Human resources used to be a simple matter of hiring, a few days of training, and then sending employees off on their own. You probably kept files that reflected pay and promotions, benefits, and time off, but otherwise, it was pretty straightforward. Now, more companies have realized that recruiting, hiring, training, and retaining excellent staff requires a much more involved onboarding process. Fortunately, HR departments now have tech tools to streamline it all.
1. A Global Address List
One of the first steps you want to take when you bring in a new team member is to ensure they have access to everyone else in the company and anyone your company may work with. It can feel isolating and off-putting to enter a new place of work as the “new guy” and not have opportunities to reach out to others. Constantly chasing people down and asking for email addresses and phone numbers also wastes a ton of time and energy.
With a global address list, or GAL, your new employee will have access to everyone in your company as well as any vendors, distributors, or partners your employee can expect to work with. This way, your new team member can shoot off emails, make phone calls, and communicate freely and regularly. It’s the digital version of welcoming someone to the company and bringing them into the open circle, which is your team.
2. A Shared Calendar
An extension of the GAL is the shared calendar. The first few weeks on the job in any business can feel disorienting and frustrating. As a new employee, you struggle to make contacts and bonds, set meetings, and plan your days. Getting “your people to call my people” is impossible without some sort of centralized system in these days of hustle and bustle when your schedule can change on a dime.
For anyone in sales, marketing, human resources, management, or even executive assistance, a shared calendar is essential to a productive workplace, and it will be a game changer for new employees. Whether using Google, Microsoft Outlook, Calendar.com, or some other software, you’ll want to ensure everyone, including your new employees, is on board. Also, advise your new employees to ensure any other calendars they use will sync with the one at your company. That way, their availability will always be accurate.
3. Training Software
Seriously, there was a time when employees were virtually thrown to the wolves right after being hired. And companies wondered why performance levels were not optimal. New employees need to be trained well on how to do their jobs best and your company’s expectations. Of course, you don’t want that training to involve endless hours of watching boring VHS tapes in a dark room.
There are dozens of great training software applications to help your new employees learn on the job, check off segments, and get help when they need it. With systems like Docebo, iSpring Learn, and TalentLMS, the HR department can also track your employee’s progress. The best training software will allow your employees to engage in ongoing learning throughout their time with the company — a big part of employee retention and companywide success.
4. A Project Management App
Another critical part of onboarding is ensuring your new employee is logged in and knows how to use your project management application. In most companies, deadlines are a very real issue, and projects typically pass through several stages and several hands before reaching completion. It can be frustrating and cause serious delays to have any team member out of the loop, especially a new employee.
Whether you use Trello, ClickUp, Asana, or any other application, you’ll want to get your new team member credentialed and trained on how to use the dashboard. Also, make sure they are clear on the expectations that surround your project management app — how quickly they’re expected to deliver on their end of the project, who it goes to next, etc. The more thoroughly you prepare and train your new employees on these topics, the better they can perform.
5. Performance Management Software
Finally, one of the biggest failures many businesses, large and small, experience in terms of onboarding and employee retention involves leaving a team member in the dark. Employees want to know where they stand in their company, how they’re performing, what opportunities they have for advancement, and what they have to do to grow. Study after study has shown that employees want purpose, recognition, and advancement at work.
With performance management software, you can provide a clear pathway for every new employee from their first day on the job. You can utilize applications like Namely, Lattice, Paycor, and others to allow your employees to track their progress at work, set goals, and take advantage of career development tools. Simply by providing this software for your new employees, you’re letting them know you care about their future with the company.
Technology offers myriad benefits to businesses today, including targeting customers, analyzing strategies, and implementing campaigns. One of the greatest benefits is acquiring and keeping talented individuals who can contribute to the company’s mission, vision, and values. Thanks to the tech tools discussed here, among others, onboarding and retention can be a snap.
