Why digital employee onboarding is the future of HR

With more businesses hiring remote employees, questions of whether onboarding is still possible might arise. However, creating a digital onboarding programme could be the best decision any business can make. Doing so will ensure that new starters are seamlessly transitioned into your business with a digital onboarding programme that is efficient, consistent and safe. This will also enable employees to feel welcomed in their new place of employment even though the induction process will be completed from the comfort of their own home. Here are more reasons why a digital onboarding plan should be part of any business:

Going digital allows businesses to keep onboarding a priority

Onboarding is one of the most important steps in a new starter’s career as it helps in introducing new employees to their roles, responsibilities, team members and the company culture they will be entering into. However, those who work from home face the possibility of not being able to build relationships and attain knowledge if not included in a proper onboarding process. With the majority of the workforce working remotely, onboarding, now more than ever, should be a top priority in an effort to avoid new hires becoming withdrawn, unproductive and experiencing feelings of isolation. If done right, businesses who implement digital onboarding can end up with more valuable connections and employees who feel welcome in their new team.

Online onboarding creates consistency

A new starter’s onboarding experience can be significantly impacted by the person conducting the onboarding, which can lead to a possible lack of consistency. Digital onboarding programmes can help ensure that the information provided and the way in which the new employee is inducted is standardised across the board. With the use of online platforms for onboarding, HR professionals have the advantage of keeping a brand-adhering message consistent for all new starters, ensuring that all remote employees have the same idea of what is expected from them within the company’s culture.

Maintaining safety

Before COVID-19 emerged, many businesses had already begun to move towards a digital approach to onboarding due to greater hire retention, increased engagement and higher productivity levels. As soon as the pandemic hit, more businesses turned to online onboarding to enable recruitment during lockdown as well as a solution to keeping both new and current employees safe.

Creating engaging and efficient onboarding programmes

Too often, new employees are overloaded with copious amounts of information during the onboarding process. Studies have shown that this tends to overwhelm employees, resulting in a total loss of engagement and forgetting important information. Making use of a digital onboarding programme, made up of creative and informative video content, helps make onboarding fun, exciting and engaging. Studies have shown that up to 75% of employees are more likely to watch a video than read any form of paper-based documents. With the addition of microlearning, HR professionals can enhance learning and increase retention of information.

It is clear that shifting from traditional to digital onboarding can benefit not only the business but also its employees. So, with this in mind, the next question is, “how does one start?”.

Lesson Desk can provide businesses with a solution to create, monitor and evaluate onboarding programmes at the click of a button. Contact us on learn@lessondesk.com or visit our website for more information.