Remote Onboarding Success Stories

When it comes to onboarding new hires, many companies understand the value and benefits of an automated onboarding software solution, such as HR Cloud’s Onboard. These solutions are proven to automate cumbersome processes, save time, and give new hires all the information they need to hit the ground running on their first day.

Yet many companies with remote hiring needs – those who hire field-based workers or other employees who may not visit a corporate office – may not embrace this same mindset. They may think that their current onboarding process works well enough or they may not be aware that there are remote onboarding solutions, or they may not be aware that remote onboarding solutions even exist. 

Yet chances are good that their remote onboarding process leads to too many challenges, including:

• Wasted time for HR: It may take too long for HR to collect important information from new hires, including benefits enrollment, payroll details, and compliance forms. 

• Wasted time for new employees: The reverse is also true: new hires may also experience delays in getting org charts, employee handbooks, job descriptions, and other information they may need to be productive.

• Too many errors: Without automated onboarding, these companies may make too many mistakes or forget important steps in the process. 

• Inconsistent, confusing onboarding experiences: Recent research shows that 36% of remote workers found their onboarding process to be confusing, higher than the 32% of onsite employees. 

• Compliance concerns: Companies may forget to collect compliance forms during the hiring process, especially related to I-9 and other regulations. They’re missing out on a valuable opportunities to use custom forms and e-signature-enabled documents to get everything they need for documentation, recordkeeping and audits, and compliance. 

• Low engagement, higher turnover: Like the old saying goes, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression.” Companies without effective onboarding processes tend to struggle with lower engagement and job satisfaction and may even face higher turnover. 

All of this can be addressed with remote onboarding technology, capable of helping real companies achieve some impressive real-world results. 

Osmose Delivers Remote Onboarding Its Employees Love

Osmose provides exceptional services and customer support, yet its onboarding process needed improvement to match this same level of excellence. For example, because the company relies on a high number of field-based employees, Osmose’s HR staff had to onboard them outside of a central office – or any office at all. 

For example, a typical onboarding process took too long – up to two hours for each new hire and often resulted in data entry errors that took even more time to fix. Additionally, the Osmose process raised concerns about compliance; specifically, if Osmose could continue to consistently meet deadlines and security requirements in order to comply with I-9, E-Verify, and industry-specific requirements. 

How did they tackle it? They used HR Cloud’s Onboard solution to automate the entire field onboarding approach to save time and increase efficiency. They gained a “field-first” focus on onboarding, using kiosks and other technology to improve Osmose’s hiring efforts in the field and even enable managers to hire on the spot using a common device. 

Employees loved it, too. More than 80% of the employee feedback was extremely positive about their experience with Onboard. Osmose was thrilled since so many employees tend to resist new technology and change in general. 

The solution also delivered benefits for the entire company: significant reductions in paperwork, missed deadlines, and potential compliance issues.

SHELTER, Inc. Achieves 70% Reduction in Onboarding Times

Other issues pop up with manual, paper-based onboarding processes. For example, SHELTER, Inc. a nonprofit focused on ending homelessness, once used an onboarding approach that wasted too much time. In this case, HR Cloud’s Onboard solution significantly reduced the amount of time needed to complete paperwork during the onboarding process.

“Onboard helped us streamline our entire onboarding process,” said Jim Stanley, SHELTER, Inc.’s HR assistant and payroll specialist. “Now we can get new hires in here, give them the information they need, and get them out there helping clients much faster than we ever would using our old approach. And for use, that’s what it’s really all about."

For SHELTER, Inc., they have been able to save 60-70% of the time they once spent on onboarding tasks – a huge advantage and now they can spend on more important projects – such as the company’s overall mission. 

Remote Onboarding That Works for Everyone

By embracing remote onboarding solutions, any company can eliminate errors and inefficiencies, reduce compliance risks, and give its employees a more engaging – and more productive – onboarding experience. As these success stories show, remote onboarding can deliver a valuable win-win experience for new hires as well as their company and can even help turn onboarding into a valuable new competitive advantage. 

FAQs

What is remote onboarding? 

Remote onboarding is the process of hiring and integrating new employees into a company when they work remotely.  When effective, remote onboarding makes sure employees have the right tools, resources, and support needed to succeed. 

What does remote onboarding look like in practice? What does it include? 

Remote onboarding typically includes virtual orientation sessions, online training, digital paperwork, custom compliance forms, checklists, company information, and ongoing communication. All of this is designed to help new hires feel productive and productive from day one. 

What kind of technology is required to support remote onboarding?

Remote onboarding is easy, thanks to the right tools, such as tablets, mobile-friendly apps, and self-service kiosks that allow new hires to complete important paperwork, training, compliance forms, and other documentation from the field or anywhere outside of a traditional office setting. Additionally, specialized HR applications, such as HR Cloud’s Onboard solution, makes the process even easier by providing a seamless digital experience that keeps employees engaged and on track from day one. 

What are the benefits of remote onboarding?”

Remote onboarding processes make it easy for newly hired employees to complete paperwork, compliance forms, benefits information, training, and even team introductions from anywhere they happen to be. Remote onboarding helps reduce delays and eliminate potential issues that might derail their productivity.

Author:

This article is written by Jason Rasmuson in close association with HR Cloud. HR Cloud is a leading provider of proven HR solutions, including recruiting, onboarding, employee communications & engagement, and rewards & recognition. Our user-friendly software increases employee productivity, delivers time and cost savings, and minimizes compliance risk.