5 Key Features to Look For in HR Onboarding Software
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HR managers often find themselves sifting through various employee onboarding software platforms. Choosing the right one can take time and effort. Look for software that offers a user-friendly interface and automated task reminders. It should also keep onboarding documents 100% paperless and provide a central location for all documentation.
Keeping It Paperless
HR onboarding software automates workflows, making onboarding tasks self-service for new hires. This frees time for HR professionals to guide employees from one task to the next. Using HR onboarding software, HR pros can create automated workflows to automate the most common onboarding tasks, such as filling out forms, training modules, and setting personal goals. This saves valuable HR team time and reduces the risk of human error.
The right onboarding process can ignite connections and prepare employees to thrive. But this requires more than yesterday’s onboarding tools focused solely on maintaining compliance. It also means integrating onboarding with the devices your people already use.
User-Friendly Interface
The user experience is everything in software. Often, systems that come with an ATS or HR management suite are developed to meet the needs of HR teams rather than for the end-user (new hires). When choosing software for employee onboarding processes, look for an intuitive interface that makes day one easy for new employees. Ensure that it is easy for employees to access training materials at their own pace, track progress, and get help when needed.
The best HR onboarding software keeps paperwork to a minimum by pulling data from other systems so new hires never have to fill out duplicate forms. This allows for a more streamlined and effective process, reduced compliance risks, and more efficiency in the long run.
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Automated Processes
Automated processes save HR teams time and effort and boost new hires’ employee engagement. The software can take care of tedious documentation tasks, for example, signing contracts or organizing direct deposit information. Documentation is also stored in a centralized location, making it easy for everyone involved to find the right information quickly. New hires can track their onboarding progress on the software’s dashboard, which helps them stay on track and avoid delays. When a task is overdue, the system sends a reminder or provides an automated alert to ensure completion by the deadline. Automated onboarding tools also make it easy for managers and other HR staff to share relevant documents, links, and other resources. This streamlines the onboarding process and ensures that all employees are well-prepared for their first day at work.
Personalized Experience
New hires can take a week or more to get up to speed and connect to company culture. HR onboarding software can help make this process efficient and enjoyable by allowing employees to access their information online through an easy-to-navigate employee portal. It can also help speed up the collection of official paperwork by providing electronic signature capabilities for contracts and W-4s and by facilitating direct deposit information, emergency contact forms, and workplace policy acknowledgment documents. To ensure everything goes smoothly, look for an onboarding app that integrates with other HR tools like applicant tracking, reference checking, training assignments, custom workflows, trigger reminders, and secure digital storage. Consider a solution that offers onboarding features alongside tools for performance management and employee database management.
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Analytics
HR managers can use the analytics capabilities of employee onboarding software to review, measure, and analyze all aspects of their new hire orientation processes. If a specific function is struggling, it can give HR teams the insights they need to improve. The best employee onboarding software can also eliminate the need for paperwork by allowing new hires to sign contracts digitally and access centralized documents that are automatically uploaded into the system. This means a better experience for both new hires and HR professionals. Look for a software solution that integrates with your team’s tools at work. This will help reduce the learning curve and increase adoption rates. For example, a simple self-service portal that offers an employee database, a dynamic org chart, and a Frequently Asked Questions wiki can help your team quickly get up to speed.
