Since March of 2020, wearing facial masks became common and social distancing became usual. The world dramatically shifted when the novel coronavirus outbreak became the Covid-19 pandemic and affected the lives of millions of people around the globe.
So, how do companies deal with client employee new hires during a pandemic?
Read on and learn what an onboarding process involves and seven ways to improve it.
What Is Automated Onboarding?
First, “onboarding” is 1970’s management jargon referring to the mechanism through which new employees get the necessary skills, knowledge, and behavior to become effective and efficient organizational members and insiders.
Automated onboarding closes the gap between hiring and starting the job. Automated onboarding is the automatic, simplified onboarding process that makes onboarding consistent for all new hires and gets new hire paperwork and tasks done before the new hire’s first day on the job.
Why Automated Onboarding Matters
When employers have automated onboarding, not only do they effectively educate and support new employees to see a return on investment (ROI) by way of staff performance, but the employers have lower turnover and fewer workplace incidents.
Studies show the following statistics:
- Sixty-nine percent of employees who go through effective onboarding are more likely to stay with an employer for a minimum of 3 years
- Organizations that choose to invest in valuable onboarding keep more than 45% new hires than their competitors
- Standardized onboarding leads to 50% greater productivity than non-standardized
Costs of Poor Onboarding
Typically, the total turnover cost per employee ranges between 100-300% of the individual’s salary. It also takes an average of about eight months for a new employee to start producing at their maximum capacity.
Approximately one-third of new hires look for a new job within the first six months, and one-quarter leave before a year on the job.
The Effects of Good Onboarding
More than 65% of employees who go through effective onboarding will more than likely stay with their employer for a minimum of three years. Organizations that choose to invest in valuable onboarding keep over 45% more new hires than their competitors.
Successful companies are over 30% more likely to start job onboarding for a new hire before that person’s first day on the job. Systematized onboarding procedures lead to 50% greater productivity than non-standardized onboarding.
Onboarding Roles
Human resources, management, and leadership all have duties and roles to play in a new hire’s onboarding process.
Human Resources
- Present information for topics such as benefits, payroll, policies, and the work environment
- Introduce the company’s culture
- Train
Management
- Coach
- Supply job and performance expectations
- Explain business alignment (the link between the employee’s new job and the company’s overall mission)
Leadership
- Help the new employee develop a strategy to become successful
- Share the company’s vision, culture, and history — explain not only where the company was and currently is, but where it intends to go
So how do you improve your automated onboarding process for new hires during a pandemic?
3 Ways to Improve the Automated Onboarding Process for New Hires During a Pandemic
Preboarding
Before or after a candidate accepts an offer, send them preboarding activities to get them excited about working for your company. Send a welcome kit to their home, complete with company merchandise, or send motivational emails and text messages. This way, you can show company engagement and your commitment to having them on board.
Personalization
This step enhances the new employee’s productivity. Create workflows that will help them learn new data about how to be successful in their new role. Other personal examples include showing them a video about a day on the job at your company or other online training videos. Give them a guide to success for their time working for your company.
Socialization
This method expands the relationships between your new hires and their colleagues. If employees have good relationships with their colleagues, they will more than likely enjoy collaborating with them and, therefore, stay at your company for a more extended amount of time. Create events like potlucks and mentorship or buddy programs to reiterate your company’s values and give your team members a chance to thrive.
7 Quick, Helpful Tips and Techniques to Improve the Automated Onboarding Process for New Hires During a Pandemic
Here is a list of seven quick and helpful tips and techniques to try in addition to the three steps above.
- Automate paperwork
- Issue a warm welcome
- Create an employee journey
- Foster manager relationships
- Implement partners and mentors
- Extend the onboarding process
- Check in with new employees and ask for feedback
By implementing these steps, tips, and techniques, your company will surely be on its way to having a tremendous automated onboarding process that will help it retain its existing employees and keep the ones it will undoubtedly bring on.
