7 Challenges with a Manual Approach to Onboarding Processes

The first day of a new job can be stressful, especially if the company does not have effective onboarding employees software and tools for new employees. Where a manual approach to onboarding can create a lot of unnecessary challenges, the right onboarding software can help an employee’s first day run much more smoothly. 

Whether it’s confusing processes, lack of employer preparation, or confusing information, a lot can go wrong when employers face challenges manual HR onboarding processes can cause. In fact, only 12% of employees say that their organization did a good job when it came to the onboarding experience, according to a Gallup employee engagement survey. HR teams and companies can do a better job of addressing this lack of satisfaction by using employee onboarding software to avoid the challenges of manual onboarding. 

1. Inefficient onboarding tools & processes waste time on a new hire’s first day

An employee’s first day should be a pleasant one and one that puts them in the best position to add value right out of the gate.  But what often happens is a comedy of errors: Badges aren’t ready; forms are not filled out; laptops, equipment, and crucial work materials are not available. 

All of these are common inefficiencies that pop up on a new hire’s first day when companies use a manual system. With HR onboarding software and access to self-service onboarding tools, new hires could be filling out paperwork before their first day even starts. 

2. HR onboarding and Internal teams aren’t always as ready as they should be

Adding a new member to the team can be exciting, but that doesn’t always mean the team is prepared. If a small team has been scrambling to pick up the slack after a previous employee left, they may not have had time to figure out what their new employee needs to get started. While it may not be anyone’s fault, a lack of preparation won’t set up that new team member for success. 

With a step-by-step HR onboarding process, aided by easy-to-use onboarding software, internal teams can know exactly how to prepare without having to overthink it. And their new teammate can be up and running in no time. 

Drive Engagement with Great
Onboarding Experiences for New Hires

Learn More about Onboard

3. Compliance issues with I-9 forms and other documents make onboarding tools more complicated

Often, new employees show up without realizing that they need important documents to fill out their I-9 form, like a passport or driver’s license. Even proactive people may show up with the wrong documents and cannot fill out what they need. Onboarding software can automatically provide new employees with a checklist of information, making sure they are compliant from day one. 

4. Often new hires don’t know who’s on their team or what their first responsibilities will be

“Most of us remember our first days at every job because of the heightened pressure to impress,” says national workplace expert Lynn Taylor. But new employees can feel less anxious if they are able to plan ahead. (This challenge can be exacerbated when it comes to onboarding remote employees.)

Walking into the office for the first time, a new employee may not be totally clear on all of their duties or who will be working with them. Teams that start onboarding before the official start date can make new hires feel more valued and comfortable. 

5. HR has no visibility into other team members’ preparation

Do facilities know we need a badge by Friday? Is HR ready for forms? Does the team know that we’re doing a first-day lunch? Lack of visibility can cause the new hire to get no information or, more confusingly, conflicting information from different departments. A single onboarding system that can be accessed by all relevant parties will ensure clear communication across the board.

6. Without employee onboarding software, Important tasks can fall through the cracks

Forgotten forms, missed introductions, no wifi password. A lot of crucial tasks can fall by the wayside in the rush of onboarding a new employee. Providing new employees with a checklist ahead of time can be one of the most important tools within onboarding software since it ensures that your new employee can literally check all the right boxes as they get started. 

7. Missed opportunity to show a professional environment and impress new hires

It only takes 7 seconds to make a first impression, and it may take a while to recover if that impression goes poorly. That means the impression your company makes on a new hire on the first day is critical. 

If all a new employee can remember is that the manual HR onboarding process was disorganized, then you’ve missed an opportunity to show that your company has its act together. A digital onboarding system can ease that process and help the company put its best foot forward. 

Overcome onboarding issues with automated HR onboarding and onboarding software solutions

Automating the employee onboarding process will help new employees get up and running from the very first day and support them as they adjust to their new roles. And a great onboarding software system will help your organization retain and attract the best talent in a competitive job market. 

Now let’s look at a point-by-point example of how powerful HR onboarding solutions and employee onboarding software could overcome each of these seven challenges.

Improve the onboarding experience and make new hires’ first day great 

Instead of asking new hires to sit around on their first morning, accelerate the HR onboarding process. For example, HR Cloud’s Onboarding solution offers capabilities such as self-service onboarding, custom, secure portals, hiring checklists and forms, and other onboarding tools. 

With these tools, new hires can complete important tasks before their first day, whether it’s completing tax forms and 401k deductions, reading your company handbook, completing online training modules, and other onboarding system activities that could disrupt their productivity on day one.

Preparing new hires for a productive first day with the right onboarding software 

The approach above offers benefits in two important ways: 

1. First, it saves time and streamlines the onboarding experience so new employees can start work right away. 

2. Second, it paves the way for two-way communication and information sharing--again, before day one—so new employees can ask questions, uncover valuable information, reach out to new team members, and more. All of this creates a much more meaningful hiring experience, so new employees are impressed, informed, and ready to start making a difference right out of the gate. 

   
   

Improving compliance issues 

I-9 forms, E-Verify, and compliance are all very important, but until now, they haven’t had the automation to support these processes. As described above, most I-9 and E-Verify processes today are mostly manual in nature, requiring HR team members to manually enter all of this information into siloed systems.

Not only does this waste too much time, but it leads to too many errors, which could lead to compliance headaches down the road. It even helps save money from potential fines, which can add up quickly. Every company operating in the U.S. is required to complete each new hire’s I-9 documentation in just three days. Failure to comply can lead to costly penalties and fines of up to $1,000 per employee.

Fortunately, there is a better way. With HR Cloud, HR teams and hiring managers can add I-9 documentation and E-Verify tasks directly into any onboarding workflow. compliance solution. For example, as part of our industry-leading Onboarding solution, our I-9 software automates the process of collecting I-9 forms and then integrates this workflow with the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify system. I-9 forms are then cross-checked with the appropriate government departments for full compliance. 

The best onboarding software makes use of e-signature-enabled capabilities to enable new hires to sign important forms and documents anywhere, anytime, and on any device. They can even convert any existing PDF into a digital form or create their own forms to store, organize, and centralize employee data and personnel files. This is the best way to make sure nothing is ever missed and that the company is always in compliance. 

Building teams 

It may seem like a strange concept, but onboarding software can foster true connections, build teams and encourage collaboration, all before an employee even joins the company.

Consider the case where a new hire accepts a position but can’t start for two weeks. Instead of waiting for her official start date, her hiring manager sends her a fun video to introduce her to all of the team members, explain everyone’s role, and invites her to a team lunch when she starts. The manager also sends a number of helpful resources, such as a link to the company’s org chart and employee directory. 

Instead of waiting for the new hire, this company was able to use the two-week period to their advantage. They created a surprising new hire experience and made her feel welcome and part of the team right from the start. Such an approach goes a long way toward improving employee productivity, morale, engagement, and retention. 

Make sure the entire team is ready 

From HR’s perspective, the onboarding experience can be customized and automated to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. All parties are notified through the use of a master checklist with separate and distinct tasks. 

Make sure nothing slips 

With the customized checklists, tasks, and reminders, HR and hiring managers can make sure nothing is overlooked and new employees feel valued and impressed by their onboarding experience. For example, if facilities need to generate an employee badge, they are reminded of this step and also notified that other tasks may be dependent on its completion. 

Onboarding checklists can include facilities, IT (to provision new equipment), the hiring manager, HR team members, and more.

Create meaningful impressions and powerful employee experiences with onboarding software 

But best of all, onboarding software can help companies create meaningful impressions that differentiate them from the competition. Let’s face it, the bar is set pretty low when it comes to onboarding new employees. A recent Gallup survey found that only 12% of employees reported that their company does a great job of onboarding new employees. This means that 88% of companies just don’t do as good of a job as they should.

Transform onboarding into a new competitive advantage

If every challenge is an opportunity in disguise, companies can turn onboarding into a new--and sustainable--competitive advantage. It’s more than just an HR best practice, it’s a good business idea. Research has shown that strong onboarding processes can lead to a better employee onboarding experience, higher production, and long-term retention. Conversely, a negative onboarding experience results in new hires becoming twice as likely to look for other opportunities sooner than the company would like. 

Considering that many companies are currently struggling to find the right workers to make a difference for their business, successful onboarding software solutions could be a difference-maker in success and failure.  Discover the many advantages possible with a powerful onboarding solution today. 

Interested in more HR systems to help with onboarding at your company? Look no further! Visit www.hrcloud.com or request a personalized, no-obligation product demo today. 

About Author: This article is written by our marketing team at HR Cloud. HR Cloud is a leading provider of HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee engagement, and intranet software. Our aim is to help your company improve employee engagement, employee productivity, and to save you valuable time!