Building and developing an efficient team at your company involves more than just identifying, recruiting and hiring the best talent. It also involves motivating and retaining that talent. Most companies place a premium on the first half of this equation but fall far short on the second half once an employee is hired. It is imperative that a company recognize the need to effectively “onboard” their new recruits.
Traditional On Boarding
“Onboarding” employees entails properly orienting to the company culture and adequately training them to accomplish the goals of the company according to the company’s policies. It is a delicate but incredibly important process and it can spell the difference between an excellent employee retention rate and a merely average one. Consequently, it can also have a dramatic effect on the bottom line.
Many companies are simply resigned to losing one in four employees as they feel it is the nature of the beast. Others, however, have not embraced this fallacy and taken proactive steps to improve this metric. Most companies can easily monetize the cost of hiring a new employee, but they do not recognize the subsequent costs associated with not training them properly. In addition to subpar efficiency that affects the topline, there is the opportunity cost of lost sales and the further cost of hiring a replacement once the old employee has left.
Benefits of Efficient Onboarding
A standardized method for onboarding new employees will obviously produce a more knowledgeable associate for the company. This properly trained employee will be more efficient at standard company tasks, will provide superior customer service and, most importantly, will have a sense of comfort and be less likely to leave.
The benefits of a well-designed and implemented onboarding process cannot be overstated and they apply to the employee as well as the company. Proper training and a predetermined set of milestones allows both the employee and management to know where they stand.
On Boarding with an HRIS System
In the past, companies used employee handbooks and training seminars to try to accomplish the onboarding process. The advance of technology and the advent of the Internet now allow companies to provide this information and training on an individualized basis. The new hire does not have to wait for a class or instructor and can be given much of the important information and training through an online resource. In short, with an HRIS system, every new hire is brought “up to speed” in the most expeditious and complete manner possible.
Another important advantage of onboarding through an HRIS is that the procedures, once customized to the particular company, can be monitored, gate kept and enforced by the system automatically. All new hires need certain documentation to fulfill company and governmental requirements. A well designed onboarding system can place the new employees on hold while background and drug testing is performed. No more will an unsuitable employee fall through the HR cracks because a manager needs a “warm body.” Similarly, the proper training processes can be enforced. Advanced training modules can simply be kept unavailable until the new hire completes the more basic ones.
The Cost of Onboarding
The implementation of an HRIS system to help onboard new hires is not without cost and the money will need to be allocated from somewhere. This situation is exacerbated by the fact that many companies do not budget for any onboarding costs at all.
The cost of a new HRIS system should, instead, be compared to the costs of repeatedly having to find and train new employees who do not last long enough to even cover their initial hiring and training costs. The simple expedience of retaining employees for more than a year should more than cover any costs associated with a newly implemented HRIS system for onboarding. Furthermore, the HRIS can be expanded to include other HR functions more dependably and cost efficiently.
A Final Word
Every manager knows when they have found a gem of an employee and are disappointed when that employee fails to meet expectations or unexpectedly departs for regions unknown. It is not always the fault of the employee that they did not fit into the company culture. Be sure that your company is doing all that it can to make the onboarding process as easy and comfortable as possible. The rewards will be less aggravation, less work and a significantly improved bottom line.
About the Author
Anthony Kelly is a frequent contributor to compareHRIS.com and PEOcompare.com, with each site offering visitors the option to compare and review information to find the right PEO, HR or payroll service provider for their particular business needs.