Onboarding Technology Helps Get and Keep Great Hires

One of the greatest frustrations for HR managers is getting and keeping good employees. Competition is fierce and national statistics prove that first impressions with your company mean a lot. Research cited in the 2015 Harvard Business Review shows:

1. Nearly 33% of new hires look for new employment within their first six months on the job. (Among millennials, that percentage is even higher and happens earlier.)
2. 23% of new hires turn over before their first anniversary.
3. Organizational costs of employee turnover are estimated to range between 100% and 300% of the replaced employee’s salary.
4. Typically, it takes eight months for a newly hired employee to reach full productivity.

Organizations of all sizes are experiencing problems with ineffective onboarding. Kristen Yetto, SVP, eBay says, “When employees get off on the wrong foot at a corporation, it can have major implications for their long-term integration.” Yet, she points out the reality is most companies pay little attention to the onboarding process.

How’s your onboarding process? You may be experiencing:

• Paperwork, large files, or multiple points of delivery.
• Redundancy in data entry.
• Frustration with manual processes.
• Overload in the amount of paperwork.
• Problems manually managing application processes.
• Staff who are overwhelmed with too much to do.
• Employee frustration with outdated technology.

Even if files begin as electronic forms—they move on to be printed, mailed and stored in files often located in several different places, creating efficiency and consistency problems. Most troubling is the potential for opening a security breach.

Onboarding technology offers customizable solutions.

Successful onboarding according to Workforce Magazine says, “Software can effectively support the onboarding process, and apps can aid what the Society for Human Resource Management Foundation calls its “4 levers of successful onboarding: role clarity, self-efficacy, social integration and knowledge of culture.”

Customization is important because one size software doesn’t fit all. What’s most effective is implementing a ‘system’ of different onboarding tools that can push all the levers. For example, one area lacking in many HR tool boxes is the use of mobile apps.

All age groups continue to show a rise in smart phone use. Not surprising a 2015 Pew Research Center survey shows millennials are more likely than any other groups to use their phones to find and apply for jobs. Mobile software can include employee directories, vacation calendars, personal files and more. All the information gives new hires 24/7 access and a feeling of being ‘onboard’ their new work environment.

Onboarding builds job satisfaction. Reduces costly turnover.

Most HR departments know that job satisfaction comes with creating a seamless, comprehensive experience that fully engages and integrates the new member into the team.  A 2016 ADOBE study found that in the U.S., those employees who said their company’s technology is “ahead of the curve” love their work about twice as much and feel about twice as creative, motivated and valued compared to those at “behind the times” companies. Moreover, 85% of U.S. office workers believe technology makes them more productive.

Implementing an onboarding system helps create a balance between people and processes. Automating HR document management reduces inefficiencies, complexity and costs—it also directly improves job satisfaction through:

1. Human engagement.
2. Intuitive digital onboarding tools
3. Delivering self-service along the way.

Choosing the right partner is important.

Every business has their unique onboarding needs. Here are five of the biggest benefits:

1. Information gathering capability.
2. Use of industry-standard data practices.
3. Different employee security levels that restrict data access.
4. Quick new employee training through a standardized process.
5. A simplified process to follow federal guidelines (I-9 and other compliance forms can be filled out quickly.

Onboarding technology is vital for staying competitive in retaining, engaging and keeping quality employees. Finding an experienced partner can integrate a system that is intuitive and self-sufficient. Your HR staff will thank you for being able to keep their perspective on people rather than handling documents. Your business will benefit from improved services, reduced risk and money saved—a win-win that can bring big advantages immediately and over time.