Guest Post from: Silk Road Technology
There’s no doubt that 2020 has been a challenging year for many…
One of those challenges for businesses has been to figure out the best way to onboard new starters. Without any of the usual opportunities for face-to-face networking, team bonding and mentoring, HR teams have had to find new ways to get new employees up to speed as well as foster a sense of belonging, through an online environment.
According to the Brandon Hall Group, around 62% of the global workforce has moved to a working from home environment and it’s been inspiring to see some of the creative ways in which organisations have been rising to the remote onboarding challenge.
We recently spoke to Mike Hadlow from onboarding technology company, SilkRoad Technology, about his own experiences of being onboarded remotely [watch our interview here]. He also shared with us his three top tips for strategic remote onboarding:
Deliver a personal experience
We often see organisations implementing a single set of procedures prepared for every new hire regardless of who the person is. While standardisation is useful, this approach will not contain the individual attributes that can really make a difference, such as role/department specific information, location/ country specific processes or even outcomes that your organisation would like to drive for each person.
Personalising the onboarding experience is necessary because the context of the role or relationship between the new hire and the organisation is different for every employee. Some events or tasks will be universal, but there is an opportunity for organizations to personalize the onboarding experience for different roles, the team that they are joining, and their office location with content that is specific to the role that they’re being asked to perform within the organisation.
Drive internal networking
One of the biggest issues we encounter with remote networking is allowing an employee to build their own network of “go to” people in order to collaborate and find answers. Instead, proactively driving conversations through buddy schemes and multiple check-in conversations without an agenda with allow the employee to build new hire relationships faster. A Brandon Hall Group study found that effective assimilation practices have resulted in improvements in employee engagement and retention – by as much as 52% and 32%, respectively.
Top Tip: Create a list of “go to” resources and well-connected insiders and assign one to each new joiner.
Avoid information overload
Often, multiple systems and processes are introduced at the same time which can often overwhelm new employees. We recommend establishing simple yet engaging places to view all systems, information and processes to give much needed clarity and allow a new employee to bring themselves up to speed at their own pace without complication. A deliberately continuous introduction of new information at a slower pace can also have a positive impact. By slowly introducing processes you can ensure the onboarding experience is continued from preboarding – often lasting up to the first 6 months of employment.
Strategic onboarding goes beyond payroll forms and I9 compliance to deliver an intentionally designed journey – from the offer letter through the first year and every point in between. It engages every new hire in a personalised experience that activates and connects them to a team, your company culture, and their goals. Here’s an example of an employee onboarding journey you can download free of charge.
About Silk Road Technology
SilkRoad Technology is the global leader in strategic onboarding for organisations of all sizes and complexities faced with workforce transformation challenges. Our solutions are designed to be securely and uniquely tailored to your business to drive engagement across the employee lifecycle. Learn more about how SilkRoad’s software and services help organisations attract, retain and align people to their business at www.silkroadtechnology.com
