Employee Onboarding the Technology Way

The importance of employee onboardingOpens a new window cannot be underestimated. Especially in today’s dynamic environment when employees are expected to start performing from day 1, it is necessary to get new employees accustomed to company practices and culture. Therefore, the onus of onboarding is no longer on just the HR business partner. The recruiter is expected to commence the onboarding processOpens a new window  before new employees’ date of joining. In a fast-paced world, technology can come to the rescue by creating that connect and pull towards the organization so that new employees are enthused even before they join. Onboarding has been known to increase employee retention, heighten engagement levels, and create brand ambassadors for the organization. This is how technology can help in the process.

Pre-boarding is one of the latest trends in employee onboarding i.e. engaging with the hired person even before he or she actually joins. However, streamlining the process requires planning and organization. And this is where employee onboarding softwareOpens a new window can help. For example, making a new joiner complete formalities like documentation is a waste of time on Day 1, which should be ideally reserved for connecting, conversing and building a good employee experience. Automated onboarding processes for payroll formalities, documentation, background verification should be administered in the pre-joining period after the candidate is selected. Moreover, this will enhance the efficiency of HR and increase compliance by way of integrating compliance parameters into the onboarding software, saving the company cost due to non-compliance. Not only technology-centered onboarding solutions, but e-induction can be used to orient new joiners to the employee culture and norms beforehand. For example, e-induction can be used as a knowledge dissemination tool related to company, sector, products or services, culture etc. Another area where technology can help is creating a leadership connect or team bonding, through video interactions. Nowadays companies are using onboarding and induction software to create “meet the team” sessions where employees get to interact with their supervisors, colleagues, and senior management. Also, many companies are assigning buddies or mentors through a formal mentorship program, and one that uses technological platforms to connect and collaborate. Such a proactive technology-oriented approach to employee onboarding is bound to create a high engagement level in the new employee.  

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10 Employee Onboarding Checklist Items You Can’t Afford to MissOpens a new window

This approach to onboarding is not only beneficial to the employee, but also to the HR professional. Outsourcing transactional work such as milestone reminders and alerts, data inputs related to payroll, benefits allocation etc. will free up a lot of bandwidth for the HR professional or recruiter. HR can then spend this additional time in more value-adding and experience-enhancing activities. This is a must-have for HR to add true strategic value in the increasingly complex workplace.

Onboarding is no longer about simple, face-to-face and post-hiring orientation. It has taken on a more flexible, personalized and interactive form, thanks to the myriad onboarding software solutions available in the market. Companies who wish to stand apart in the war for talent must check out this option of tech-enabled onboarding.