Onboarding Automation – Benefits of HR Automation in Employee Onboarding Process

An automated onboarding process is a sigh of relief to HR representatives. In reality, these new employee onboarding techniques benefit teams beyond the HR department; those in Finance and Operations, for example, can concentrate on more strategic tasks with the help of modern HR management systems.

The advantages of using an HR cloud for employee onboarding can have a huge impact on the company, which in the end can boost overall performance.

HR onboarding automation: The status of employee onboarding before HR software

Onboarding new employees is a tedious process involving a lot of people and resources. For just one candidate, an entire host of small tasks have to be completed as part of the employee onboarding checklist, for example:

• Schedule meetings specifically for new hires
• Spend time and money to print several company policies and forms that are to be read and signed as part of the new hire onboarding process
• Distribute forms such as surveys, made specifically for the purpose of employee onboarding in-person
• Manually key in employee data onto a computer
• Closely monitor the process and review the gathered data to avoid mistakes when onboarding new employees
• Assess new hires individually
• Pair new hires with a peer (e.g. mentorship program, buddy system) as part of the HR onboarding process
• Prepare visual aids and other training modules for employee onboarding requirement
• Organize orientation workshops to run tests, impart about company policies, and discuss ideas with the new hires for a stricter employee onboarding process

But there are additional risks involved with the process, such as:

• HR might lose some employee forms and have to repeat the entire process again.
• It’s highly likely that some of the new recruits will give wrong inputs than what was asked of them, or the HR person might type them wrong when they manually transcribe it in the computer.
• The new hires can grow impatient and the back and forth onboarding might drain their productivity even before they start working on a project.

Onboarding new employees don’t have to be a groan-inducing process. More and more companies are opting for automated onboarding apps because of the obvious improvements in new hire satisfaction, performance, as well as the general efficiency of the company.

HR Automated Onboarding Benefits:

For the company:

• The company is able to save money. This is definitely something that management board in every company loves to hear. Onboarding automation eliminates the redundancy that paperwork brings to a process. On average, companies have about 15 to 20 forms and papers to read, review, and sign as part of standard HR onboarding procedures. Not anymore.
• The company is able to save time. HR onboarding usually takes a toll on those with administrative roles. The new employee onboarding process can save a lot of time as it frees the HR staff from spending too much time with the new hires.
• The company is able to collect data more efficiently. With automated onboarding process, you can gather information about the new hires more efficiently. You can also store the collected data in a secure place or integrate with other HR software.
• The company is able to reduce errors. This goes with the cost-effectivity of automated employee onboarding. Onboarding workflow automation brings the precision of a machine to the process of onboarding new employees. There are set parameters to an automated process which eliminates the chances of errors by a big margin.
• The company has a better sense of security. Employee onboarding can be a sensitive process as it includes important employee data. With onboarding automation, companies can ensure that all information collected while onboarding new employees stays confidential and locked in a virtual database and out of reach from any kind of physical access.

For the new hire:

• The new hire is less likely to be overwhelmed. An integral part of onboarding new employees is giving them the right kind of information at the right time. Automated hr platforms are able to release modules and other aid on schedule, and can also track progress and learning milestones.
• The new hire feels fulfilled. The traditional form of onboarding new employees usually leads to an ugly imbalance where some new hires receive a great onboarding experience while others get a hurried walkthrough. An automated onboarding software can ensure that the employee onboarding process is consistent for every new person that joins the team.
• The new hire can focus on tasks related to his or her jobs. The faster the onboarding process is over, the sooner a new person can start working on a team. Automated onboarding workflow shortens the time for a person to transition from training to start working on their very first assignment. The new hire can spend time to get familiar with their work and meet the cadence of their team to make meaning contribution.
• The new hire feels empowered. The rote way of employee onboarding can be extremely demanding of a new hire’s time. With automation, onboarding new employees becomes a stress-free experience where both the new hire and the administrators have their own time to complete and facilitate tasks respectively through a software.

At the end of the day, an employee onboarding process is just a means to the end. When the process is fast and efficient, it gives the new staff the confidence to learn the nuances of their new job quickly and make a difference in their team.

Employee onboarding automation doesn’t have to be what it once was—messy, stressful, and time-consuming. With great onboarding solution to automate your onboarding process your business can manage the entire process with more control.

The employee onboarding process in Kissflow’s HR Cloud

Although businesses have little to no change in their onboarding process, there has been a drastic change in the demands and expectations of today’s workforce. Employees seek a personalized and seamless onboarding experience that is free from arduous paperwork and manual effort. Here, siloed systems and manual processes fall short of their expectations threatening employee dissatisfaction.  

Businesses need to create a dynamic onboarding process that keeps employees engaged and happy right from their first day at work. To create a good first impression, organizations need to move away from their manual processes and implement an HR management suite that automates every step of the onboarding process in an effective way.

Kissflow’s HR Cloud lets you harness the power of technology to better understand the needs of your new hires and keep them engaged.

Here are the functionalities that help businesses automate their onboarding process in the blink of an eye.

1. Personalized experience

Onboarding checklists tend to make onboarding monotonous. Kissflow’s HR Cloud allows HR leaders create a dynamic onboarding process that gives every new hire a positive onboarding experience.

2. Standardized process

With Kissflow’s HR Cloud, businesses can streamline their employee onboarding process workflow, make approvals conditional, and monitor the progress. Get alerts about any issues that require quick action.

3. Easy integration

Eliminate data redundancy and human errors by connecting easily with your third-party software solutions (ERP, accounting system, payroll software) to create employee records, capture salary information, and more.

4. Efficient collaboration

The onboarding process isn’t just about a sequence of tasks. It is a dynamic process that grows and changes as the organization does. Having a place to discuss these changes in the context of the onboarding process is imperative. Use an in-built collaboration tool to initiate conversations among step owners, share best practices, and give announcements on changes to the process.  

5. Improved accuracy

Organizations need a user-friendly onboarding module that encourages user adoption while employees and new hires need access to employee self-service portal where they can manage their personal and professional information on their own.

Summary

Successful employee onboarding is essential to keep your workforce engaged and happy. The key is to implement a user-friendly employee onboarding software that not only automates the process but also enables user adoption while minimizing risks.

Rather than opting for a standalone onboarding system, businesses can benefit from an all-in-one HR management system like Kissflow’s HR Cloud. Get started today and see how it makes HR management easy and effective.