How the pandemic changed onboarding
Back in February 2020, no one could have imagined how COVID-19 would drastically change how we existed in our world. And to be completely pragmatic, we’re still not sure what the long-ranging effects of the pandemic will have on us, our jobs and our lives.
One thing we do know is employee onboarding over these past few months has been riddled with challenges that were all but foreign to us, pre-pandemic. Fortunately, many organizations had the agile ability to shift, pivot and eventually transition to remote working environments.
According to a recent Workable survey, more than 37% of participants said they experienced significant problems during the remote onboarding process as a result of the pandemic. As HR professionals, we know all too well that the onboarding process has always been one fraught with challenges or “opportunities for improvement” let’s say.
The latest remote onboarding statistics
It’s a well-proven, established fact that a formal onboarding process provides exponential benefits for new hires and organizations alike when it’s done the right way. To say the pandemic further complicated employee onboarding is a gargantuan understatement. In fact, the reality is that onboarding is harder than ever to execute successfully.
What’s created this additional layer of complexity? The pandemic and the ripple effect it’s had on everyone within your company…your entire organizational ecosystem! In today’s world, your employees expect much more from you and from the organization. As HR ambassadors, you need to show up, get it done and be accountable.
The clear and uncomfortable takeaway is this: onboarding has become incredibly difficult amidst this global crisis and in our new remote world. The impact is far reaching:
- A virtual reality
SHRM reports that over 68% of organizations already have or report they will adopt broader or more flexible work from home policies. - Real human connections
The Gartner ReimagineHR Employee Survey uncovered these surprising numbers:- 41% of employees don’t feel connected to colleagues when working remotely
- 26% report feelings of isolation
- Higher standards & expectations
Both candidates and new hires want to know how companies engaged their workforce during these complicated, arduous times. This kind of intel reflects the level of an organization’s integrity, empathy and compassion.
The demand for a quality onboarding experience
There’s never been a more fundamental need for structured, sophisticated remote onboarding. And your onboarding program is only as good as the formal process you’ve engineered to support it. Without the proper tools and technology to deliver effective onboarding virtually – including well-defined, clear steps and check points throughout the process – it will fail.
How to move your remote onboarding program forward
If your virtual onboarding efforts aren’t up to par, the consequences can be dire and very real:
- low engagement
- high turnover
- low productivity
Obviously, your CEO can’t personally call every new hire, welcome them to the company and ensure their remote onboarding experience is exceptional. But how do you accomplish such a mammoth undertaking and do so successfully? With an automated tool to scale communications and build personalization into your process (e.g., welcome videos, messages, a guided, mapped out experience, etc.), that’s how.
The impact automated onboarding makes
The automated tool you need to achieve your remote onboarding goals is Click Boarding. It’s a modern employee journey platform designed to excite HR, new hires and employees by blending engagement with digital workflows into smooth, flexible solutions. It’s the clear path forward towards a fully digital tomorrow.
With Click Boarding, you get so much more:
- Engaging guided workflows
- Personalized processes
- Streamlined compliance
- HR tech ecosystem integrations
- Scaled automation
How to get started
Our team of employee journey experts developed four critical requirements specifically for remote onboarding:
1. Cloud-based
A reliable remote onboarding platform is centralized, secure and cloud-based. It provides employees with a personalized link to access and input their sensitive personal information.
2. Customizable, engaging & informative
Keeping your workforce informed is paramount. A remote platform must be flexible in our quickly changing world. HR and hiring managers need the ability to add, edit and delete content and messaging on-demand to ensure employees are in the know.
3. Mobile-first
New hires are eager for updates and information. A remote onboarding platform connects your new hires via their phone, enabling your company to offer instant texts and updates.
4. Compliant
Remote onboarding platforms must be compliant with state, local, federal, SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR regulations. They should include an extensive library of customizable forms which allows for a compliant remote onboarding experience.
Next steps
Transform your new hires from candidates to advocates with Click Boarding’s fully compliant and ever-engaging employee journey platform. From remote onboarding and offboarding to employee transitions and one-time events, you’re able to configure intuitive workflows for seamless transitions throughout the employee lifecycle.
It’s time to take a long, hard look at your current onboarding process. Is it remote-friendly? Is it compliant? Is it providing the ROI you were banking on? If it’s not, Click is here for you.
