How AI is Reshaping the Onboarding Process for HR

Onboarding is a mandatory procedure to introduce the newly hired employees or teams to the organization, its services, and product. Using AI all throughout the onboarding is becoming more common. Two important facts to consider about AI-embedded solutions in the onboarding process include the following: 

• AI can accelerate document exchanges, talent acquisition, and analyze feedback by newly hired employees.

• AI-powered processes such as gamification and cognitive analysis will always need the human touch.

Stability in the job market is immensely dependent on hiring and onboarding processes that run smoothly. There are still several uses of smart, process-expediting AI in human resources that aren't yet foolproof like in many other fields. This blog article will discuss how AI is revamping the onboarding process for HR and how automation increases productivity and efficiency for both the new hires and the recruiters.

But first, let's talk about…

The Role of AI in HR

AI is reshaping how industries and organizations operate across sectors, including their hiring procedure. Several ways AI is streamlining talent acquisition today involve:

• Sourcing and engaging candidates

• Applicants’ assessment

• Involvement and onboarding of employees

An organization’s onboarding methods majorly impact a business's success. A recent report by Glassdoor stated that a strong onboarding practice could upgrade new hire retention by 82%. It can also lead to improved productivity by up to 70%. 

AI is revamping several industries and sectors within our economy. And it can be said that AI plays a crucial role in workplace efficiency and optimal use of resources. AI is speedily growing to the point where recruiting and talent acquisition, evaluation, and people placement at organizations is being largely handled by AI, machine learning, and especially supervised learning techniques.

Applications of AI in HR

AI helps HR departments to improve employee or candidate experience by automating low-value, repetitive tasks and frees up their time to focus on creative and strategic work that HR teams usually desire and require. Instead of spending time supervising every step of the latest employee onboarding procedure, AI can smartly automate those steps. Here are some examples of AI applications in HR:

• Talent acquisition and onboarding

Talent acquisition is one of the most significant tasks of the HR department as hiring skilled and talented individuals will cause the potential growth of the organization. From screening to maintaining databases of the applicants, arrangement of interviews, and addressing and adjudicating contestant queries, AI decreases the time and effort needed to complete these tedious tasks. 

• Orientation and onboarding of new employees

Employees are more likely to stay long-term with the company if the onboarding process is well-organized and instructive. It's always helpful to have a visual and engaging onboarding presentation that they can refer back to at any point down the road. To streamline the creation process, consider making use of an AI presentation maker. All of the questions that new hires might have can be answered by AI for HR, saving time for employees who would otherwise have to do it manually. Artificial intelligence in human resources enables the separation of tasks and the customization of procedures to meet the specific needs of individual employees. Other vital activities, such as verifying legal papers, can also be handled by artificial intelligence. 

• Training the new hires

AI can automatically comprehend and allocate training to the employee based on the evaluation of papers and tests. For improved growth of employees, AI offers relevant skillset information based on their job descriptions. Recruiters may discover employees' training needs by using AI in HR systems. Using this method, employees' engagement and productivity will be improved, and they will be able to learn particular programs and skills more quickly and efficiently.

• Employee experience enhancement

With a higher level of automation and a primary focus on good customer experience across the environment, employees usually expect a constructive and useful experience when they join a company with personalized engagement. Consumer technology is already influencing employee experiences, and as a result, employees are looking for new ways to be involved and supported in their work.

By creating a more tailored employee experience, AI may be used throughout the employee lifecycle, from recruitment and onboarding to career pathing and HR service delivery. You might be surprised to know that 20% of freshly hired employees leave the organization within the first 45 days of their employment. Thus, human resources departments can now measure employee engagement and job satisfaction with greater precision than ever before using employee appreciation programs and tailored feedback questionnaires.

Top 6 ways AI is Reinventing the Onboarding Process for HR

Smart technology adoption is significantly changing workplaces, even if artificial intelligence was originally believed as a science fiction concept by the majority of technology specialists. 

Using AI in human resources processes improves organizational efficiency because these apps can evaluate, anticipate, and diagnose in order to aid HR professionals in making wise decisions. Only 32% of employees in past years used artificial intelligence in the workplace. 50 percent of employees will be adopting AI in their jobs by 2020.

Employees are optimistic, excited, and joyful about the prospect of working alongside machines (65 percent), and over a quarter feel they have a positive working relationship with artificial intelligence (AI). Here are the top 6 ways how AI is reinventing the employee onboarding practices in HR:

Smart digital forms for applicants’ biodata 

Smart digital forms allow you to gather, validate, and incorporate data with the business system. The availability of important information helps streamline processes, reduce costs, and make wise decisions. These smart digital forms are easy to design and modify by anyone without technical or programming skills. They provide accurate data. The real-time data entry eliminates the need to enter data manually, thus the risk of mistakes and data loss reduces. Companies use AI to assist applicants shift their personal information to smart digital forms from their resumes and submitting applications faster.

Human Capital Management

AI is playing a vital role in incorporating major HR functions thus overhauling the whole pedigree of workers’ experience. It is aiming to developing talent processes to minimize employee turnover and handle major areas like workforce planning, performance management, career-pathing, people analytics and virtual assistance.

Allows new employees faster integration

Onboarding can be rushed, and employees may be hesitant to ask questions because of this. AI can be helpful making these activities less stressful and more engaging. For example, chatbots can be used to address queries regarding remote-work or leave policies that a new employee might otherwise be uneasy asking on their day one. 

If AI can address their queries, new hires can start feeling more at home in the company even before their official start date. Generally, this should be done by gamification to make it more fun and interactive.

However, the human factor of onboarding must not be forgotten by HR in the rush to implement more efficient and straightforward processes. Joining a new organization usually brings a massive change in an individual's life, so if you make the onboarding process simple without making that individual feel welcomed, you may ostracize the newly hired person inadvertently.

Employee referrals

Employee referral programs benefit from AI's analysis of the types of employees referred to them and its knowledge of who refers the most productive employees. AI can determine when successful employees recommend applicants similar to them based on past performance data.

Key takeaways

Machine learning and AI are speedily becoming mainstream technologies and transforming the trajectory of HR. This has changed the way people communicate with technology. Employee productivity can be substantially improved with AI-based HR interventions, and HR professionals can improve employee experience and performance. Using AI-enabled solutions in HR, key stakeholders may analyze, forecast, and make smarter choices.

Achieve your business's goals by integrating AI technologies that work with your organization‘s culture. The AI function will have a variety of effects on employees in the long run, and they will be able to say that they have benefited from a fast-paced and reliable user experience. Because of this, it is critical to prioritize the requirements of employees and be clear about the desired goals.

HR data privacy is also a massive challenge in deploying AI. Employee data must be protected and proper governance guidelines must be set up for administering AI-driven HR interventions. In addition to technological and data entry issues, the guidelines should also cover a wide range of legal issues.

About Author: Employees who feel valued and supported will retain the passion that drives them to succeed and avoid burnout in the workplace. When employee productivity is a priority, they will limit frivolities and put more soul into their responsibilities. And as an employer, you will reap the benefits of employee engagement in increased productivity and workplace efficiency.