What is Digital On-boarding?
Digital onboarding, in the last few years, has gained tremendous popularity. Many companies whether big or small are incorporating technology and policies to introduce and adapt to a digital onboarding process for their new hires. Digital onboarding allows companies to streamline employee onboarding by handling the required paperwork and training them online and allowing them to focus on the more strategic aspects of the process. It can be critical for remote employees who may not be living near the company location where the onboarding typically takes place. With a growing percentage of the workforce working remotely, this has become an important consideration for employers. It is a seamless process that allows employers and employees to have a flexible working model and a win-win scenario for both. The key is developing a digital onboarding program that engages employees, encourages them to seek out more information, and helps them develop the skills they’ll need to succeed. After all, a successful onboarding process has the potential to increase talent retention by a staggering 82% (source: Human Capital Institute).
How can organizations benefit from Digital Onboarding and Training?
- Less manual work and more efficiency: With paperwork made digital, the need for paperwork is minimum or near-zero and this means less room for human error. Electronic forms can be filled out quickly, electronically signed, and turned in before employees even step foot in the office. Digital onboarding platforms help companies save costs on expensive HR paperwork, integrate HR platforms like payroll, ERP, HRIS, etc. to make life simpler for your staff. More importantly, they make onboarding — easier and more exciting — for new employees.
- Enhanced compliance: With limited or no manual intervention, a huge benefit of going digital is that it can help you with increased compliance related to financial information, including their address, Social Security number, banking information, and withholding information. A manual error can easily cause non-compliance and penalties.
- It can potentially be cost-saving: Digital onboarding requires less in-person training time and less time spent in getting the information from new employees. Also with minimum paperwork and branding, an organization can reduce a significant amount of production costs.
- It’s more personal and engaging: By eliminating hours spent on going through paperwork, recruiters can spend more time having personal discussions about an organization’s culture and dynamics. Recruiters can focus on familiarizing the employees by discussing their roles and responsibilities, talk about team structures, and introduce them to their co-workers. It also provides the opportunity to easily track the progress and status of the training since it’s all in front of you online. With digital onboarding, organizations can incorporate interactive videos to engage with new employees. Videos and visuals are known for living an impression in people’s minds and as most of the organizations are dealing with millennial, there’s a good chance they’ll remember the maximum of what recruiters have presented. Moreover, the experience is something that’ll differentiate the organization from standard procedures and create a lasting impression. Engaged employees are in reality happy employees and happy employees in all probability produce their best possible work. This journey to happiness and increased efficiency starts on day one.
How has Coforge BPS digitally transformed their onboarding and training process?
Coforge BPS has a Digital Onboarding model which is especially useful in situations like the current pandemic, where movement may be restricted, and for other such Business Continuity Management situations. Our approach has been in sync with positive outcomes for our employees and clients. As a proactive approach, we have taken various initiatives for a smooth transition into virtual onboarding and have dedicated a huge resource base for the same. Based on client approvals, a large number of process ready laptops and systems to be handed over to current and new employees is available for mobilization. A fully functionally remote IT support team is also available 24 hours via hotline.
In the case of a new joiner, an IT representative visits the residence to handover a process ready laptop or ships a machine to them, with an induction module, and for completing the necessary paperwork. On the day of the joining, the employee is added to an online call where they are greeted by the HR Point of Contact and taken through the entire joining process. The goal is to provide end to end support to our current employees and potential new joiners. Digital onboarding at Coforge BPS is structured and strategic, rather than administrative, with more focus on people rather than paperwork.
In conclusion, Digital onboarding is the way of the future, it not only improves employee engagement but also paves a way for connection across businesses if the adequate collaboration and communication tools are put in place. Along with flexibility, it allows for an increased scope of navigation through unprecedented circumstances and aids in an effective application of a business continuity plan. For more information about Coforge BPS, reach us at CoforgeBPS@coforge.com.
