Integrating new employees into your workplace culture is a challenging task for HR and managers alike. Retention and engagement are often cited as the benefits of effective onboarding but many organisations fail to develop programs or processes that ensure the onboarding experience for new employees is seamless, memorable and prepares them effectively for their first days with you. Today’s top talent are looking to see if they are the right fit; it has very much become a two-way assessment. It leaves effective HR and people managers thinking “what impression are we really making?” We explore some of the challenges you may be facing with employee onboarding and a solution to solving employee onboarding challenges.
Are new employees spending their first days completing paperwork?
Traditional onboarding can be a bit boring. Employees come in for their first day excited to make a difference and, in most cases, they sit in a room signing form after form.
On a new hire’s first day, digital onboarding helps reduce the time spent on paperwork, freeing up time for more personal discussions about company culture, workflow, work related responsibilities, and team dynamics. With the right platform, organisations can avoid the mountain of paperwork that kills a new employee’s spirit on their first day.
The more you do to make your process more new-hire-friendly and interactive, the more engaging it will become. And the more engaging your processs, the more likely you are to nurture employees who are highly satisfied, motivated and committed to your organisation.
New employees aren’t the only ones who have to worry about making good first impressions during the start of their new job. Employers also need to put their best foot forward if they want to make a good first impression.
How much does the new hire process cost your organisation?
Whenever we think about hiring a new employee, most of us tend to think about recruitment costs. For example, advertising the position, time spent interviewing, testing and finally training.
There’s one area that most organisations fail to consider – the cost associated with onboarding the employee. These costs include sending out paperwork (on average 40 pages per pack), processing and administrative times, material costs for welcome packs and contracts, and time spent getting the workplace ready for the new candidate’s arrival.
The cost of workplace integration, a seemingly minor point shouldn’t be overlooked either! With research indicating 33% of new employees make the decision to stay or leave within the first 30 days of employment, this suggests the ‘real cost’ of recruitment can be upwards of 50% of a person’s salary.
Are you losing good candidates through the recruitment process?
“Its been three weeks and I still haven’t received my paperwork for my new job. I’m starting to think that if this process represents the organisation fairly, I’m not sure I still want to work for them. I’m worried I’m going to spend my working life frustrated by slow and inefficient processes.”
In a highly competitive marketplace, making paperwork turnaround a priority is just one way to avoid losing good candidates through the recruitment process. The time between verbal offer/acceptance and dispatch of paperwork is often a danger zone, as candidates can receive other offers, change their mind and secure counter offers. Digitalising your onboarding process makes this process timely with the click of a button.
Keeping up communication especially post offer stage is also important. Regular emails and calls to keep a candidate up to speed with new initiatives, to ask their advice, or just to say ‘hello’, help keep them engaged before they start working with you.
Going digital is easier than you think! We’re all about solving employee onboarding challenges
To find out how you can solve your onboarding challenges, go to myjoboffer.com.au