Virtual Onboarding and HR Challenges
Virtual Onboarding
Virtual onboarding is an emerging concept of the HR function. It’s similar to the in-person onboarding process, except it’s done virtually using video conferencing tools, online resources, and webinars. Such an onboarding process successfully explains the terms of service to new employees with confidence.
Companies don’t work together for years on the same terms and conditions. In the changing environment, many companies are adopting virtual onboarding processes to continue working during the COVID-19 pandemic. New employees had to learn details about the company from colleagues who had been with the company for many years. With the remote onboarding process, companies are encouraging people to use online resources, webinars, and interactive sessions, which new employees can access from their laptops so they can refer to them at any stage of the onboarding process or journey to the business.
Source : (MindToolsVideos,2021)Source : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYbpEDYV4Dw
Impact of the Person Onboarding & Virtual Onboarding Model
Before the COVID pandemic, every organization used to do in-person onboarding for newcomers for the organization. During the pandemic & After this pandemic situation HR department has faced a lot of challenges for how to manage the onboarding process for their new blood. There are several benefits of both processes.
1. Cost
Traditional Onboarding : Additional costs for printing paperwork and training material, and hiring trainers.
Virtual Onboarding : Saves costs on printing and hiring trainers with all digital onboarding documents
2. Information security
Traditional Onboarding : Allows for more secure onboarding as all documents are physical files.
Virtual Onboarding : Compliant onboarding software keeps data secured.
3. Employee engagement
Traditional Onboarding : Company practices are document and presentation-based which do not provide engaging employee experiences.
Virtual Onboarding : Virtual onboarding provides video onboarding, interactive training, and personalized training content to boost employee engagement.
4. Effective Learning
Traditional Onboarding : Traditional instructor-led onboarding sessions expect employees to learn according to the trainer’s space
Virtual Onboarding : Virtual onboarding enables self-paced learning sessions for effective learning. It’s no secret that remote employees face fewer distractions than on-site employees. They don’t spend time having conversations or being interrupted by random discussions happening in the room. During remote onboarding, they can focus on the resources provided and get up to speed faster.
Challenges of the HR Department for the Virtual Onboarding
Virtual onboarding can be equally challenging for HR and remote employees. A lot of planning goes into creating a hassle-free process that saves time and energy for all parties involved.
1. Managing paperwork and documentation
Employee onboarding involves a lot of paperwork contracts, benefits, resources, and more. HR receives these documents via email and uploads them to the human resources management system. This is a hard task that HR must perform regularly.
In the case of remote onboarding, the situation is even worse. Remote employees sometimes forget to send some files and HR has to contact them again to find the missing files. It lengthens the document processing process.
2. Difficulty making employees feel comfortable
One of the most challenging parts of the virtual onboarding process is getting new employees comfortable. If employees can meet and interact with colleagues face-to-face, it will help new entrants understand the organizational culture more easily than if they interacted online. If the employee works virtually it is hard to evaluate and identify the employee's actions & reactions regarding the situation. Therefore an HR department should make necessary policies should be create the evaluate and monitor those.
3. Ensure with proper Communication with virtual Employees
HR remains very busy during the onboarding process. Every new employee comes to them with questions and queries. When many employees reached out to them at the same time, some employees did not receive timely help. Additionally, remote employees connect with HR via email or messaging tools, but they often miss these tools due to the sheer volume of administrative tasks.
4. Building the effective teamwork
An enterprise can achieve its best status only if its employees are harmonious and teamwork. This is one of the challenging parts of a company’s virtual onboarding process. The lack of contact between employees, the inability to understand each other, and the lack of harmony at work are quite important to the company's reputation. Without balance, teamwork, and relationships, companies tend to be less profitable than other companies because newly hired employees lack connections.
5. Minimize the GAP between manager & Virtual Employee
Another inevitable problem with virtual onboarding is the gap between newly hired employees and their managers. The process of adapting to a new company and new role becomes much easier for employees and managers when they see each other every day and interact from time to time. But it’s a different story with virtual onboarding. Interaction between new hires and managers is limited to video call sessions and meetings. It automatically reduces the qualifications for promotion due to the lack of direct observation of the new employee's progress in the job area.
Best Practices for overcome the Challenges of Virtual Onboarding
2. Meeting with new hires on often
During the onboarding process, managers need to communicate frequently with new employees. By doing this, new remote employees have full access to all necessary information. They can also learn what is expected of them and how to prioritize their work.
* Stay connected through instant messaging platforms like MS team or Organization create HRCOLUD service
* Schedule daily or weekly check-in meetings with newcomers.
3. Assigning the Mentors for New hires
Assigning a mentor to new employees can provide them with someone they can turn to for support.
In most cases, mentors are more accessible than their managers and can resolve smaller issues more quickly. Mentors can also help create social connections with new employees and get them integrated into the team faster.
4. Build teamwork and mutual support among new hires & current employees
Helping build strong bonds within an organization can enhance team cohesion. This can attract new and existing employees, improving retention and morale.
Providing a list of valuable colleagues that new hires should meet is a great way for them to start building important relationships.
5. Provide the Resources for Remote Work
Working remotely can leave new employees in the dark. There's a lot of room for confusion, especially since they can't step out of their office cubicles and ask their colleagues. When working remotely, issues take longer to be resolved. That's why you should provide resources.
HR department can help remote employees adjust to their new roles by providing the following resources:
* Employee Handbook
* Incorporate reading materials into your onboarding plan.
* Share company values and other organizational documents.
* Provide technology and tools before new employees are onboarded.
* Verify they have access to department files and accounts.
* Tip for improving the virtual onboarding process
Virtual Onboarding effect the Current HR Function & Emerging facts
By transforming the work pattern to a virtual or remote work style, the virtual environment leads the engaging the below-mentioned functions also. If they work in an office it will be monitoring and handling physically.
1. Virtual Empathy - This is personalized and customized and which focuses on the new employee's professional and personal needs, by identifying the new candidate's initial troubles and providing appropriate support or counseling for them as required.
2. Virtual Accountability - This is responsible for cascading the job duties to newly recruited employees by getting support from the team members. This should be communicated to employees and Monitoring should be do the HR department. (Varshney, 2022).
Example for Global Context practicing Virtual Onboarding (Berns,2023)
1. HubSpot - From 2020, they are fully remote working pattern practicing
2. Qualtrics
3. Vistaprint
4. Clearcover
5. Quartet Health
Conclusion
In the future of HR’s role in onboarding is likely to involve further customization and personalization to as required. Employers need to take a more personalized approach, acknowledging the unique needs and preferences of each new employee.Additionally, technology will play an important role in making the onboarding process more efficient and effective. Automated tools can streamline administrative tasks, allowing HR professionals to focus more on providing guidance and support to new hires. As remote work continues to shape the modern work environment, virtual onboarding platforms are also likely to become more common place.Organizations need to embrace innovation while never forgetting the importance of the human touchpoint in the HR team.
In my opinion, the onboarding process is crucial for new employees. It's their first step into the company, influencing productivity and retention rates. During onboarding, employees assess if they fit into the organization and their role. A positive experience enhances team efficiency. HR should ensure virtual onboarding makes employees feel like part of the team.
Many IT and project-based companies have a strategy to help virtual newcomers feel like they're part of the team. For instance, when someone joins, they often receive a Welcome Box containing company-branded items like T-shirts, handbooks, diaries, pens, and water bottles. These gestures make employees feel valued and welcomed by the organization. Eg: Sysco lab, Rootcode etc.
In the banking industry ' DFFC Bank Plc, First capital Holding Plc also have facilitated virtual onboarding facilities for their customers also.
References
Berns,Y(2021) 13 Companies Making
Remote Onboarding a Breeze.Available
at: https://www.comparably.com/news/13-companies-making-remote-onboarding-a-breeze/(Accessed 29 March 2024).
Cemex HRM Blog (2024) Remote
onboarding and training: How HR is successfully adapting to the needs of a
remote work environment.(Blog Entry) 15 February. Sri Lanka: Available at :https://cemexhrm.com/blog/2024/02/15/remote-onboarding-and-training-how-hr-is-successfully-adapting-to-the-needs-of-a-remote-work-environment/ (Accessed
29 March 2024).
Marketing.(2021) First Capital
first with digital onboarding for unit trusts, Govt. securities.(Online)
Sri Lanka. Available from: https://firstcapital.lk/2021/08/24/first-capital-first-with-digital-onboarding-for-unit-trusts-govt-securities/(Accessed
29 March 2024).
MindToolsVideos
(2021) Virtual Onboarding (Online
Video) Available from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DC5hE2lfp0Y
(Accessed 05 April 2024).
Witty,S.W.(2023) Tips to Improve Virtual
Onboarding for New Employees (Online Video) Available from: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JtmJDzFgkxI (Accessed
29 March 2024).
Varshney,D.(2022) Understanding Virtual Employee Onboarding (VEO): The New Normal Beyond: Emirati Journal of Business, Economics, and Social Studies. (Online),15-72, Available at: www.emiratesscholar.com (Accessed 31 March 2024).
The article provides a comprehensive understanding of onboarding, including how to implement it, the advantages and disadvantages, and strategies for the HR department to address the challenges. Regarding virtual onboarding, it is crucial to analyze it carefully. If the employee has the necessary infrastructure to work remotely, the article suggests following up with the employee after the virtual onboarding process to ensure a smooth transition.
ReplyDeleteOnboarding a remote employee is more challenging than doing it in-person. The goals, however, remain the same in the company. To help the employee get off to a fast start, build relationships, understand the culture, and recognize expectations. it will effect to employee feel comfortable to work and building trust of the team.
DeleteThis Traditional Onboarding: Allows for more secure onboarding as all documents are physical files... A good way of keeping data and information in an orderly manner .. actually this was an old practice but still worth it! i love the blog
ReplyDeleteAgree with you. Some of time its best for as HR person because if any legal case have may raised , need to the hard documents for provide as a evidence. Eg: Terminated of the service case, need provide the acknowledge service contract letter and proof of the employment documents. which could be depend on the cases , someone can provide email or e signature document but its wouldn't be necessary
DeleteNice Article. This clearly explains pretty much about everything. In my personal point of view, in the process of on-boarding, at least one step should be physical so that you can see the physical appearance of the person and if the person is a good fit for the organization. I am all in for inclusivity, yet certain job roles need specific physical abilities such as ability to walk, present yourself in a very presentable way, ability to handle heavy load etc.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your point Tharukshi. However, some organizations conduct background interviews and medical tests before extending a job offer. This means that while the employer can offer employment to candidates, the offer letter may specify that a compulsory medical test is required. Only if the candidate passes this test or is deemed to be in good condition will the job offer be finalized (* ....This job offer will be contingent upon recipt of result of a satisfactory physical examination designed solely to determine your physical ability to perform the duty of the position being offered to you)
DeleteAs you mentioned, at least having the employee report to the office helps identify the work environment they may belong to, which also contributes to building trust with the employer
Virtual onboarding has become increasingly prevalent in today's digital age, presenting both opportunities and challenges for HR professionals. While virtual onboarding offers the flexibility to onboard employees remotely, it also poses unique HR challenges that require innovative solutions to ensure a smooth and effective transition for new hires.
ReplyDeleteYes Nilalkshi, Its important fact to review and further explore.
DeleteVirtual onboarding has become increasingly prevalent in today's digital age, presenting both opportunities and challenges for HR professionals. While virtual onboarding offers the flexibility to onboard employees remotely, it also poses unique HR challenges that require innovative solutions to ensure a smooth and effective transition for new hires.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, talking to someone online isn't as good as talking to them in person. It's easier for misunderstandings or lack of clarity to happen when people don't use body language and talk to each other in real time. what you say thilini ?
ReplyDeleteSome agreeable points can be extended based on the environment and available facilities. In the context of virtual work models, if there's a need for social interaction with colleagues or team members, technology tools like video calls and conference calls with video options can be provided. It's important to consider and understand each other's emotions in these interactions.
DeleteVirtual onboarding with advantages and disadvantages - informative article,. In an era where remote work is increasingly prevalent, the integration of virtual onboarding platforms is not just a trend, but a necessity for modern organizations.
ReplyDeleteYes Arundathi agree with you point.
DeleteYour post highlights on the challenges and benefits of virtual onboarding. To improve it, suggest implementing frequent check-ins, appointing mentors, fostering teamwork, and providing abundant resources for remote work. Personalized methods and technological progressions will continue to shape the trajectory of onboarding.
ReplyDeleteYes Shan, assigning mentor is important to virtual onboarding process. Because remote worker's emotional feeling and expression, problem have occurred during work could not be monitor on spot. Therefore assigning the virtual buddy or mentor is important. if not employee will frustration of their work.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteInformative article on hot to overcome obstacles of onboarding remote employees
ReplyDeleteYes Kasun. thanks for comment
DeleteVirtual onboarding is a new way for HR departments to welcome employees, but it comes with some problems. This article explains the pros and cons of virtual onboarding versus traditional ways. It talks about how using digital tools can save money and keep information safe. But it also talks about how hard it is for HR to help new hires feel at home and part of the team when they're working remotely. To enhance the discussion, could explore innovative solutions to these challenges, such as virtual mentorship programs and comprehensive resource libraries for remote employees. Overall, this article serves as a comprehensive resource for understanding the complexities of virtual onboarding in today's evolving workplace landscape.
ReplyDeleteYes wasula. Thanks for comments
DeleteVirtual onboarding offers a practical and efficient way to integrate new employees into the organization, regardless of their location, while also leveraging digital technologies to enhance engagement, learning, and collaboration. By embracing virtual onboarding, employers can adapt to changing work environments, improve operational efficiency, and provide a positive onboarding experience for new hires. Highly informative article for tomorrow's world.
ReplyDeleteVery in-depth information! Virtual onboarding has become a crucial aspect of integrating new hires into an organization. Organizations should invest on user-friendly virtual onboarding platforms and ensuring all new hires have the necessary equipment which will enables a smooth onboarding experience. By leveraging the advantages of virtual onboarding, organizations can create a more inclusive, efficient, and engaging onboarding experience for new hire.
ReplyDeleteTraditional methods and virtual methods both are important when onboarding human resources to an organization. But yes, with integrating with new tools and methods, HR team can do proper onboarding process better than the traditional methods. Virtual onboarding is new trend that every organization is use and can obtain more benefits than traditional method
ReplyDeleteInsightful article about Virtual onboarding, Thilini! This article provides a lot of information about virtual onboarding, the challenges we may face and the best practices to overcome the challenges. The videos help to understand this more clearly! This has become the trend to onboarding in the transforming technological era.
ReplyDelete