COVD-19 has forced us all to leave our comfort zone.
Nearly half of the American workforce was working remotely in June of 2020. The initial optimism regarding a gradual return to office work has proven premature; with 2021 a mere few weeks away, only 17.6% of U.S. workers have returned to the office.
How about new employees? How are they affected by all of this?
Well, with 88% of employees stating before the pandemic that their employers did not provide them with a productive onboarding program, it’s safe to say that this has not been an easy time for them.
New employees’ challenge in 2020-2021 is twofold:
They have to join a new company and team, and they have to do so under circumstances that few would deem ‘ideal’.
Luckily, there are solutions that were developed specifically for this purpose:
Streamlining the process of onboarding workers and ensuring they start their tenure at your company on the right foot.
Why employee onboarding platforms are crucial
Employee onboarding is characterized by extremes:
It improves productivity by 70%, yet is underutilized in 76% of modern companies.
69% of employees are likely to stay with a company following an efficient onboarding process, yet 88% of workers state that their employer failed at providing one.
With a proven value add, it’s clear that companies should be implementing strategic employee onboarding plans. So why are so many failing to do so?
A lot rests on a manager’s shoulders. 70% of a successful onboarding process is due to a manager’s skill-set…and willingness to participate. But, with 69% of managers viewing this process as time-consuming, it is clear they need some help.
That’s where employee onboarding solutions come in.
Virtually ensuring higher time-to-productivity rates, good employee onboarding platforms increase accountability across the board, by tracking the hires and the information they consume. By and large, this reduces their ramp time, due to a major dip in time to proficiency rates (which is a good thing!).
Employee onboarding software really proves its weight in gold when it comes to compliance issues. Physical meetings are no longer a primary channel of communication (at least for the foreseeable future); a lot can be lost or glossed over (or plainly fall through the cracks) when employees only speak to HR personnel and their own manager infrequently and through disjointed channels (Slack, Zoom etc.). With best-in-class onboarding software, you see to it that new hires are informed of all company policies, rules and regulations, no matter where they are conducting their onboarding.
Video and employee onboarding software: A match made in heaven
Most ‘new employee checklists’ start with enabling a new hire to communicate with his or her manager.
In other words, creating an account so that an employee can use the company’s video conference platform.
Now, more than ever, it’s critical to ensure that new hires can meet their manager via video call. Whether you use Zoom, RingCentral Meeting, Google Meet, Flock or Microsoft Teams, it’s imperative your employee’s account is set and ready to go from day 1.
Video’s role within employee onboarding goes far beyond enabling meetings. With the proper video hosting tool, HR teams can empower organizational experts to impart advice and tips without even leaving their browser tab.
Videos can be added to a variety of dynamic galleries and layouts. Companies that really want to provide their new employees with an immersive learning experience (one that is highly conducive to efficient employee onboarding) can create Netflix-like video environments. Cincopa Video Channels are a great example of that. Once created, Channels can be embedded within employee onboarding platforms, accentuating the latter’s effect.
Infusing the onboarding process with video through best-in-class video solutions is effective in that it is measurable. With robust analytics, you can see exactly how much of each video an onboarding employee watched and the parts she or he skipped. Later, you can ‘nudge’ your new hire to go back and watch the video/s she or he passed on.
What are the top 5 employee onboarding solutions?
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BambooHR
If you want a considerable return on investment in the form of smooth employee onboarding, BambooHR is your answer. Renowned for its UI, BambooHR provides onboarding employees with a smooth, intuitive and easy to use interface.
Geared primarily toward small and medium businesses, BambooHR helps streamline the entire onboarding process, including recruitment; from applications to first-day orientation.
BambooHR enables desligating administrator roles to more than just one user and provides a slew of cool features, such as inactive employee management. iOS and Android users can enjoy BambooHR’s mobile app.
BambooHR’s affordable plans also make it possible for managers to call to action the need for applicant tracking, e-signatures, and employee self-service.
To access the onboarding features, you’ll have to opt for the second of BambooHR’s two subscription packages (i.e. the Advantage package). The price for the Advantage package is $8.25 per month.
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Lessonly
A cloud-based LMS (learning management system), Lessonly is used to onboard customer service personnel, sales reps and HR employees.
Unlike BambooHR, Lessonly caters primarily to enterprises, boasting customers such as McAfee, SalesLoft and Bynder.
Companies can create automatic workflows, nullifying the need for trainers to push out training content. Its self-proclaimed ‘crown jewel’ is its automated onboarding tracking feature. The latter will show you precisely whether or not a new hire is really absorbing what he or she should be.
Lessonly enables users to leverage their webcam and rehearse real-life customer interactions. Managers and teammates can then provide critical feedback on their delivery. Finally, Lessonly allows for companies to customize training material to fit their brand’s unique aesthetic.
Lessonly offers 4 subscription plans:
- Basic- covers up to 20 users and costs $300 per month
- Plus- covers up to 75 users and costs $750 per month, in addition to a one time $1000 onboarding fee.
- Growth- covers up to 200 users and costs $1250 per month, in addition to a one time $2000 onboarding fee.
- Enterprise- If you need to onboard more than 200 employees, this plan’s for you. Prices are customized according to specific companies’ needs.
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WorkBright
Right off the bat: If you envision mobile phones as playing a central, even primary role for employee onboarding, WorkBright is probably the right choice for you. Even before their first day, employees can upload images of licenses and certifications, securely completing and sending any and all documents leading up to day one.
WorkBright will process tasks new hires have yet to complete and send emails out to them, encouraging them to pick up the slack. The platform’s API integrates seamlessly with other complementary software. This can prove beneficial when you synch WorkBright with payroll systems.
WorkBright’s offers seven pricing tiers. Depending on the number of employees you need to onboard, you’ll be paying anywhere between $158 to $3609 per month.
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ClearCompany
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ClearCompany offers three features: Applicant tracking, employee performance management and, of course, employee onboarding. You can choose to subscribe to each feature individually or opt for a three-headed, comprehensive solution.
ClearCompany is considered very user friendly. Given that it caters mostly to small and medium sized businesses, ClearCompany’s intuitive functionality may prove to be its strongest selling point.
Every new hire will have access to a personalized portal he or she can use to access company documents and information. The first day becomes far less daunting; both for the new hire and his or her manager.
ClearCompany’s intuitive dashboard also allows managers to inject insights throughout the onboarding cycle. Companies can also customize ClearCompany, depending on their needs
ClearCompany’s prices vary according to a company’s needs and number of uses.
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Paycor
An integrated Human Capital Management (HCM) platform, Paycor can be used for a variety of use cases; namely, extensive recruitment, human resources, payroll solutions and onboarding.
Along with BambooHR, Paycor is a go-to for small and medium businesses looking to revamp their employee onboarding practices. As such, its interface is very intuitive; it is clear that a lot of thought was put into the design and flow, and new hires are likely to appreciate that.
It’s important to note that employee onboarding is only available to those who subscribe to Paycor’s more extensive packages.
With these plans, employees can access necessary onboarding documents, such as, direct deposit details, and I-9 forms. This plan also offers the opportunity to integrate with the work opportunity tax credit (WOTC) program.
You can access Paycor’s employee onboarding features starting at $149 a month.
