A Guide to Employee Onboarding Software and Its Benefits
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The first weeks and months on a new job can be a whirlwind of paperwork, introductions, and information overload. But an effective onboarding experience sets the stage for employee engagement, productivity, and retention. Enter employee onboarding software – a powerful tool that streamlines the process, improves the new hire experience, and ultimately contributes to a thriving workplace.
The First Impression That Lasts: Why Effective Onboarding Matters
Onboarding or the initial weeks and months on the job are critical for new hires. An ineffective onboarding experience can lead to costly turnover, low morale, and missed opportunities.
The data, after all, is undeniable:
- With effective onboarding, organisations can achieve 82% higher retention
- Well-on boarded employees can achieve 50% productivity boost
- 31% of new hires quit within six months, often due to onboarding issues .
Furthermore 81% feel overwhelmed during onboarding and 31% of young workers (18-25) feel "lost" in their new roles . Both of these may have an effect on productivity and engagement.
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Finally, did you know that according to Harvard Business Review, 80% of employee turnover is the result of bad hire. Bad hires mean you need to hire again - a costly step that disrupts the workflow. Here’s what you need to know about The Cost of Onboarding a New Employee.
These statistics highlight a simple truth: investing in onboarding isn't optional. It's a strategic decision that impacts employee retention, productivity, and overall success. A well-crafted program with an employee onboarding software empowers new hires, reduces turnover, and sets the stage for long-term achievement.
What is an Employee Onboarding Software?
Employee onboarding software is an HR software designed to streamline the process of integrating new hires into an organisation. It replaces traditional manual processes with automated workflows, document management, and communication tools to ensure a smooth and efficient onboarding experience.
Do you need an onboarding guide? Here are some helpful reads:
Types of Employee Onboarding Software
There are various types of onboarding software, each catering to specific needs. They include:
- General Onboarding Platforms: These offer a comprehensive suite of tools to manage the several onboarding processes.
- Document Management Systems: These focus on securely collecting, storing, and managing employee documents like contracts, tax forms, and ID proofs.
- Learning Management Systems (LMS): These facilitate online training and course delivery for new hires, covering company policies, job-specific knowledge, and compliance requirements.
- Background Screening Software: This specialised software automates background checks on potential employees, verifying their credentials, criminal records, and employment history. Background checks are a critical step in the hiring and onboarding process and should never be skipped to ensure the safety and security of your workplace.
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Ways to Use Onboarding Software
There are a few approaches to using onboarding software:
- You can opt for a single platform that covers multiple onboarding needs. This simplifies management and ensures a consistent experience for new hires.
- Alternatively, your team can choose different software for specific functions, tailoring the onboarding experience to your unique requirements. For example, you may have one software for background checks, another one for document collection, etc.
- Regardless of your approach, ensure that the chosen software integrates seamlessly with your existing HR systems and tools. This eliminates data silos, ensures scalability, reduces manual work, and ensures a smooth flow of information throughout the onboarding process.
Key Features of Employee Onboarding Software
Modern employee onboarding software is designed to streamline and enhance the entire new hire experience. Here are the essential features that transform onboarding from a daunting task into a seamless journey:
Automated Paperwork and E-Signatures
Say goodbye to mountains of paperwork and endless signatures. Many software platforms now provide digital forms, automated routing, and secure e-signatures to simplify the collection and management of vital employee information.
Seamless Integration with HR Systems
Integrating employee onboarding software with your existing HR systems eliminates redundant data entry and ensures a smooth transition for new hires.
As background checks are a crucial step in the onboarding process, consider outsourcing the background verification to a service provider that has a fully-automated system. Trusted by the world’s best workplaces, Veremark checks are 100% automated - moreover, our award-winning software seamlessly integrates into your existing workflow.
Task Management and Progress/Compliance Tracking
Stay on top of the onboarding process with centralised task management. Track the progress of each new hire, ensuring all necessary steps are completed, and maintain compliance with legal and company-specific requirements.
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Customisable Onboarding Workflows and Checklists
Tailor the onboarding experience to fit your company's unique culture and structure. Create personalised workflows and checklists to guide new hires through their individual journeys, ensuring they receive the right information at the right time.
New Hire Portals for Self-Service
Empower new hires with self-service portals. Many platforms provide a centralised hub for accessing onboarding materials, completing tasks, connecting with colleagues, and accessing company resources.
Learning Management System (LMS) Integration
Integrate employee onboarding software with your LMS to deliver training modules, courses, and quizzes directly to new hires. This fosters continuous learning and development from the very beginning.
Automated Notifications and Reminders
Keep everyone on track with automated notifications and reminders. These ensure that both new hires and relevant team members are aware of upcoming tasks, deadlines, and important information.
Bonus Features to Consider
- Social Connection Tools: Foster camaraderie and belonging with social connection tools that enable new hires to connect with colleagues, mentors, and teams.
- Goal-Setting Modules: Encourage early engagement by incorporating goal-setting modules into the onboarding process. Help new hires define their objectives and align them with company goals.
- Performance Feedback Integration: Facilitate early performance conversations by integrating performance evaluation tools. Provide new hires with timely feedback and support to ensure a successful start.
- Analytics and Reporting: Gain valuable insights into your onboarding process with analytics and reporting features. Identify areas for improvement, track new hire progress, and measure the effectiveness of your onboarding program.
4 Benefits of Using Onboarding Software
Depending on the features that your employee onboarding software offer, your organisation may be able to:
Streamline the process and reduce administrative burden
With an effective employee onboarding software, your team can automate repetitive tasks, such as sending out forms, checking if they are complete, and doing constant check-ins.
You can even eliminate most of the paperwork and free up your HR team to focus on strategic initiatives and building relationships with new hires.
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Improve compliance and accuracy of the processes
Many of the steps in onboarding can have legal implications when done incorrectly or incompletely. For example, unsigned consent for background checks can put your organisation in the centre of a legal battle.
The good news is platforms, such as Veremark automate the entire process, reducing mistakes and ensuring that you’re getting the information in ways that are compliant to the relevant laws.
Accelerate new hire integration
Welcome new employees with a personalised, engaging, and informative process that fosters a sense of belonging, boosts morale, and increases productivity from day one.
This not only helps them acclimate better to your company culture, but may also reduce their time-to-productivity.
Gain valuable insights from the software
Track onboarding progress in real time, identify bottlenecks, gather feedback from new hires, and make data-driven adjustments to optimise the onboarding experience and drive long-term employee success.
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Choosing the Best Employee Onboarding Software
Employee onboarding software can significantly streamline this process, but selecting the right one requires careful consideration. Here are some things to consider:
- Company Size and Industry: The scale of your business and the specific industry you operate in will influence the type of onboarding software best suited for your needs.
- Specific Onboarding Needs: Identify your organisation's unique onboarding requirements, such as improving compliance, role-specific orientations, or cultural integration.
- Budget: Determine a realistic budget for the onboarding software, taking into account potential long-term costs like subscriptions and upgrades. Veremark offers a pay-as-you-go model, so you only need to order the checks you need. No lock-in period or long-term contract requirement.
- Integration with Existing Systems: Ensure the chosen employee onboarding software seamlessly integrates with your existing HR systems, payroll software, or learning management platforms.
- User-Friendliness and Customer Support: Prioritise user-friendly interfaces and responsive customer support to maximise adoption and minimise disruptions.
- Scalability: Choose a solution that can scale alongside your business growth, accommodating an increasing number of new hires and evolving onboarding processes.
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Tips for Evaluating Vendors
Demo the Software
Request a software demonstration from potential vendors to assess its features, usability, and suitability for your needs.
Read Reviews
Research online reviews and testimonials from other businesses to gauge the software's effectiveness and customer satisfaction.
Check References
Contact references provided by the vendor to gain firsthand insights into their experience with the software and the vendor's support.
Choose the Best Talents, Improve Retention Rates with Veremark
Efficient onboarding is essential for a smooth transition and long-term success of new hires. But manual processes can be time-consuming and error-prone. To transform your hiring and onboarding process, consider going fully-automated.
Veremark background checks are 100% automated. Our award-winning software is trusted by leading companies worldwide. With comprehensive and accurate information, ensure compliance, streamline workflows, and enjoy unparalleled support, all without long-term contracts or lock-in periods. Discover how Veremark can transform your HR operations – get started today.
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FAQs
Employee onboarding software streamlines the onboarding process, making it more efficient and less time-consuming for both HR teams and new hires. It also helps create a positive first impression, leading to increased employee engagement and retention.
Employee onboarding software comes in various types, including general onboarding platforms, document management systems, learning management systems (LMS), and background screening software. Each type caters to specific onboarding needs, and you can choose one platform or combine different solutions.
Consider your company's size, industry, budget, and specific onboarding needs. Look for software that integrates with your existing systems and offers a user-friendly interface with reliable customer support.
Yes, many employee onboarding software solutions include features that help ensure compliance with labour laws and industry regulations. This can include automated document collection, e-signature capabilities, and tracking of required background checks, training and certifications.
FAQs
This depends on the industry and type of role you are recruiting for. To determine whether you need reference checks, identity checks, bankruptcy checks, civil background checks, credit checks for employment or any of the other background checks we offer, chat to our team of dedicated account managers.
Many industries have compliance-related employment check requirements. And even if your industry doesn’t, remember that your staff have access to assets and data that must be protected. When you employ a new staff member you need to be certain that they have the best interests of your business at heart. Carrying out comprehensive background checking helps mitigate risk and ensures a safer hiring decision.
Again, this depends on the type of checks you need. Simple identity checks can be carried out in as little as a few hours but a worldwide criminal background check for instance might take several weeks. A simple pre-employment check package takes around a week. Our account managers are specialists and can provide detailed information into which checks you need and how long they will take.
All Veremark checks are carried out online and digitally. This eliminates the need to collect, store and manage paper documents and information making the process faster, more efficient and ensures complete safety of candidate data and documents.
In a competitive marketplace, making the right hiring decisions is key to the success of your company. Employment background checks enables you to understand more about your candidates before making crucial decisions which can have either beneficial or catastrophic effects on your business.
Background checks not only provide useful insights into a candidate’s work history, skills and education, but they can also offer richer detail into someone’s personality and character traits. This gives you a huge advantage when considering who to hire. Background checking also ensures that candidates are legally allowed to carry out certain roles, failed criminal and credit checks could prevent them from working with vulnerable people or in a financial function.
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