The need for effective onboarding seems obvious when your HR team is having to handle large numbers of new hires. But what if they don’t?
The simple answer is that having an efficient onboarding process is a fundamental requirement for any hiring organisation in today’s competitive recruitment environment.
Employee onboarding covers the tricky intermediary stage of the hiring cycle, it covers the gap between a successful candidate being chosen and their first day as a new starter.
It typically includes everything from contract signing and reference checks to sending out welcome packs and making sure all the administration tasks are completed for a new starter.
While the onboarding challenges will change, depending on the number of new hires being handled, the benefits of delivering a fast, simple and engaging experience remain the same.
One of the main problems that HR teams have to deal with is the risk of successful candidates dropping out – either before or shortly after they have started their role.
This is a particular issue when filling key roles, with the amount of HR resources required to find the right candidate for a specialist position.
Challenge of three-month notice periods
The growing use of three-month notice periods has changed the nature of onboarding, particularly for executive and management roles, with HR teams now having to handle this kind of extended transitional period.
Without a proper onboarding process, it creates an increased risk of candidates changing their minds during the notice period – they receive a counter offer from a current employer or decide to opt for an alternative job opportunity.
The consequences of onboarding dropouts is especially damaging when it’s a more specialised management or strategic role, with the increased HR time and resource required to find a replacement.
An effective tool that more HR teams are using to help handle these kinds of extended notice periods is a cloud-based approach to onboarding which is transforming the way the process can be managed and monitored.
Crafting a better onboarding experience
Webonboarding uses an online portal to handle all of the communications between a successful candidate and the hiring team. Digital signatures allows paperwork to be handled online.
It changes the way that HR is able to keep in touch with a successful candidate during an extended notice period. It allows them to share a whole range of information, helping to inform, engage and create a positive and welcoming experience.
This can be done with welcome videos and background information about the organisation or it could be providing a new starter with links and guides to help with relocating to a new area.
With all of this information handled in real-time, candidates are given an open and transparent onboarding process with everything they need to help remain motivated and enthusiastic about their new role.
Reducing dropouts with improved engagement
With a traditional approach, a candidate is likely to receive a single welcome pack through the post and then hear nothing from the employer for months before their notice period is completed.
To help ensure positive engagement, Webonboarding features an integrated feedback tool that lets an incoming hire rate their experience, allowing the process to be honed and improved over time.
This kind of cloud-based approach is fully scalable, so it’s equally effective when used to handle a key strategic position or large volumes of new hires to meet seasonal demands or for a new project.
It’s this flexibility to meet the fluctuating demands of a hiring organisation that makes a cloud-based solution so effective – whether it’s handling one of 1,000 new hires.
