Employee onboarding has evolved into a critical process for a successful growing company, combining the management process with staff management.
Effective onboarding translates into improved learning and motivation. It also helps an organisation to prevent employee turnover. A study by Brandon Hall Group concludes that a robust onboarding process improves new hire retention by 82% and employee productivity by 70%. With these statistics, it is undeniable that onboarding is a critical process that requires substantial resources.
Despite its importance, employee onboarding is often a manual and tedious process that can drag on for weeks or even months. Fortunately, there is a way to streamline the process and make it more efficient: automation.
In this article, we will help you start automating your onboarding process in 5 easy steps, as well as some critical information you need to know about automated employee onboarding.聽
What is Employee Onboarding Automation?
Employee onboarding automation is a system that uses technology to streamline and standardise the process of onboarding new employees. In addition, it can be used effectively to train and engage employees using digital tools.
Automated employee onboarding may also include using online forms and portals to collect information and documents from new hires, providing online training and resources, and automating the scheduling of onboarding activities.
Employee onboarding automation aims to make the experience more efficient and consistent for both the employer and the employee. This can save time and resources, improve compliance, and enhance the employee experience.
What are the Benefits of an Automated Employee Onboarding Process?
Is it possible for a business owner to retain or increase the number of employees on their team? According to O.C. Tanner, 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for at least three years by having a great onboarding process. Automating employee onboarding is an effective solution that can improve revenue and employee retention. In addition, several other benefits to automating the employee onboarding process exist.
Some of the key benefits include:
- Saving time and resources
Automating the onboarding process can save time and resources that would otherwise be spent manually onboarding new employees. This can be especially beneficial for companies with a high turnover rate or many new hires. - Improved consistency and compliance
Onboarding automation can help ensure that all new hires receive the same information and training. This can improve consistency and help ensure compliance with laws and regulations. - Enhanced employee experience
An automated onboarding process can provide new hires with a smoother and more efficient experience. This can help them feel more welcomed and supported in their new role, improving morale and retention. - Increased productivity
By getting new hires up to speed quickly, an automated onboarding process can help them become more productive team members. This can help reduce the learning curve and improve overall productivity.
Automating the employee onboarding process can benefit both employers and new hires. It can save time and resources, improve consistency and compliance, enhance the employee experience, and increase productivity.
How to Automate Your Employee Onboarding Process in 5 Easy Steps
Employee onboarding is one of the most critical processes for any organisation. It not only helps to ensure that new hires feel welcomed and have a smooth transition into the workplace, but it also helps to reduce the time and cost associated with training and onboarding.
Automating your employee onboarding program can help to streamline the onboarding processes and make it easier for everyone involved.
Here are five easy steps to help you achieve a great automated onboarding program.
- Create an online portal for new hires
Set up a dedicated website or portal where new employees can access all the information and resources needed during the onboarding process.
This should include forms for collecting personal and employment information, access to online training materials, and any other relevant information. - Streamline document collection
Use online forms and document storage systems to collect and organise all necessary documents from new hires.
This includes identification documents, tax forms, and signed employment contracts. - Provide online training and resources
Use online training platforms and other resources to provide new employees with the information and skills they need to be successful in their new roles.
This can include video tutorials, interactive quizzes, and access to reference materials. - Automate scheduling
Use software or other tools to automate the scheduling of onboarding activities, such as meetings with managers and HR representatives, training, and other events.
This can help ensure that all new hires follow the same schedule and that everything is organised and efficient. - Monitor and assess
Use analytics and other tools to monitor and assess the effectiveness of automated onboarding workflows.
This can help identify areas for improvement and ensure that the process is working as intended.
By following these steps, HR professionals can automate the employee onboarding process and reap the benefits of a more efficient and effective method.
What Type of Companies Should Automate Their Employee Onboarding?
Almost any company can benefit from onboarding automation and the employee onboarding process. However, certain types of companies may particularly benefit from this approach. These include:
- Companies with a high turnover rate
Onboarding automation can save time and resources that would otherwise be spent manually onboarding employees.
This can be especially beneficial for companies with a high turnover rate, as it can help ensure that a new employee is quickly and efficiently up to speed. - Companies with a large number of new hires
Onboarding automation can help ensure that a new employee receives the same information and training, even if many of them exist.
This can improve consistency and compliance and help ensure that new hires are set up for success. - Companies with complex or regulated industries
Onboarding automation can help ensure that a new employee receives the necessary information and training to comply with laws and regulations.
This can be particularly important for companies operating in complex or regulated industries.
Overall, almost any company can benefit from employee onboarding automation. It can save time and resources, improve consistency and compliance, and enhance the employee experience.
Manual VS Automated Employee Onboarding
Many businesses use manual, documentation-driven workflow systems today. This drastically reduces employee turnover and overall growth. Manual employee onboarding involves completing all of these tasks without technology. This can include collecting and organising documents manually, providing training and information in person or through printed materials, and scheduling onboarding activities using paper calendars or other manual methods.
On the other hand, automated employee onboarding refers to the use of technology to streamline and standardise the onboarding processes of new hires. It can provide many benefits over manual onboarding, such as saving time and resources, improving consistency and compliance, enhancing the employee experience, and increasing productivity. It can also be more efficient and convenient for both the employer and the employee.
The Challenges of Onboarding Employees Manually
There are several challenges associated with manual employee onboarding. Some of the key challenges include:
- Time and resource intensive
A manual employee onboarding process can be time-consuming and require significant resources, such as staff time and printing costs.
This can be especially challenging for companies with a high turnover rate or many new hires. - Lack of consistency and standardisation
Without a standardised process, it can be not easy to ensure that all new hires receive the same information and training.
This can lead to inconsistencies and potentially even compliance issues. - Poor employee experience
A manual employee onboarding process can be cumbersome and inconvenient for new hires.
This can create a negative impression and make it more difficult for them to feel welcomed and supported in their new role. - Reduced productivity
A manual employee onboarding process can take longer and result in a longer learning curve.
This can delay their ability to become productive team members, impacting overall productivity.
Manually onboarding employees can be challenging and result in inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and a poor employee experience. Onboarding automation can help overcome these challenges and provide many benefits.
The Wrap
In conclusion, automating employee onboarding can benefit both employers and employees. Using technology to streamline and standardise the onboarding process, employers can save time and resources while ensuring that all new hires receive the same information and training.
At the same time, employees can benefit from a smooth and efficient onboarding experience that helps them get up to speed quickly and feel supported in their new role. Overall, automating the employee onboarding process can help improve workplace consistency, compliance, and morale.
This is a guest post by The Business Blocks
