How to Become More Efficient in Staff Onboarding?
Published: 13/03/2023
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Growing a team is exciting. However, bringing your new hires up to speed and integrating them into existing workflows can be challenging. In this blog, we aim to assist owners of rapidly growing companies. Our goal is to help you create an innovative, efficiency-focused staff onboarding process.
Every company has its unique processes, the message it wants to convey, and how it needs it to be delivered. When a new member joins the team, they must first become familiar with all of this before they can start contributing. Additionally, there’s the bureaucratic side of things, meaning your new hire can’t even begin learning the ins and outs of your company until they provide the required documentation. All of this falls under the umbrella of onboarding - an essential process that every company must follow when expanding.
The issue now is that onboarding involves many aspects, which can sometimes make it quite lengthy and confusing. Not to mention, it takes up the time of everyone involved, distracting them from responsibilities that drive progress. But since onboarding can’t be avoided, what can be done? Actually, quite a lot! And this is our topic for today: how to become more efficient when onboarding new staff.
These are quick-win tips for enhancing the onboarding process:
Have a defined process in place
Focus on the employee experience
Digitise the procedure for present and future convenience
Automate as much as possible to keep it simple
Personalisation is key
Continuously analyse and improve the onboarding process
These are steps you can take with little to no effort or prior preparation. They are all relatively low-hanging fruit. However, we respect that you are most likely here because you are looking for a long-term solution, not just a quick fix. The tips listed above are a good starting point, but moving forward, you will need a more in-depth approach. Let’s discuss how you can develop them further.
Swift onboarding allows your new employees to reach their full potential more quickly. When managed properly, it can also prevent you from needing to take time from other staff to guide them through processes. In essence, faster onboarding benefits your business overall. So, let’s explore how to make it happen.
Traditionally, during onboarding, we are accustomed to exchanging emails with the required documents. Depending on your business operations, you might even ask new hires to bring physical copies - though we believe this approach is outdated in a post-pandemic world. The issue is that both methods can really cause delays. People tend to forget what they need, some forget to send certain documents, and emails can get lost or accidentally deleted. The back-and-forth creates confusing threads that bury the requirements and make things harder. In short, there are countless factors that can extend the process or, worse, leave it unfinished.
Fortunately, these methods can now be discarded. The era of automation didn’t bypass onboarding. In fact, there are now solutions dedicated solely to it. With simple programming, you can get straight to the point. Instead of sending the list of required documents to the worker, enrol them into your system. A designated page will then provide them with the needed documentation list, along with an option to submit it. Not only does this approach eliminate potential communication friction, but it also saves time by avoiding re-uploading received documents to relevant locations. With onboarding software, they are stored at your chosen location as soon as they are received - ready for your immediate access.
The main reason why document collection is a vital part of staff onboarding is compliance. The government requires companies to keep certain employee documentation. Additionally, information like bank details or National Insurance is necessary to ensure accurate payment. Some businesses are legally obliged to collect relevant certificates or extra paperwork before allowing the new hire to start work. The problem is, if the issues we’ve discussed occur, your new hire won’t just face extended training. They won’t be able to start it at all. Trying to let them begin without the proper documentation could also lead you into serious legal trouble if discovered.
One advantage of an onboarding system is that it allows you to effectively gatekeep your business from workers who haven’t provided the required paperwork. For example, since Timesheet Portal includes an onboarding module, it won’t permit your hires to access the software unless their documents have been submitted and approved. This means they can’t start logging time, and no one wants to work for free. Additionally, with Timesheet Portal, you can see when time-sensitive documentation is nearing expiry. The system will then send the employees a gentle reminder to update their information to keep your business compliant.
Remember that during staff onboarding, you are dedicating time to them. Naturally, you want that effort to be worthwhile in the long term. To keep it simple, it’s unlikely to succeed unless you give your new hire the right environment to flourish. That’s why onboarding and candidate experience are always linked.
Every business has a set of values, a mission, and processes they carry out daily. Additionally, there is also software they use. Since all these form the core of a company, they need to be communicated to new hires as soon as possible. While you can either walk the new hires through everything yourself or assign their immediate colleague to do so, there are certain drawbacks to this approach. First, the time spent with the new hire detracts from focusing on immediate tasks. Second, it’s highly likely the new worker won’t remember all the information provided to them. As a result, they will have to ask questions later on.
Now, this is not to say you should leave them to their own devices nor that it’s wrong for them to clarify things in the future. It is, however, not the best use of your or your team’s time. We suggest creating an employee handbook that summarises key processes and the use of tools for your business. In addition, it should explain the team structure, how communication is handled, and describe some common scenarios. So, if they are unsure about something moving forward, they can always double-check. Not to mention, having a handy guidebook will certainly give them more confidence in embracing your company’s culture more quickly.
One of the main challenges for new starters is integrating into existing workflows. It often seems equally difficult for other workers as well, since they need to pause and modify their ongoing processes. Although this pays off in the long run, the beginning can be bumpy. Furthermore, if things go wrong from the start, it can disrupt the entire process. The risk is higher if your company has multiple teams that do not communicate regularly.
There’s also an extra challenge if your new hire is a remote worker. Adjusting workflows to include them without face-to-face communication can be particularly difficult. For all the reasons mentioned above, you need to find a way to help all parts of your company meet on common ground. The best option for this purpose would be a cloud-based collaboration platform. Firstly, it can be accessed from anywhere in the world, as long as the user has internet access. Secondly, there is no limit to how many users can be logged in at the same time. It also provides a centralised view of what’s happening in the company, keeping everyone aware of what others are doing and their position within the workflow. Additionally, since there’s a log tracking changes, it’s easy to backtrack and correct errors if any occur.
You must have heard that first impressions matter. Of course, this is true in the workplace as well. The general rule is that when you’re interviewing a candidate, you're assessing them. However, during the staff onboarding process, they are assessing you. The environment you establish during onboarding will become the foundation of their time with you.
When it comes to expectations upon starting a contract, both parties have them. Unfortunately, you’re unlikely to gauge all of these expectations during the interview process. This is simply because the candidate is trying to impress you before they outline what, apart from compensation, is required of you. Understanding what they are looking to achieve during their employment is an important step in onboarding that many companies overlook. For example, a candidate might communicate during the interview that they expect to work remotely. However, they wouldn’t mention that they expect you to provide the equipment.
Or, as they sign a contract for a mid-management position, they expect a career path that will eventually lead them to upper management. The thing is, you may not be able to meet such expectations, and this needs to be communicated as soon as possible to prevent possible resentment moving forward. Asking directly would be the quickest route, but many employees are hesitant to lay their expectations out when confronted. Instead, present them with yours in the form of a question. Here’s an example. Ask them if they are interested in deepening their knowledge as they work for you. What you’re really asking is how open they are to additional training your company might require. Their answer will indicate if they are expecting to progress professionally.
When increasing staff onboarding efficiency, there are two approaches to consider. One is to pursue quick wins, which produce immediate results but are likely temporary. The other is more long-term and requires some investment, both financially and in terms of time. Naturally, you should opt for the latter if you want to maintain efficiency.
Designated software can assist in automating the onboarding process. This is a mainly hands-off approach, meaning no time will be wasted on back-and-forths. It is also an easy way to keep your business compliant without manual auditing and with minimal effort. Additionally, digitalised onboarding fosters a more positive candidate experience, helping new hires integrate into the team and workflows more quickly. In summary, the most effective long-term solution for efficient onboarding is to make the process digital. We also assure you it will positively affect several, seemingly unrelated, areas of your business.
Interested in learning more? Just get in touch.