The Impact of Virtual Employee Onboarding HR services on the Employer Brand

Organisations have embraced technology like never before, and practices such as virtual hiring, virtual onboarding, remote working, etc have become the norm today. Ever since the pandemic struck, HR services have switched to the process of virtual onboarding to continue their work uninterrupted.
Virtual onboarding is the process of integrating a new employee into an organisation virtually, instead of in-person, using online resources like video conferencing, webinars, etc. Onboarding procedures include document submissions by candidates, familiarising new employees with their roles and teams, a company culture walkthrough, and sessions to explain terms of service.
A good technology partner can help organisations ensure a smooth onboarding process for their new hires. Human Resources now work with exponentially larger talent pools unbound by geographical locations. But how does this sudden shift impact employer branding? Let’s take a look.

Offers a competitive edge

Highly effective virtual onboarding and orientation are known to increase retention by up to 82 per cent. Therefore, many leading organisations maximise efficiency and effectiveness by engaging new employees early on, much before their first day on the job. Onboarding is the first step in the path to productivity, collaboration and continuous development. The ever-evolving work environment of the present day is compelling employers to develop onboarding and orientation programs that engage employees early with tools and support that go well beyond the first week at work.

Demonstrates company values and culture

A sound onboarding programme makes a powerful first impression and infuses the organisation’s cultural brand with the new hire. It can make up for the lack of in-person interaction by creating virtual opportunities for new hires to engage with people in the organisation and helping them get to know the organisation’s culture.

Makes it easy for the new hire

Impactful onboarding programmes that fuse company culture with information, and augment it with assigning a colleague or mentor during the initial training period, could help create a sound path for the new hire. Not only do buddy engagements ease the new hire, but they also ensure work and team alignment. This commitment creates the right level of expectations, raises performance and brings tremendous returns early in the career.

Accessibility to the leadership team

Virtual onboarding makes accessing the organisations’ leaders simple and seamless. By sharing articles and recorded orientation videos from senior executives and arranging one-on-one sessions with the new hire, a sense of inspiration and confidence is instilled right from the start. It also builds a strong sense of purpose and conveys to the new employee that he or she is important to the organisation. It emphasises that the organisation they have chosen has an approachable, active, and involved leadership.

Proof of tech-savviness

Millennials and Generation Z employees are likely to have a favourable outlook towards virtual onboarding and view the organisation as technologically advanced. Most workers will appreciate the opportunity to onboard remotely in their space and at their pace given that the process needs to be simple, smooth and seamless. Using new tools and applications may be challenging for some, however, through guidance and necessary assistance the employer can create a comfortable and friendly environment.
Though virtual onboarding is a more efficient system in terms of time and cost, it is not without its set of challenges. The new employee could take longer to understand his or her role and get integrated into the team. There may be gaps in communication. The culture and values may not be very clear at the start. Adopting the right virtual onboarding tools and best practices can mitigate these challenges and enhance the employer’s brand image.

It is critical for recruiters to seamlessly implement the virtual onboarding process and ensure that the entire process of remote onboarding is easy, engaging and encouraging right from day one, thereby demonstrating a meaningful and collaborative work culture for the new employees. HirePro’s AI-powered and highly customisable virtual onboarding platform enables employers to deliver a smooth virtual onboarding process.