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    7 Steps to Creating a Virtual Employee Onboarding Program

    July 6, 2021

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    virtual employee onboarding
    Darwinbox
    Written By
    Darwinbox
    Topic
    Onboarding

    In the age of technological reform, more businesses employ the best practices of digitalization to streamline operations. The use of software for hiring is among the top use cases for the technology. You may be utilizing the best applicant tracking system to shortlist candidates for your organization. You can use the latest digital tools to streamline documentation. But if your employee onboarding program isn’t equally as efficient, the first impression doesn’t last long. 

    Recruiters are also tasked with preparing for onboarding new employees by the organization. After all, your priority is to get the recruits interested in the company, and a virtual onboarding program might just do the trick. Even after you’ve briefed them about the job, there’s still plenty of work to formalize their appointment.

    Thanks to the feature-rich properties of Darwinbox, the best HR management software, we can offer you deep insights into the virtual employee onboarding program. In this post, we will cover 7 steps to creating and engaging your virtual employee onboarding.

     

    • Background verification is important.

    Before we jump into the meat of the matter, the first pointer focuses on choosing the right employees. Although an applicant tracking system can provide an in-depth study on each of the candidates, the shortlisted candidates usually come in based on their merit. It’s not likely that all the background verification and formalities are completed on the commencement of the virtual onboarding program. However, when onboarding new employees, you have to consider that the policy applies to everybody. It doesn’t make sense to introduce somebody to the company and then dismiss them when an issue arises with the background verification. This is a serious issue that inconveniences employees and adds extra costs to the company.

    Using the cutting-edge and structured background verification tools of Darwinbox, you can monitor the visibility of your candidate’s information and match it with the vendors who conduct background checks. With control over the status of each candidate, you can make a more informed decision before onboarding new employees. And if there’s any doubt that goes unresolved, there’s ample time to take the proper steps before onboarding.

     

    • Digital offer letters

    Digital offer letters are a ticket for virtually onboarding new employees. You have to give them something concrete to talk about besides the company values and committed work ethic. The offer letter will serve as a talking point during their first formal interaction with various company stakeholders. Some of the employees may have to run through their contract once again before signing it personally. 

    With Darwinbox, your documentation process is streamlined with automated messages like welcome emails and fun content that keeps them engaged. You can easily manage all the employee assets on a single interface to make things much more manageable.

    Even if you forget a recruit's name, your dashboard will never let you down.

    • Make the most of e-onboarding in advance.

    Once the early documentation process is complete, you now know what to expect from future recruits. Now it’s about getting them together to attend the virtual onboarding program that formally introduces their new role. The HR managers and operations team should have all the information available about recruits. Besides sharing the company goals and values with them, knowing their persona can complement the virtual meeting. With the right tools to start the onboarding process online, you can schedule the appointment at the best time and know in advance how to address the number of new candidates.

    The virtual onboarding process may be filled with questions, clarifications, and the fun exchange of ideas. While the organization is ready with material, you have to ensure that candidates also come prepared. A personalized message with the meeting link sent the evening before is one example of kicking things off the right way. You can take it a step further with an introductory form that invites their opinions on a particular topic, which can be used as a talking point later.

     

    • Emphasis on transparent business objectives

    Part of onboarding new employees is to give them a clear idea of the company’s expectations. The process of doing so should be friendly enough to prompt more questions and create a space for ideas. Especially when you’re utilizing a virtual mode of communication, your words are that much more important. A well-organized flow of ideas will ensure that the point comes across effectively and that employees are engaged with the common objectives. Your business’s offering to employees is directly related to its objectives. Thus, transparency counts.

    One way of ensuring that all your data is in place for the onboarding program is to use a centralized dashboard with easy access to different information. The internet is vast, and if you explain ideas using a web browser, it may lead to confusion. A custom dashboard with easily accessible presentations, files, organization data, and employee profiles will save time, effort and improve your business credibility. When you start a relationship on good terms, you provide ample space for questions, and solutions are provided. 

    Using Darwinbox, data from any candidate’s profile can be matched with different fields in your documentation process. As you learn more about the candidate, you can simultaneously get the rigorous job done easily.

     

    • Bring technology into focus on day one.

    Since everybody in the virtual onboarding program is already using technology to communicate, it’s time to step things up. When you educate your recruits about the role of technology in your company, be sure to give them practical exposure. A fun demo about company resources and tools used can be an excellent start to onboarding new employees. Maybe bring in a few questions about commonly used software in your line of work. Talk about innovative ways to work from home or even best practices of collaborating using technology. By bringing technology into focus, you are creating a work culture that drives your core objectives forward.

    Maybe explain to recruits how and why they were considered for the job and how technology helped streamline the entire process. Emphasize the importance of sharing ideas to grow together. To ensure that your data is accurate when dealing with recruits, you can use the onboarding reports generated on your dashboard with a status of your onboarding process efficiency. 

     

    • Get the hiring manager into the discussions.

    The relationship between employees and their hiring manager never fades. It’s a relationship that begins before onboarding new employees, and it lasts throughout their tenure at your company.  A good idea to ease the tension of work-related discussions is to bring the people behind recruitment into focus. Employees get to interact with the person that decided their fate. For the hiring manager, it’s good to meet the people she has chosen for the organization finally. Make the most of the virtual onboarding program by giving credit to the main context. People are excited to join the company, and your hiring manager will be responsible for their success in the future.

    Establishing solid ties from day one is one way to assure a workplace culture built on trust and value. For an added advantage, you can use the onboarding reports generated on your dashboard with the status of your onboarding process efficiency. A more efficient onboarding process is usually attributed to the new company’s value generated for the recruits.

     

    • Asking for feedback sets the tone for future interactions.

    Another important aspect of onboarding new employees is to consider their opinions important. Besides providing new insights into your company culture, they also give you valuable data on improving the onboarding process. Nobody likes listening to people who think they know it all, especially for extended periods over smartphones or computers. 

    Ask for feedback after every presentation and keep the conversation going with attendees. Rope in your colleagues for fun discussions and take the pressure off the rigorous work schedule of the future. In fact, by creating a feedback mechanism between recruits and the organization, you encourage a culture of continuous learning. Even if you have the most robust HR management software, the culture of learning is truly people-centric.

    Step up the HR management game!

    Darwinbox offers added features to personalize employee management within an organization, making it an effective HR management solution. The software suite is power-packed with ways to bolster HR operations, from screening applicants to onboarding new employees. Custom apps, leave registers, attendance monitoring, payroll management, and with everything you need in one place, colleagues can focus on forming stronger relationships with each other. The pivotal focus for end-to-end human resources management software is to reduce the workload on employees and increase the scope for better conversations and best practices that nurture each other’s growth. The growth of your future employee begins with the first interaction with your company, and recruiters and HR executives need the right tools to make the best decisions.

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