How to Improve the Onboarding Process – Department Communication

How to Improve the Onboarding Process – Improve Department Communication

Only 12% of employees believe that their organization did a great job at onboarding. With the time and energy spent introducing a new employee, that statistic is concerning. A great onboarding process is important; according to Gallup, “Organizations with a strong onboarding process improve new hire retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.”

If you’re like most companies, there is a great deal of room for improvement in the new employee onboarding process. In many cases, communication across departments is the issue preventing employees from having a great experience. If you’re wondering how to improve the onboarding process then start with communication between the departments and clear assignation of onboarding duties within each area.

While departments generally operate separately, they must communicate and share information to create a better onboarding experience and improve retention and productivity.

[Related: The Real Cost of a Bad Hire]

How to Improve the Onboarding Process in the Human Resources Department

Human resources is usually heavily involved in the early part of the onboarding process. They collect resumes, conduct interviews, and handle much of the paperwork. This department also handles certain information and processes directly after the job offer is extended and accepted, such as:

Covering the Employee Handbook
Ensuring Tax Forms are Filled Out and Filed
Collecting Payroll Information
Directing Employee Benefits

Human resources cover much of the basic and most critical parts of the onboarding process. This department can dramatically speed up the onboarding process by communicating and sharing some of it with other departments.

For instance, the IT department and direct managers can benefit from receiving information, such as name, email, and phone number to save significant time in their own duties during the onboarding process. Sharing this information will also improve the employee’s experience by preventing them from answering the same five questions multiple times.

Talk to Employer Support Services today to streamline onboarding and ensure a positive experience for your employees. We make onboarding easy for you and the new hire by providing and implementing an onboarding strategy that covers all necessary documentation and integrates with your systems, saving your company time and hassle.

[Related: Onboarding Remote Employees]

How to Improve the Onboarding Process in the IT Department

IT’s role in the onboarding process is extremely tangible and can greatly affect the new hire’s experience. The department usually sets up accounts and equipment for the new employee and ensures they can access all necessary systems. Often, the IT department needs to start from scratch with new employees, lacking even the most basic information.

For this part of the onboarding process to go smoothly, the IT employees need certain new hire information. Accounts for various programs and applications may need information, such as name, date of birth, employee identification number, address, phone number, email, and more.

Suppose the IT department does not have this information readily available. In that case, they have to wait and interview the new hire after they’ve already given this information to the HR department.

To improve the onboarding process, the IT department should identify what information they need for each new hire to set up accounts and share it with the HR department to provide the details. Requesting certain information and building it into the onboarding process can make it much more efficient and less cumbersome for everyone involved.

The IT department may also automate most of the setup if the company HRIS system and IT system are compatible for integration, saving more time. If you need an HRIS system that integrates with your company’s workflow and structure, contact ESS today. Our HRIS solution can reduce labor hours for HR and IT, saving time and money in data management.

How to Improve the Onboarding Process with Direct Managers

Direct managers can also learn how to improve the onboarding process by receiving shared information and sharing it back with the other departments. Managers usually integrate the new hire with the team and ensure job-specific responsibilities and processes are explained and followed. Managers should also consider developing a mentor relationship with employees while onboarding for better integration. According to a study conducted by Olivet Nazarene University, 76% of employees consider mentors important, but less than half have a mentor.

Managers should ask HR for relevant information such as experience, education, skills, and even interests that they can use to make a connection. If your company also does personality assessments, managers should request these results from HR to make managerial decisions regarding the new hire, such as teaching styles and providing feedback.

Managers can request account information from IT as well to help make sure the new employee has the access they need to complete their work. A basic checklist of accounts granted and equipment loaned will help managers know if the new hire has everything needed for the job.

Conducting regular check-ins with new hires and continuing to train and mentor them throughout the first year of their employment should be a top priority for managers. This will ensure the new employee is integrating into the company well.

While the average onboarding process is 29 days, according to Brandon Hall Group, The Booz Allen Hamilton study suggests the onboarding process should extend throughout the first year of employment. Extending onboarding will increase the retention rate and help new employees become more productive more quickly. Managers should report any concerns or problems back to HR throughout the onboarding year to be addressed and fixed for future hires.

Improve Onboarding with Department Integration

Make sure your onboarding process is cohesive across departments for better retention and productivity. Having onboarding solutions and technology is also vital for a better onboarding experience and more. Organizations with a dedicated onboarding solution report higher customer satisfaction, employee engagement, and higher revenue. To find a solution that works for you, and for additional tips in how to improve the onboarding process, contact Employer Support Services today.