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Disprz, an AI-Powered enterprise learning & upskilling platform, is revolutionizing how organizations build a pipeline of skilled and productive employees. With a track record of aligning learning programs with business outcomes in sectors ranging from financial services to health care to retail, our unique blend of technology, content, and expertise has powered transformation for some of the world's leading companies.

In this blog post, we'll shine a spotlight on the topic of employee onboarding and delve into what a robust employee onboarding process includes, why it’s a critical factor for organizational success, and how personalized learning pathways can help streamline this process. 

We’ll guide you through a new employee onboarding checklist and also share insights on succeeding at remote onboarding – a trending concern in the current corporate landscape.

Let’s get started.

 

What is the Employee Onboarding Process?

The employee onboarding process is the method used by companies to help new employees adapt and become a part of the organization.

This process typically begins with a formal introduction to the company's culture, values, and working practices. It includes various tasks such as completing the necessary paperwork, setting up workstations (if necessary), providing job-specific training, introducing the team and leadership, and setting performance expectations. 

The primary goal of the employee onboarding process is to equip new employees with the knowledge, skills, and behaviors needed to effectively contribute to the organization. It's a crucial phase that can significantly impact an employee's productivity, job satisfaction, and long-term retention.

 

Why is a Robust Employee Onboarding Process Important? 

A well-structured and efficient onboarding process is not a luxury – it's a necessity. 

Businesses with a poor onboarding strategy often struggle with issues such as high employee turnover, low productivity, and a lack of engagement, all of which can result in considerable costs. 

On the flip side, companies with a strong onboarding process increase new employee retention by 82% and improve productivity by 70%, according to recent data.

In addition to the stats above, there are three main benefits that come from a well-rounded and effective employee onboarding process.

It Trains Employees

First and foremost, a robust onboarding process does more than just welcome new hires. It actually trains them, too. 

Did you know that according to HR Cloud, 58% of businesses today only concentrate on paperwork during the entire onboarding period?

This statistic highlights a missed opportunity – and your chance to gain a competitive advantage. Focusing exclusively on paperwork overlooks the power of practical training. 

Instead, onboarding should equip new hires with essential skills, familiarity with company procedures, and an understanding of the corporate culture. A well-executed onboarding process thus translates into improved performance and higher engagement levels.

It Makes and Saves Your Company Money

Next, a robust onboarding process can play a significant role in making and saving money for your company.

Recent studies found that nearly 80% of companies that invested in onboarding reported increases in revenue in the last fiscal year. 

Double that with the fact that over 20% of employees say they’d look for a new job if they had a bad onboarding experience, and the cost of hiring a new hire is over $4,000, and it emphasizes the undeniable financial value of effective onboarding.

That’s why a comprehensive onboarding process that swiftly transforms a new hire into a productive member of your team is not just beneficial – it's financially smart.

It Maximizes Employee Performance

Lastly, a robust onboarding program has a direct impact on maximizing employee performance. 

It provides an opportunity for new hires to understand their roles, responsibilities, and performance expectations right from the start. A good onboarding process doesn't just teach about typical onboarding tasks and procedures, it fosters a deeper understanding of the company culture, values, and long-term goals. 

When employees feel engaged and connected to the company's vision, they’re much more likely to perform at their best. It’s no wonder that other recent data shows employees become 50% more productive when their company provides a standard onboarding process.

And on top of the increased productivity, a strong onboarding process also reduces the time to proficiency, meaning employees can start contributing effectively sooner

All in all, the significance of a robust employee onboarding process cannot be overstated. 

As businesses seek ways to thrive in today's competitive landscape, investing in an effective onboarding process is a strategic necessity that boosts employee productivity, cuts costs, and fosters a culture of engaged, high-performing employees.

 

How Personalized Learning Pathways Help Streamline Your Process

In today's dynamic work landscape, personalized learning pathways powered by Frontline Enablement (FLE) solutions have taken center stage for employee training, particularly in industries like e-commerce and warehousing. 

These sectors thrive on a distributed, deskless workforce, making mobile-accessible training through FLE an indispensable tool. By tailoring learning experiences to individual needs and delivering them on mobile devices, FLE revolutionizes onboarding training efficiency. 

This approach not only equips employees with essential knowledge but also empowers them to progress at their own pace. The fusion of technology and pedagogy in FLE redefines training for modern deskless job roles, ushering in a new era of performance and capability.

While there are many benefits that personalized learning pathways can bring to your onboarding process, we’ve seen three main ones that make a big impact:

Increased Engagement

It’s no secret that every employee learns differently. But by providing a personalized approach that fits each employee’s individual learning style and pace, you’ll capture their engagement and they’ll be more inclined and motivated to stay involved in the process. 

With our Frontline Enablement Platform, employees will receive a mobile-first blended learning experience that includes everything from a company overview video and a short quiz on your SOPs on day one to a graded assessment and workplace assignment on day 30. 

Improved Skill Acquisition 

Not only will employees’ engagement and productivity pickup from day one with a personalized learning pathway, but they’ll also be consistently working on their skillset and identifying any skill gaps. 

At disprz, we provide journey scorecards that help you quantify employee readiness. Not only will this ensure they have the right training to be productive, but can also highlight areas where they need to improve. 

Efficiency in Learning

Lastly, personalized pathways avoid unnecessary training, saving time and resources. Because the last thing you want to do is to give your employees training materials just to keep them busy. 

Our Frontline Enablement Platform cuts out the fluff and makes it easy for employees to stay connected to meaningful work. You’ll have access to your team's performance with mobile-first, real-time training and evaluation and be able to deliver specific training that directly relates to their duties on the job, allowing them to focus on what matters most.

Ultimately, personalized learning paths benefit both the employee's career development and the organization's performance. It gives the employee a sense of purpose and direction while simultaneously ensuring the company harnesses the full potential of its workforce.

 

Employee Onboarding Process Checklist

An employee onboarding checklist is vital for ensuring a smooth and effective transition for new hires into their roles. It allows businesses to systematically cover every critical aspect of the onboarding process, from initial orientation to training and performance review. 

At disprz, we’ve seen companies like Wellness Forever integrate our Frontline Training Platform into their onboarding checklist, resulting in double the time to productivity, a 3% improvement in KPIs, and 95% content completion rate. 

By adhering to such a checklist and including the right technology, your organization can foster quicker productivity, higher job satisfaction, and improved retention rates among new hires, ultimately leading to a more efficient and harmonious workplace.

Here are seven items to include in your new hire onboarding checklist:

1 - Preparation Before Day One

Preparation before day one sets the stage for a successful onboarding program. It involves setting up workstations, granting system/file access, and planning the first week's schedule, which could also include sending any necessary employee orientation materials. 

This proactive approach reduces first-day anxiety for new hires and allows them to hit the ground running. An organized and prepared start not only communicates efficiency and respect to the employee but also encourages them to reciprocate the level of professionalism, helping to promote productivity and engagement right from the start.

2 - Welcome and Introduction

Next is to include a warm welcome and introduction. This can involve a team meet-and-greet, a tour of the office, and a formal introduction to the company's culture and values. 

A warm welcome lays the groundwork for the new hire to feel accepted and integrated into the team. It helps to build relationships, facilitates open communication, and fosters a sense of belonging from the outset. 

This feeling of inclusivity boosts the employee's morale, engagement, and commitment, thereby promoting job satisfaction and productivity right from their initial days at the company.

3 - Job Role Clarification 

Your checklist should also clarify the hire’s new role so they have a clear picture of what’s expected. For instance, our Frontline Enablement Platform can provide an induction kit and other onboarding documents digitally on day one. This can include explaining the specific duties of their role, outlining responsibilities, and discussing how success is measured.

By offering a detailed overview of what’s expected from them, new hires can better understand their place within the team and how their work contributes to the organization's goals. This transparency reduces role ambiguity, improves employee satisfaction, and enhances productivity. 

It also sets the stage for the employee to be accountable, driven, and focused, ultimately enabling them to make a positive impact within the company from the jump.

4 - Training and Development

Training and development are key to empowering a new hire. This step typically includes job-specific training, introduction to key internal tools and systems, as well as development programs that aid in honing soft skills. With disprz, companies can give new hires quizzes and assignments to measure their performance. 

An effective training program not only equips new hires with the skills needed for their role but also shows the company's investment in their growth. This fosters confidence in the employee, enabling them to perform their tasks competently and efficiently. 

It can also enhance job satisfaction, improve retention, and pave the way for the employee's long-term growth and contribution within the organization.

5 - Company Policies and Procedures

As always, you want to get new hires acquainted with your company policies and procedures as soon as possible. This can involve presenting the employee handbook, explaining company norms, discussing safety regulations, and briefing on protocols for reporting issues.

Understanding these policies helps the employee navigate the workplace effectively, align with the company's culture, and interact professionally with colleagues. It also aids in preventing potential legal issues, encourages ethical conduct, and ensures the new hire feels informed, safe, and supported.

6 - Meetings with Key Team Members 

The first few interactions with co-workers and key team members are huge for new hires because they usually set the tone for future workplace relationships. For example, a welcome lunch with the immediate team or a one-on-one with the manager can help break the ice and start things off on a good foot. 

Or, conversations with people from cross-functional teams can provide a holistic view of the company. This encourages a sense of belonging, open communication, and faster integration. It allows the new hire to understand how their role intersects with others, building a collaborative and efficient work environment.

7 - Feedback and Evaluation

Lastly, your employee onboarding checklist should include feedback and evaluation. This step helps new hires feel confident and understood. And with tools like our Frontline Enablement Platform, you can provide new hires with a detailed and graded assessment of their job performance to show them what they excel at and where they could improve.

A good way to incorporate this is to have weekly check-ins with the new employee over the first few months. These meetings can serve as platforms for constructive feedback, addressing concerns, and acknowledging achievements. 

Regular evaluations provide new hires with a clear understanding of how they're performing and where improvements can be made. This not only accelerates their learning curve but also gives them a sense of direction and purpose in their role, contributing to higher employee engagement and productivity.

 

How to be Successful at Remote Onboarding

Today, nearly 6 out of every 10 Americans can work from home at least one day a week, according to a recent study from McKinsey. And 35% have the option to work remotely for the entire workweek. 

This trend has made remote onboarding increasingly important for employers to get right. Because if not, they risk losing talent, lowering productivity, and missing key growth opportunities. 

That’s why we’ve curated a shortlist of three keys to successful remote onboarding – to provide your hiring manager/team a clear roadmap for ensuring new hires feel connected, capable, and ready to contribute, even from afar.

Establish Effective Communication Channels

Whether it’s Slack, Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or other communication technology, one thing remains true – clear, consistent, and open communication is vital in remote employee onboarding. 

It’s vital because it sets the stage for all future interactions and eliminates the feeling of isolation that can come with remote work and keeps new hires informed, engaged, and connected.

By promoting open dialogue and immediate feedback, it helps new employees feel valued and involved from day one, fostering a supportive work environment that encourages queries, discussions, and ideas, regardless of physical location.

Provide Online Training and Resources 

While everyone learns differently, having a library of resources available allows new hires to access information at their own pace, catering to their individual learning personas and styles. This could include interactive webinars, e-books, tutorial videos, or FAQ sections.

Providing online training and resources not only bridges knowledge gaps but also empowers new employees, promoting self-driven learning and confidence in their roles. It's an effective way to ensure consistent training quality, regardless of where the employee is based.

Promote Virtual Team Integration

Simply put, make sure your new hires feel like part of the team. Ask for their input during team meetings, give them an onboarding buddy, or introduce them to existing employees you think they may mesh well with. 

For example, our Frontline Enablement Platform gives new hires a live webinar to meet team heads and peers on day one, getting them acclimated right away. 

This effort can go a long way and help generate the camaraderie and collaboration that you’d get naturally from working in the office. Even better, it can lead to increased job satisfaction, improved productivity, and higher retention rates. Which is why integrating new hires into virtual teams is of ultra-importance in today’s work landscape.

 

Conclusion

Employee onboarding, whether in person or remote, is a critical aspect of your company's human resources strategy. It not only prepares new hires for their roles but also sets the stage for their long-term success.

Personalized learning pathways that are offered in tools like our Frontline Enablement Platform can help streamline this process and provide a positive onboarding experience, making it efficient, effective, and adaptable to all learning styles.

But most importantly, remember, a robust onboarding process is not an expense – it's a strategic investment in your organization's most valuable asset: its people.

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