Improving the HR Onboarding Workflow
For Human Resources and Talent Acquisition professionals, onboarding is one of the most critical touchpoints in the employee journey. A well-structured onboarding process ensures that new hires are equipped with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to succeed. Unfortunately, many organizations still rely on outdated and cumbersome processes, leading to a disjointed experience for new hires and a lot of unnecessary work for HR teams.
According to Glassdoor, a strong onboarding process can improve employee retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%. This statistic alone shows the direct impact an efficient onboarding workflow can have on an organization’s bottom line. A great onboarding experience can make the difference in how quickly a new employee can ramp up on their new role and how they stay at your company. So how can HR teams streamline onboarding to ensure success for both the new employee and the business?
Here are a few practical ways to optimize the onboarding workflow without introducing unnecessary complexity.
1. Digitize Documentation and Administrative Tasks
One of the simplest ways to improve your onboarding process is by digitizing and automating paperwork. Manual forms, redundant data entry, and in-person signature collection can easily be replaced with digital solutions. By using technology to automate these tasks, your team can save time and ensure documents are completed accurately.
Digital platforms like DocuSign, BambooHR, or similar tools can automate the collection of new hire paperwork, tax forms, and benefits enrollment, eliminating delays and reducing the chances of missing documents. These tools also provide an accessible way for employees to complete their tasks at their convenience, ensuring that administrative tasks don’t pile up on their first day and while providing easier access.
2. Implement a Structured Onboarding Timeline
Often, onboarding is treated as a “one-and-done” event. New employees are given a large volume of information on day one and left to figure things out on their own thereafter. A more structured approach—spreading onboarding over the first 90 days—provides a better experience for the new hire and ensures key tasks don’t slip through the cracks.
Create a phased onboarding schedule that breaks down key milestones for the employee’s first week, month, and quarter. This could include:
Week 1: Introduction to the team, company policies, and key tools they will use daily.
Month 1: Deeper integration into their specific role, establishing connections with cross-functional teams.
Month 2-3: Professional development opportunities and performance check-ins.
By using a timeline, HR teams can send automatic reminders to both managers and new hires, ensuring consistent follow-ups and timely check-ins.
3. Create a Centralized Onboarding Hub
A centralized onboarding hub can be a game-changer for both new hires, hiring managers and HR teams. Instead of sending an overwhelming flurry of emails and forms, create an online portal where all relevant information, training materials, and resources are easily accessible in one place.
This hub can include:
Preboarding tasks such as benefits selection and paperwork.
Introductory videos from leadership.
Access to the employee handbook, training materials, and FAQs.
Direct contact details for HR support.
This allows new hires to move through the process at their own pace while having a single point of reference for important information. Additionally, HR teams and hiring managers can track progress through the portal to ensure new employees are on track with their onboarding.
4. Use Feedback Loops to Improve Continuously
No onboarding process is ever perfect. It’s important to gather regular feedback from new hires and adjust your onboarding workflow accordingly. Simple feedback forms, anonymous surveys, or one-on-one check-ins can help HR teams identify pain points in the process and make data-driven improvements.
Some questions to consider when gathering feedback:
What aspects of onboarding were most helpful?
Were there any areas where they felt underprepared?
What ideas do you have to make the experience better?
How would they rate their overall onboarding experience?
By soliciting feedback from each new hire, you can adjust your processes in real-time and ensure continuous improvement.
6. Automate Follow-ups and Check-ins
Onboarding doesn’t end after the first week or even the first month. Regular check-ins at key milestones, such as the 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day marks, can help identify ongoing concerns or challenges. Automating these follow-ups ensures that managers and HR teams don’t overlook critical conversations and can address any issues early.
Tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams can also schedule automatic reminders for HR teams and managers, ensuring that feedback and follow-ups happen on time.
Conclusion
Optimizing the onboarding workflow is more than just a time-saver for HR professionals—it’s an opportunity to make a lasting impression on new hires and set them up for success. Onboarding is not a single event but an ongoing process that spans the employee’s early months at the company. With the right tools and a focus on continuous improvement, HR teams can create a seamless onboarding experience that benefits the organization and its newest members.
Source:
[1] Glassdoor, “Why Onboarding is Key to Retaining Employees,” 2018
