5 Employee Onboarding Technology Solutions Your Company Needs to Be Using
Employee retention is critical to a company’s bottom line. Keeping workers happy and loyal can save an employer money and help the business acquire top talent. With regular turnover, you are constantly having to pay for new recruiting, training and lost productivity. In fact, Inc.com says the organizational costs of employee turnover are estimated to add up to as high as one and a half times the employee’s annual salary.
With numbers like this, it’s no wonder many HR departments have taken the time to develop employee retention strategies. Along with great benefits and employee programs, one major component of these strategies should be onboarding solutions.
Based on studies done by an HR consulting firm, 58 percent of new employees who undergo a comprehensive onboarding process are more likely to work for that employer for at least three years. If you leave your new hires to figure out their role, the culture and the company goals for themselves, productivity may happen at a slower rate. Morale may also drop, as recently hired employees won’t feel prepared for or supported in their new role. When you bring new people into the fold, it’s important to set them up for success and show them you are invested in their professional growth.
Fortunately, for businesses invested in creating a welcome that will engage and excite employees, there are some useful onboarding tools available online to help streamline and simplify the process. Below are five of the top employee onboarding solutions you can invest in if you want to increase employee retention and satisfaction.
1. Digital Signature Apps
Hiring a new employee requires a lot of paperwork. If you could send the paperwork and have it done before the new hire shows up the first day, the onboarding process can get started right away. To make this easier, there are form management systems available that will allow digital signatures, which makes it possible for the employee to send back the necessary completed forms electronically.
One such program is SignNow, which works with iOS, Android, the web and Mac products. SignNow allows you to send documents via email to obtain a digital signature, and is backed by business app and cloud integration. It also offers an API that can link with your custom-made HR applications. But what’s really great about this form management tool is its ability to store all of the documents and create a complete audit trail. This makes it possible for HR departments to validate the signatures and export the paperwork to their internal systems.
2. Project Management Platforms
Once the new employee begins work, there should be a structured onboarding process for the first couple of weeks on the job. Create set steps and tasks to be completed to help the recruit get acclimated before diving in to the work for the role. To ensure everything is completed on schedule and correctly, use a project management system to track and monitor progress.
A great tool that is easy to use and simply integrates with other systems is Trello. This software uses lists and cards to show the evolution of a project. Multiple people can be assigned to a project and as updates are made, everyone with visibility can see them in real time. If there are specific documents involved in the onboarding process, those can be attached to the project for quick reference. Trello makes it easy to see all tasks the new employee must complete in one place, as well as actions that need to be taken by the manager or other team members. As tasks are worked on, users can move them to different columns, indicating their status to other participants.
3. Goal and Performance Management Tools
To make sure your new employee gets up to speed quickly and effectively, they need to know what is expected and how it fits into the bigger picture for the business. Goalspot is a great tool for this purpose, as it keeps goals and KPIs front and center. Creating tasks for your new hire to complete is the first step, but those tasks should be associated with a goal. People perform much better and are more engaged when they understand the “why” – and Goalspot helps make that clear.
Even more importantly, Goalspot can help an employer hold valuable meetings by keeping the goals and tasks accessible as decisions are made. These meeting notes can also be recorded right in the platform in real time. With so much information to learn upon hire, new employees may not be able to retain everything. With Goalspot, even if they don’t recall everything, they can easily find out exactly what they’re missing and supposed to be doing by reviewing the meeting notes.
Additionally, Goalspot also has a chat component that lets you form groups and interact with others entirely within the context of your business. Having a lifeline like that can make a huge difference for a new hire.
4. Assessment Software
As your new employee starts feeling more comfortable over the first six months or so, it’s important to track progress. After the initial introduction to the company and role within the first couple of weeks, employees will develop through daily experiential learning. Being able to assess how they are working, as well as whether the support you are giving is effective, can help you avoid major challenges.
To simplify this process, use software called Yoi, which automates assessments and streamlines communication. It allows HR and management to track a new employee’s progress when it comes to hitting certain benchmarks, as well as increase transparency throughout the team.
With structured digital behavioral assessments, Yoi gives employers the opportunity to identify consistent challenges for new employees, giving them the ability to improve and adjust the program over time. In some initial studies of companies using this software, employees seem more engaged and productive, using feedback to become more efficient in their roles.
5. Programs to Drive Culture
One of the key factors in employee satisfaction and retention is the company culture. As a new hire goes through the onboarding process, they are naturally feeling out the work environment and whether they feel comfortable with their coworkers. As part of employee onboarding, the new person should be introduced to everyone on the team and encouraged to collaborate whenever possible. Since not everyone is a social butterfly or feels at ease with new people right away, why not call on a bit of technology to make the integration more seamless?
With a simple onboarding tool called Lunch Roulette, you can help your employees build relationships across departments and the company as a whole. This program automatically and randomly pairs different team members up to meet and have lunch together. The idea behind this simple process is that employees get to learn about the different areas of the company and improve culture overall by breaking down silos and opening up interdepartmental communication.
Establishing a structured onboarding process to guide new hires into their roles and prepare them for success within the company is critical to retention – and your bottom line. The program you institute should start working for you as soon as the talent accepts the offer. Make it your priority to simplify paperwork, set up standard tasks and goals, monitor and assess the new employee, and help them feel comfortable in the new environment within the first six months.
It will take some time to get your system up and running, but with these handy onboarding tools in your pocket, you can streamline the process and, ultimately, create a happier workforce.
If you would like to learn more about improving employee retention or how to create a happier work environment for yourself and your employees, contact the Culturra Business Advisors program. We provide access to top consulting and mentorship opportunities that directly coincides with Atlas Staffing’s employee-centric staffing services. Find out today how we can assist you.
Sources:
https://foundrmag.com/onboarding-best-practices/
http://www.inc.com/chad-halvorson/6-essential-employee-onboarding-tips-for-startups.html
http://www.forbes.com/sites/adp/2016/02/17/employee-onboarding-strategies-have-a-longer-lasting-impact-than-you-think
http://lunchroulette.us/
http://yoicorp.com/
https://zapier.com/blog/best-digital-signature-apps/#digital-signature
https://hbr.org/2015/03/technology-can-save-onboarding-from-itself
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