Best Practices: Using Technology for Onboarding New Employees

Onboarding new employees is an opportunity to put your best foot forward. The interview process gives job candidates a “sneak peek” into how your business operates, but you don’t want to deliver a poor onboarding process once you’ve made your decision and hired the successful applicant. The opinions that a person will form about the company they’re working for during their first few days of employment will stick with them for years, so it’s incredibly important that your onboarding process is snag-free.

Having a clear onboarding experience is especially important for remote employees, who are more prone to frustrations during the onboarding process as they don’t have the benefit of in-office support.

How Can Technology Contribute to Onboarding?

Technology has come a long way over the last decade, and it can be harnessed to create a smooth and streamlined onboarding process. Continue reading to learn more about how technology and onboarding should go hand in hand!

Paperwork Management

The first thing your new employee is going to have to do is fill out a ton of paperwork. From the Letter of Offer to tax forms to insurance forms to NDAs, there’s a lot of paperwork to sign and keep track of (both for the employee and for you!).

By investing in the right tools, you can change your workflow from involving stacks of paperwork to dealing with online forms. With an online signature and form system, you can keep all relevant documents in one central location that allows easy access to both you and your employees.

Access to Information

A comprehensive paper management system can also act as a centralized resource hub for your employees. By using one specific platform, not only for incoming signatures but also for read-only resources, your employee learns to trust you and this hub as a holder of key information that will help them in their job. By making employee handbooks, company policies, and benefit information easily accessible, you are showing your employees that you’re transparent and trustworthy.

Progress Tracking

One of the frustrations that may arise during onboarding is the lack of clarity—for both employees and employers—on how much progress they’ve made. How many more steps are there to follow? When can they expect to be finished with a certain portion of their training? Implementing a checklist tool can help both you and your employee see at a glance how much progress has been made and how far they have yet to go. This helps to alleviate frustration on both ends, as the path is clear and the end point is in sight. It also helps to show employees that they have the freedom to complete their work without being micromanaged or feeling like they need to check in after each task. When duties are clearly defined, HR teams and managers don’t need to worry about following up constantly.

Virtual Networking

Communication between many computers, virtual machines , virtual servers, or other devices across various office and data centre locations is made possible via virtual networking. Virtual networking expands on these capabilities by using software administration to connect computers and servers over the Internet, whereas physical networking uses cabling and other hardware to connect computers. For more effective routing and simpler network configuration updates, it makes use of virtualized versions of conventional network tools like switches and network adapters. Cisco Meraki networks, for example, can connect multiple offices and provide advanced security protection to users.

Using a virtual network means that your new employee can immediately become part of your corporate structure. By providing immediate access to your business network, you’re also providing your employees with a unified access experience.

Digital Communications

The personal networking landscape looks very different today than it did even three years ago. While some in-office employees may still cling to the old method of “water-cooler conversation”, the pandemic has shifted perspectives for nearly everyone. Remote employees are looking for ways to stay connected to their team, and even in-office employees are looking for safe ways to connect that don’t necessitate speaking face-to-face with their coworkers.

Thanks to digital collaboration platforms, employees can stay in touch, collaborate on projects, and find out about new opportunities. Some of the most popular business communication platforms include Microsoft Teams and Slack.

Your digital collaboration platform doesn’t need to be (and shouldn’t be!) all about work, either. Direct your new employee towards some social channels, such as a persistent chat room about books, or pets, or movies. All employees, irrespective of their remote or in-office status, will appreciate the chance to collaborate and communicate with one another via a comprehensive platform.

Employee Recognition

Onboarding is a big process, and once it’s finished, the work only increases! Be sure to give your employees appropriate recognition and encouragement both during and after completing their onboarding tasks. Being timely with your appreciation goes a long way to showing employees that their hard work is noticed and valued, and it creates an atmosphere in which employees want to succeed.

Using employee recognition software isn’t just for managers, either. With a comprehensive system in place, these tools can aid workers in praising one another for successful project work, exhibiting company values, or for a life occasion like a birthday or anniversary. Through a gateway that controls the distribution of points, presents, gift cards, messages of recognition, digital badges, or certificates, employee recognition software often offers peer recognition and reward alternatives. The platform may be administered by a member of the HR team, but any employee may use it to show appreciation for a coworker.

As always, with great technology comes great responsibility. While technology can help to streamline onboarding processes and make an employee’s first impression a positive one, it can also lead to frustration if not wielded correctly. That’s why it’s important for you and your management team to make sure you’re knowledgeable about the technology you’re using and able to inject a personal touch into the onboarding process.

At Mann, we believe in partnering with you to ensure that you’re able to use your onboarding technology to its full potential. Our team of experts can work with you to help set up Cisco Meraki and to position your business for success. Contact us to learn more about our services and how we can help your business thrive!