Whether you need to update your onboarding process to improve retention rates or you're just ready for a more efficient, automated process, it's a great time to consider the benefits of incorporating technology into onboarding.
Onboarding sets the tone for the employee experience and subsequently, your company culture. New hires who experience thoughtful onboarding have a strong understanding of the organization's mission, vision, and core values; know what's expected of them in their role, and understand how their work contributes to the greater good of the organization and its stakeholders. When onboarding isn't done well, the result is quite contrary. Employees may feel a lack of alignment with the organization and their team overall and may enter the organization feeling undervalued on day one, especially if communication failure occurred during the pre-employment process.
Incorporating technology into onboarding is one focused, effective step you can take to ensure onboarding is done well. The benefits include better pre-hire communication, clearer transfer of important information, more effective use of time together, and consistent, scheduled training.
Onboarding software can help ensure both the employee and the employer have completed all pre-hire steps according to the established timelines, preventing unexpected delays and demonstrating an organized, effective culture to the candidate prior to their first day. Additionally, many organizations rely on onboarding software to share information critical to a successful first day with their candidate: where to park, what to wear, what time to arrive, whether lunch will be provided or they should bring a lunch, how long they can expect to work that day, and more.
Perhaps the most important information of all is the organization's mission, vision, and core values, but there are also critical compliance topics that must be addressed during the onboarding process. When these topics are left to mentors and individual leaders, the likelihood that they'll be delayed or missed increases. When you choose onboarding technology, candidates can be introduced to key topics like mission, vision, values, compliance, ethics, and key policies earlier in their onboarding experience. Furthermore, the communication can be tailored to meet the company's needs, ensuring the employee receives the exact message the company wants them to receive.
Onboarding software can automate new hire paperwork like direct deposit forms, Form I-9, and policy acknowledgments, so they've already been completed when they arrive on their first day. This allows the onboarding team to spend less time on paperwork and more time on meaningful connections and cultural alignment on the employee's first day of work.
Most organizations spread onboarding out over a period of ninety days or more. In some cases, onboarding for complex positions may last six months or more. Introducing everything an employee needs to know during their first-day onboarding isn't feasible, practical, or even effective; employees begin to experience overload and fail to retain information beyond what they absolutely need to know to be successful in the next day or two. For that reason, intentional, scheduled training on pertinent topics over their first three to six months in the organization can be effective and improve retention of information.
Onboarding software can help by allowing the organization to assign onboarding tasks over the course of their first months in the organization and set deadlines with periodic reminders and leader notifications.
Many organizations find that incorporating onboarding technology produces a high return on investment that includes better retention, productivity, and engagement of new hires and subsequently, improved company culture. To learn more about onboarding software options, connect with AxcetHR today. We're experts in efficient onboarding!
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