At its most basic level, employee onboarding is a process that brings a new employee into your organization and gives them a chance to settle. All employees go through at least some form of employee onboarding before taking on a new job at a new company.

The Society for Human Resources Development (SHRM) defines employee onboarding as a process that allows employees to quickly and smoothly adjust to all aspects of their job, while learning the skills and corporate culture required of them to fit effectively into the organization. Put simply, employee onboarding is a process that allows new hires to start off on the right foot. ‍

With ClayHR, This is Guaranteed

AI-powered HCM, ClayHR enables the user to create the onboarding workflows and tasks to ensure that onboarding is smooth and complete. It also helps in audit and compliance because the software approval and installation are documented.  Additionally, there are customized notifications that remind of any steps that may be pending. We have also compiled a list of employee onboarding checklist for an easy start.

A well-established HCM practice is holding an orientation for new employees and that works to some extent. But, to get new hires truly acclimatized with the company’s culture and teach them about specific job tasks and associated expectations, ‘onboarding’ is needed.

Compared to the offices of the past, today’s workplaces are faster, demand more from employees, and wait for no one.  This means that new hires read millennials need to hit the ground running right off the bat and this will only be possible if the new employees are provided with the information, skills, and tools they need to be productive right from the start. The best way to ensure this is an effective onboarding program.

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Advantages of An Effective Employee Onboarding

Attract and Retain Top Talent

With an effective onboarding program, you can get new hires used to the company’s culture, which is one of the keys to attracting and retaining top talent.

Engage Employees Early on

According to the “State of the American Workplace Report” by Gallup, the outcome that mattered most to organizations was engagement among employees, with a special focus on new hires. A great way to foster engagement among new employees and then retain it well into the future is through an effective onboarding program that is thought-provoking, educational, and fun.

Boost Business Growth

Gallup’s State of the American Workplace Report reveals that compared to their less engaged colleagues, employees who were highly engaged with their organization had 147% higher earnings. The main objective of effective employee onboarding is employee engagement.

Build Trust

Effective employee onboarding builds trust between the new hires and their employers by helping the new employees to adjust to and understand the company’s culture.

Decrease in Turnover

Whether they’re a bad fit for the company or it is simply a case of ‘moving on’, employees leaving can negatively affect an organization’s bottom-line. An onboarding program can help decrease turnover by ensuring an employee is the right fit from the start, and by encouraging open communication and engagement among employees.

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The Role of Technology in Employee Onboarding and How It is Changing/Evolving?

Effective onboarding can help increase employee engagement levels and retention, as well as a, create advocates who will speak for the organization. However, not any onboarding activity will do. A good one requires strategizing and organization to streamline the process. This is where technology is playing a role.

Typically, this would involve the use of onboarding software to automate documentation, payroll formalities, background verification, etc. There are several benefits of this, including enhancing HR efficiency, increasing compliance, gaining actionable insights, and setting realistic and attainable goals for the new hires.

Onboarding software has been the mainstay of digital onboarding for some time now, but with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) in the onboarding process, this could change soon. According to a survey by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), artificial intelligence and automation could help organizations to improve employee engagement and onboarding.

According to the survey results, employees who don’t have a good onboarding experience are two times more likely to leave their employer. With Advancements in HR, organizations and HR teams can now automate onboarding tasks that used to take hours.

‍ClayHR has AI-powered HCM that can help reduce the time HR teams spend on the onboarding process while providing them with the goals and expectations of a new hire. This can ensure effective employee onboarding and all the benefits associated with it.