email and met the criteria. Participants responded to 10 questions during scheduled semi-structured focus group sessions. All data were transcribed, coded, and separated into themes. The themes indicated that online learning supports work-life balance and encouraged self-directed learning and retention. The themes also revealed that engagement is essential to online learning for learning retention. Additionally, lowered expectations initially for new employees and provided post-training support was imperative to meet the organization's long-term goals. The recommendations for practice addressed the facilitator, learner, and curriculum. The recommendations for practice included providing feedback to virtual facilitators, equipping learners with tools and support in the online environment and verified engagement and evaluation in the curriculum. Recommendations for future research include three study types: a quantitative casual-comparative study to determine how highly effective facilitators impact learner satisfaction and retention; qualitative longitudinal study to determine the effectiveness of online learning programs for new employees over time at the same organization, and quantitative descriptive study to measure the effectiveness of online onboarding programs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]