Blog | 30 August 2021
Digital onboarding – hur funkar det?
It's time for a new employee to come on board. Today's workplace looks different than it did just a few years ago. Most people are sitting at home in front of their screens, including your new employee. How do you ensure a good company experience and introduction to the workplace when everything is digital?
There are three main areas that we think you should consider. It's about having a clear strategy, a really good digital platform and the human touch.
A clear strategy
As with many things, a good onboarding process starts with a strategy. Waiting a few days for your new phone, not getting your intranet login details or missing out on the invitation to all those fun chat threads is not a great start.
So form a strategy and think about all the practical things that need to be in place. And then the theoretical: what should the person know and when? Communicate regularly with your new employee, and feel free to send out information from time to time. Perhaps you send a welcome pack in the post with a few bits and pieces? That way, you'll be remembered as an employer – and the first day at the new job might not feel so new after all.
A really good digital platform
A prerequisite for the employee to quickly get into the culture, values and everyday work is that all important tools are gathered on a digital platform. Think of the intranet, or digital workplace, as the hub of your internal communication.
Everything should be gathered on the intranet and examples of content can be:
- How the employee reports time and applies for leave
- What routines exist around digital meetings
- What the person's role description looks like and what goals they should work towards
- Suggestions for chats, groups and other social functions
- Links to other important systems within the organisation
Use an introduction guide on the intranet. It can be displayed to users logging in for the first time, but can also be available as a permanent icon. It will guide the employee and show all the necessary functions. Feel free to use different types of storytelling: audio, visual and text. Everyone absorbs knowledge in different ways. Perhaps you take it to the next level and connect an e-learning system?
The human encounter
Digital inductions are all well and good – but they would be nothing without the human touch. Schedule regular check-in meetings (preferably one at the beginning and one at the end of the day). Prepare for the new employee by scheduling meetings with colleagues they will be working with in the future. Introduce the new employee during the big meetings and to the immediate team during a private meeting. Put some extra effort into showing up at digital coffee breaks. Invite them directly to events like digital mingles or summer parties. Coordinate and make your new employee feel seen. Why not appoint a sponsor who is there as a sounding board in both big and small things?