An effective onboarding process is a huge difference-maker in keeping top talent — and keeping them engaged — or losing them to competition that understands job satisfaction begins on Day 1.
Onboarding is increasingly being automated. That’s fine to a point, as it relieves stress on HR and increases efficiency. In today’s remote and hybrid work world, it makes sense to automate tedious tasks such as HR paperwork. Initial training and introduction to corporate culture can be handled by on-demand videos.
However, incorporating too much technology into the onboarding process can be risky. According to a survey by Glean, an AI-powered platform that allows employees to seamlessly search across all apps used at a company, the largest group of workers say their employers fall short during the beginning stages of the employee experience. Out of the 2,000 hybrid and remote office workers surveyed, 81% admitted to feeling overwhelmed with information during the onboarding process, and 69% said they didn’t know how to find the necessary information when starting their current job.
Respondents to the survey reported using an average of 11 applications and platforms in their day-to-day work. An employee searches for documents or information an average of 35 times per week. Most employees, the survey reports, spend a median 13 minutes looking for what they need before asking for help.
“There is an increasingly large number of tools that companies are using,” says Arvind Jain, founder and CEO of Glean. “Overload is universal, people are struggling, and newer workers are finding it very hard to onboard.”
Effective onboarding can be accomplished when much of the process is automated, but maintaining a human connection is essential. Building trust requires developing authentic relationships.
“It all starts with awareness of employee needs,” Jain said. “Business environments are increasingly complicated — companies will always have more data and more tools over time. Employers need to not only build tools that make it easy to stay connected to information, but also bring people together and build relationships.”
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