Employee Onboarding Software Enhances the New Hire Experience
The Employee Experience (EX) is Crucial for Organizations to Thrive
More organizations are focusing on creating a holistic employee experience—often branded EX to correspond with user experience (UX)—for their workforces. Research shows that employees with a positive EX have 16x higher levels of engagement and are 8x more likely to stay with a company than employees with a negative EX.
As McKinsey writes in an article titled Shaping the “New Possible” Through Employee Experience:
Providing top-notch EX is not just lip service; it requires a profound reorientation from a traditional top-down model to one based on the fundamentals of design thinking. This shift allows a company to put its workers first by exploring and responding to how they view their employee journeys, then delivering tailored interventions that focus on critical moments that matter to maximize satisfaction, performance, and productivity. In doing so, companies can become more inspiring, collaborative, and centered on creating an experience that is meaningful and enjoyable.
So savvy companies must ask themselves:
- What part of the employee journey do employees value but employers overlook?
- What parts of the employee journey must we reorient ourselves to valuing more?
- What critical moments maximize satisfaction, performance, and productivity?
Based on these points and the definition of EX, we have an idea: while savvy organizations put thought and effort into recruiting, many overlook employee onboarding.
EX is the cumulative assessment of an employee’s interactions with a company as a whole, starting with hiring and onboarding and continuing until an employee leaves the company.
Adding employee onboarding software to your HR tech stack is a quick and efficient way to prioritize employee onboarding and boost the EX at a critical stage of the employee journey. This will help them feel satisfied, engaged, and productive from the get-go.
88% of companies admit they aren’t great at executing a solid onboarding experience, even though it can increase employee retention by 82%.
This article discusses why investing in employee onboarding software could be an EX game-changer.
How Employee Onboarding Software Contributes to Stronger Employee Experience
- Streamlined Administrative Processes
- Consistency
- A More Personalized Experience
- Better Communication
- Early Engagement
- Increased Retention and Job Satisfaction
Streamlined Administrative Processes
Traditional onboarding often involves a mountain of paperwork, from tax forms to benefits enrollment. The average new hire has 54 activities to complete during their onboarding experience (employers handling the onboarding process often have many more steps!). Onboarding software digitizes these processes, allowing new hires to complete forms electronically, often before their first day. This reduces the administrative burden on HR departments, allowing employees to focus on more meaningful aspects of their new role.
Consistency
Onboarding software can provide a standardized training curriculum, ensuring all new employees receive the same quality and breadth of information. This consistency is vital in maintaining high standards across the organization and helps new hires quickly get up to speed. Interactive training modules, quizzes, and progress-tracking features enhance engagement and information retention.
Only 42% of employees have a consistent EX, but engagement is 5.5X higher when EX is well-aligned.
A More Personalized Experience
Modern onboarding platforms can tailor the onboarding process for individual roles and departments. By customizing content to be relevant to each new hire, employees feel valued and better prepared to contribute to their specific teams. Personalized onboarding plans can include department-specific training, introductions to key team members, and role-specific resources.
Oracle’s Vice President of Talent recently talked to HR Executive about the power of personalization:
Employees want to feel seen, heard, listened to and connected to their company—as well as understand their ability to contribute and make an impact. When employers take a “people-first” approach and deliver a workplace experience that leaves their employees feeling supported and impactful, it will increase productivity and aid in attraction and retention—in turn, delivering better business outcomes.
Today’s employees are demanding more from employers, and personalized onboarding shows them that you’re listening right from the start.
Better Communication
Effective communication is crucial during the onboarding process. Onboarding software often includes communication tools that facilitate interactions between new hires, their managers, and colleagues. Email communication, direct messaging, and employer collateral provide instant support, reducing the frustration of unanswered questions and promoting a smoother transition into the company culture.
A study by the Harris Poll found that 72% of business leaders believe effective communication has increased their team’s productivity.
Early Engagement
The first few days and weeks are critical for new employees to feel integrated into the company culture. Research shows that employers have 44 days to engage their new hires and that 44% of new employees have regrets or second thoughts about their new job within the first week.
Employee onboarding software can deliver valuable engagement content, such as welcome videos from the CEO, virtual tours, and introductions to company values and mission. Social features like employee directories and organizational charts help new hires connect with their colleagues and understand the company’s structure and culture.
Increased Retention and Job Satisfaction
A well-structured onboarding process facilitated by advanced software can significantly impact employee retention and job satisfaction. By ensuring new hires feel supported, informed, and valued from day one, companies can foster a positive employee experience. This leads to higher job satisfaction, increased loyalty, and reduced turnover rates, ultimately benefiting the organization as a whole.
Good onboarding increases employee retention by 82% and new hire retention by 52%.
Want to Give Employee Onboarding Software a Try?
Employee onboarding software is a powerful tool that can transform the EX from a tedious necessity to an engaging and productive journey.
By streamlining administrative tasks, providing consistent and personalized training, enhancing communication, and fostering early engagement, this technology ensures that new hires are well-prepared and motivated to contribute to a company’s success. Investing in quality onboarding software is not just about efficiency; it’s about building a strong foundation for a positive and enduring employee experience.
Interested in learning more about HiringThing’s employee onboarding software?
About HiringThing
HiringThing is a modern recruiting and employee onboarding platform as a service that creates seamless talent experiences. Our white label solutions and open API enable technology and service providers to offer hiring and onboarding to their clients. Approachable and adaptable, the platform empowers anyone, anywhere to build their dream team. For more information, visit hiringthing.com or follow us on LinkedIn, X, or YouTube.