The Ultimate Guide to Digital Onboarding

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What is traditional onboarding?
Digital onboarding
The benefits of digital onboarding
What does the digital onboarding process look like?
Digital onboarding solutions

As more companies shift towards a digital-first approach, onboarding new employees have also evolved. Gone are the days of paperwork and in-person introductions. Instead, digital onboarding has become the new norm. But what exactly is digital onboarding, and how can employers ensure a seamless experience for their new hires?

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire digital onboarding process, from pre-boarding to post-boarding. We’ll share tips and tricks for creating a welcoming and engaging experience for your new employees, while ensuring that all necessary information and training are provided.

So, whether you’re an HR professional looking to revamp your onboarding process or a new employee eager to start your new job, read on.

Definition

Digital onboarding is all about using technology to streamline the onboarding process. It’s an update to the manual onboarding session that a new employee would typically undergo upon starting a new job.

What is traditional onboarding?

Traditional onboarding integrates a new employee into the company culture. This session (or multiple sessions) provides them with the necessary tools and resources to perform their job. This process typically involves a lot of paperwork, in-person introductions, and training sessions. Traditional onboarding is time-consuming, and it can take weeks or even months for a new employee to feel fully integrated into the company.

While traditional onboarding has its benefits, it is also fraught with challenges. For one, it can be challenging to ensure that all employees receive access to the same level of training and information. Additionally, traditional onboarding can be expensive, as it often requires a dedicated team of HR professionals to manage the process.

Digital onboarding

Digital onboarding integrates a new employee into the company culture using digital tools and resources. This process typically involves using online platforms like a company’s Intranet or a dedicated onboarding portal for smart work.

Digital onboarding can be done remotely, allowing new employees to access all the company and necessary information and resources from anywhere in the world.

Digital onboarding is becoming increasingly popular, offering several benefits over traditional onboarding. For one, it is much more efficient, as it eliminates the need for paperwork and in-person training sessions. Additionally, the digital onboarding process is more cost-effective, requiring fewer resources.

Flexible task planning

With TimeTrack’s Task Planner, creating tasks for your employees is quick and easy. The intuitive task list includes a clear calendar that allows you to specify the time, duration, and responsible person for each task. Using the task list, you can not only plan tasks, but also track and manage them, improving efficiency and promoting transparency within your organisation.

Tips for a successful digital onboarding process

Choose a good platform

A centralised platform, such as a learning management system, houses all necessary information and resources for the digital onboarding process.
Mobile-friendly

Ensure the digital onboarding process is mobile-friendly so that new hires can access information and complete tasks from any device.
Interactivity

Use multimedia, such as videos or interactive elements, to keep new hires engaged and reinforce critical information.
Personalisation

Personalise the onboarding experience as much as possible through customised welcome messages or tailored training programmes.

The benefits of digital onboarding

There are many benefits to digital employee onboarding, some of which include the following:

Increased efficiency

Digital onboarding is a much more cost-efficient process than traditional onboarding. It eliminates the need for paperwork and in-person training sessions, allowing new employees to get up to speed faster.

Cost-effective

Digital onboarding requires fewer resources to manage, saving companies a lot of money and human resources time in the long run.

Improved employee engagement

Digital onboarding can help businesses improve employee engagement. By providing new employees with a warm and interactive onboarding experience, staff feel more connected to the company culture and more invested in their new roles.

Consistency

The digital onboarding process ensures that all employees receive the same level of training and information. This can help eliminate potential knowledge gaps and ensure all employees are on the same page.

Flexibility

Digital onboarding also allows new employees to access all the necessary information, benefits and resources from anywhere globally. This is especially helpful for remote employees or employees working in different time zones.

Managing employee leave

When managing a digital workforce, you need to have all your ducks in a row. With TimeTrack Leave Management, you can keep a tab on all absentees in the system itself. All absences are entered immediately into the system. After deciding on a leave duration and kind, all that’s left to do is await authorisation. When a holiday is officially recognised, it is updated on the calendar. Timekeeping should be as easy and quick as possible.

What does the digital onboarding process look like?

Now that you know the benefits of digital onboarding and some tips to improve the process, it’s time to walk through the entire digital onboarding process.

Pre-boarding

The pre-boarding process should start as soon as the employee has accepted the job offer. This onboarding process should include sending employees any necessary paperwork, such as tax forms and employment contracts, and providing them with a detailed onboarding schedule.

Orientation

The orientation process should include an introduction to the company culture, a tour of the company’s facilities, and an overview of the employee’s role and responsibilities.

Training

Training is a vital component of the digital onboarding process. This should include both job-specific training and training on company policies and procedures.

Ongoing support

Digital onboarding should continue once the employee has completed the training process. Provide ongoing support and resources to help new employees succeed in their roles.

Post-boarding

Post-boarding is the final step. This involves reviewing the onboarding process and is an opportunity for new employees to provide feedback on their remote onboarding experience.

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Digital onboarding solutions

Learning management systems: Use a learning management system to house all necessary information and resources in one centralised location.
Video conferencing software: Use video conferencing software like Zoom or Skype to facilitate virtual meetings and introductions.
E-signature software: Use e-signature software, such as DocuSign or Adobe Sign to streamline paperwork and reduce manual tasks.
Collaboration tools: Use collaboration tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams to facilitate communication and teamwork among new hires and their colleagues.
Mobile apps: Use mobile apps, such as company-specific apps or productivity tools, to allow new hires to access information and resources on-the-go.

Conclusion

Measuring the success of your digital onboarding programme is essential for ensuring that it is effective and meets the needs of your new hires. Remember, it takes for new hires to feel comfortable in their role. You can measure the success of digital onboarding through surveys or one-on-one conversations with new hires.

Another metric is employee retention rates. A well-designed digital onboarding programme can lead to higher retention rates and lower turnover.

Feedback from new hires is also essential for evaluating the effectiveness of your programme. You can gather this feedback through surveys or one-on-one conversations.

Effective digital onboarding allows employers to streamline the onboarding process and provide new hires with a more efficient and organised experience.

Suneedh Kumar

I am an engineer with a keen interest in technology and a passion for growth-hacking. I’ve covered technology of all shapes and sizes, and reviewed everything from software to hardware. Prior to writing for TimeTrack, I have written for Lulu, DoorDash and many more brands.

The Ultimate Guide to Digital Onboarding

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Table of Contents

Definition

What is traditional onboarding?

Digital onboarding

Flexible task planning

Tips for a successful digital onboarding process

Choose a good platform

Mobile-friendly

Interactivity

Personalisation