What Are Onboarding Portals?
Starting a new job can be overwhelming with all the company policies, meeting new people, and training. But don't worry; an onboarding portal makes it easy by putting everything your new employees need in one place. So, what exactly is it? Think of onboarding portals as a digital guide that helps your new hires smoothly settle into their roles and the company. Instead of drowning them in emails and paperwork, the portal offers a user-friendly experience with modules on company history, values, and mission, videos of team members, and interactive tasks to learn all about the tools and software they'll be using regularly. Let's take a closer look at onboarding portals and how they differ from your good old onboarding software.
Onboarding Portal Vs. Onboarding Software
You may wonder: if an onboarding portal eases new hires into their jobs, do you still need onboarding software? Onboarding portals are basically online platforms where new employees can access all the important info, resources, and forms they need. It's like a one-stop shop for company policies and training materials. On the other hand, onboarding software is more advanced. It requires installation, although it can include a portal as well. Overall, it automates a lot of the onboarding process. This could involve sending welcome emails, monitoring training progress, and even handling paperwork. So, the answer is yes; you definitely need both onboarding portals and onboarding software for the fully automated process of welcoming new members to your corporate family.
Key Features Of Onboarding Portals
Personalized Onboarding Roadmaps
When joining a new job, it's overwhelming to find tons of paperwork and documents on your first day. Onboarding portals offer personalized roadmaps for each employee, taking into account their role, background, and even their learning preferences. For example, when a new developer joins your team, their onboarding includes meeting their peers, familiarizing themselves with the company's coding standards, taking a look at the technical projects, etc. Now, if a sales member comes in for their first day, their onboarding will look different. This personalization allows employees to feel more comfortable with their new start and gives them plenty of confidence to succeed from day one.
Digital Paperwork And Document Management
Digitizing paperwork is one of the best things you can do for your new hires. They already have so many things to do and remember, and printing or completing paperwork shouldn't burden them further. Through the portal, they can fill out and sign the necessary documents and send them to HR without any physical copies or stacks of paper present. This not only facilitates the process but also allows HR employees to keep track of who's signed what. Plus, it's super convenient, as employees can do it from anywhere as long as they have an internet connection. This feature helps everyone manage documents and find them easily instead of having to search for them through piles of paper and folders.
Interactive Training Modules
Interactive training modules take onboarding training to the next level by introducing an engaging and effective method to learn about the ins and outs of a job. No one likes to sit through boring, text-based lessons or long lectures. With those modules, your new hires will get to experience their role firsthand through simulations, AR and VR content, and real-life scenarios. This entertains them and relieves them of the first-week-at-a-new-job anxiety while also helping them retain what they learn. And, as mentioned above, these modules can be tailored according to each employee's knowledge base, learning preferences, and, of course, position and responsibilities.
Seamless Integration With HR Systems
Most onboarding portals can connect with your company's HR systems directly. This is a game-changer, as every piece of information about every employee is logged automatically. HR professionals find it easier to keep track of documents, and employees don't have to refill forms. There's plenty of transparency, too. Employees can see and update their personal information anytime and have access to their benefits, payroll, and remaining days off instantly. This results in less manual work for your company's HR team, thus saving resources.
Social And Collaborative Features
Onboarding portals can also take over one of the most important aspects of joining a new team: socialization. With social features like employee directories and chatting, new employees can quickly meet their peers and start conversations upon their arrival. To further nurture relationships among team members, you can leverage collaborative features. Employees will find that they can share documents through the portal, assign tasks to others, manage their projects, and brainstorm ideas. This promotes teamwork and productivity and brings everyone closer, strengthening the company culture.
Benefits Of Onboarding Portals
Improved Efficiency
From managing paperwork even before newcomers start their first day to personalizing the onboarding process, these portals ensure that everything runs smoothly at every step of the way. Keeping track of everything at all times makes onboarding more accurate, effective, and within a reasonable timeline so that employees can be productive and thrive from day one.
Enhanced Employee Experience
For new hires, finding a user-friendly onboarding portal upon arrival goes a long way toward making them feel welcome and supported. Portals are like having a trusted friend by their side, showing them everything they need to know about their roles, from paperwork to benefits, all in one place. Therefore, employees feel more comfortable knowing that everything is sorted out and can focus on more important tasks.
Reduced Administrative Burden
By automating the onboarding process, these portals really help lighten the load for HR teams. Instead of wasting time inputting data and shuffling papers, they can now focus on building company culture, recruiting top talent, planning team activities, etc. And with less manual work, there's less room for errors, so everything stays accurate and up to date.
Compliance And Risk Management
When your company hires a lot of people at once, it's common for things like paperwork, background checks, and training to get overlooked. This can cause compliance issues and potential risks. But, with the portal, you can make sure everything is done by the book. It helps you streamline the process, gather and confirm documents, track employee training, and collect all the necessary information before they start working.
Scalability And Flexibility
No matter if you're adding just a few new team members or a whole bunch, the portal can easily handle it by adjusting to the size. After all, employees have full control of the onboarding process. And the best part? They can go through the onboarding checklist and training at their own pace and from anywhere without disrupting their schedules. It's especially great for remote teams since everyone can access the materials no matter where they're located.
What To Look For In An Onboarding Portal
User-Friendly Interface
When you think about the apps you use the most, they all have some common features: they're easy to use, look appealing, and are intuitive. That's exactly what you want in an onboarding portal. From watching training videos to finding forms and documents, it should be simple to do everything you need during your onboarding process.
Clear Instructions
No one wants to be confused, especially not during their first days at a new job. A good onboarding portal should have easy-to-follow instructions for every task, like setting up your email or signing up for benefits. Most importantly, though, it should be simple for everyone to navigate it and find help and support easily, even if they're not tech-savvy.
Customization
There isn't a standard onboarding process that fits every company. This is why you must find a platform that can be customized to match your organization's specific needs and culture. Whether you are a small startup or a large business, your onboarding should reflect that and offer newcomers the materials that prepare them for their role in a specific type of company.
Mobile Accessibility
These days, employees aren't always stuck at their desks. So, your onboarding portal should work well on mobile devices. This will give your new employees the opportunity to complete tasks and check out important information, even if they are commuting, at home, or working from their favorite cafe.
Conclusion
Trying out new onboarding strategies allows you to be more efficient and clear with newcomers and provides them with an engaging onboarding process. Onboarding portals are your go-to solution, giving each employee a unique experience based on their role and needs and making them feel appreciated from the start. Even better, these portals can still be leveraged after onboarding, acting as hubs for continuous learning and for being up to date about company news, practices, and policies.
