Onboarding a new member of staff is so much more than just ticking off the boxes of completing forms, setting up accounts, and going through the training. It’s fundamentally about welcoming the person into the company. Those first few weeks are absolutely vital in terms of them fitting in and getting a feel for what their role is all about. Gallup has reported that only 12% of employees strongly agree their organization does a great job onboarding new employees.
As organizations grow, the onboarding process can get very complicated with a lot of repetitive tasks that could be automated. The real danger is that new joiners can end up just being another tick box on the list rather than being treated as actual people who are an important part of the team.
That’s why onboarding has to be right. We need to separate out the admin from the personal.
Why Onboarding Needs Both Automation and Human Contact
For onboarding to be genuinely effective, it has to achieve two things: get the employee ready for their role and get them excited about what’s ahead. Automation can deal with the first of those: it can send the welcome emails, set up the accounts, and book the meetings.
But just going through the list of tasks doesn’t mean the new person is ready to jump in. They may be a bit apprehensive about asking questions after having read all the documentation, and some processes may not be documented at all. They may have a good understanding of what their role is, but may not have any real sense of how that role fits in with the rest of the team.
These are the situations where you absolutely need a human touch. It’s vital to know the difference between what machines can do and what humans can do. When you can get the two working in concert, it’s a win for all.
Step 1. Automation of Repetitive Tasks
A really good way to get things going is to focus on the tasks that are fairly routine and don’t require a lot of judgment.
When new people join the business, they typically have to complete a whole host of admin tasks: submit various forms, go through the policies, complete compliance training, get their kit, and get access to all the systems. HR are the ones who have to coordinate all of this across the various departments. Doing it all manually is a recipe for missed deadlines, duplicate entries, and an inconsistent experience for the new joiner.
You could also have automated reminders for any tasks that are still outstanding. HR would be able to be notified if an approval is taking too long or if there’s an issue arising.
By connecting the systems your business uses, you can cut down on manual data entry, keep employee data consistent, and make HR automation more effective.
Of course, you don’t want to go down the route of completely removing the human element. People should always have a simple way of getting in touch with HR if they find a form confusing, can’t submit a form, or are in a situation that is a bit unusual and needs a bit of a hand. Any of the routine tasks that can be automated will free up HR and managers to focus on the people.
Step 2. Begin the Automated Experience Before Day One
The onboarding process starts the moment the new employee accepts their offer. That period between acceptance and the first day can be quite the nerve-wracker for the new joiner.
They’ll be asking themselves all sorts of questions: what will they be doing? Who will they be working with? What do they need to bring? Have they got everything in order?
An automated pre-boarding workflow can go a long way to alleviating that anxiety.
You can have the system set up to send out the following as part of the onboarding process:
– The first day schedule (with meeting times and contact details). – Information on how to access the various systems and get their equipment.
– Links to the key policies and any introductory material.
– Information about the team, the company and the way we work.
Timing and volume are key. It’s not a good idea to send out every policy, every training task and every admin request the second the offer is accepted. That would be completely overwhelming before they’ve even started.
What you want to do is spread the information out. You want to start with the practical stuff, you want to start to deliver the relevant resources as the start date gets nearer and nearer, and you want to save the more detailed role-specific training for when they’re actually ready to go.
Step 3. Personalize Onboarding Without Creating Extra Work
Personalizing onboarding without having to do any more work is a tricky balance to get right. You absolutely need some degree of standardization to make sure that every employee is getting the core information they need, but personalization is equally important, as not every role is going to have the same requirements or the same information in the same order.
A software engineer, a sales rep, and a frontline ops person are all going to have very different responsibilities, different training needs, work in very different environments, and will have very different definitions of what success looks like in their first few weeks.
A generic onboarding checklist may well cover the basics but can also result in people spending time trawling through information that is completely irrelevant to them or in fact just searching for the information that they actually need.
With automation we can create individualised onboarding paths based on department, role, location, level and employment type. A remote worker could be automatically steered to the relevant guidance on setting up their desk and getting access to the collaboration tools. A frontline worker could be automatically directed to mobile friendly safety training and shift specific instructions.
You need to be vigilant about the automated assignments. You can have a very old job title in the system, a wrong employee record or a badly configured rule which will result in the wrong instructions being sent out.
Step 4. Keep Managers Responsible for the Human Moments
Managers are absolutely vital in helping new people to understand what is expected of them. During Microsoft’s pandemic-era onboarding research, new hires’ reliance on managers for onboarding support increased nearly 20%, while reliance on peers decreased 15%. In practice though, onboarding is often put on the back burner in favour of urgent deadlines and operational needs.
A manager may well fail to schedule that first welcome meeting or to carry out a check-in simply because the project is in the spotlight at that very moment. That’s where automation can help the manager without in any way removing the human element.
Calendar reminders can be used to prompt the manager to have their regular check-ins in the first 30, 60 and 90 days. The system can also track whether the meetings have actually been scheduled and highlight any tasks that have not been completed. That said we mustn’t lose sight of the fact that the actual conversations need to be human. Managers should also be encouraged to adopt a flexible approach.
Step 5. Deliver Training in Manageable, Relevant Stages
Traditional onboarding tends to over-load the new hire at the outset. You can easily imagine the first few days of a new hire’s tenure being spent moving from one presentation to the next, from one policy document to the next, from one compliance course to the next, from one piece of software to the next and so on. All of this information is then quickly forgotten before they actually need to use it.
This is where automated learning journeys come in and make the onboarding process so much easier.
Rather than trying to fit everything in on day one you can spread the learning out as they go through the onboarding process. Organizations can make this approach more scalable by automating learning assignments and personalized learning paths according to employees’ roles, locations, and training requirements.
In the first few days you might focus on the key policies, the security stuff and the fundamental tools they’re going to need. As the weeks go on you can then move into the role specific systems, the hands on stuff and the more complex tasks.
You also need to give people the opportunity to go back and reengage with the content when they need to rather than just relying on information they absorbed weeks previously.
Step 6. Introduce AI Carefully and Keep Human Support Accessible
An AI assistant in the workplace can be a massive enabler but it has to be done properly and with the human in the loop at all times.
There are of course limits to what such an assistant can do. The information it provides must be accurate and current and employees must have the ability to escalate to a human when things get more complex.
There will be a number of situations where a human is required (sensitive personal issues, conflict, accommodation, complex policy queries etc) and these will require a level of discretion and confidentiality that only a human can provide.
Privacy is also a key issue. Employees need to be fully aware of what data is being collected, how it is being used and who has access to it. Any recommendations or decisions that are made by the AI need to be checked, particularly if they are going to have any impact on an individual’s career or treatment.
The aim of the AI should be to make it easier for employees to get the information they need rather than to create the impression that every interaction with HR is going to be mediated through a machine. The technology should be there to enhance the human element not to make it more difficult to access. For a broader look at where AI can improve HR processes without undermining employee trust, read this guide to using AI in the employee experience responsibly.
Step 7. Measure the Experience, Not Just the Completion Rate
Automated dashboards can be a massive help in tracking whether onboarding tasks are being completed on time.
Here are some key indicators to consider:
Task completion: Are all the required steps (paperwork, equipment setup, account access, mandatory training etc.) being completed in full and on time?
Time to reach full productivity: how long does it take for staff to be properly engaged in their core responsibilities?
Role clarity: Do the new hires have a good understanding of their priorities, what is expected of them in terms of performance and what their immediate goals are?
Early retention: are people leaving in their first few months and what can we learn from the exit interviews?
Short pulse surveys at the end of week 1 and then around the 30, 60 and 90 day marks can be very useful in identifying what’s working and where people may need a bit more support.
It’s absolutely vital that feedback results in action. If a number of new starters come back and say their role is unclear then it may be time to improve the level of guidance given to managers rather than just firing off another automated email. If a number of people are consistently having problems getting access to systems then that’s a clear signal that IT setup needs to happen earlier.
Ultimately the data should be enabling HR to spot trends and improve the onboarding experience rather than just being a tool for monitoring.
FAQ
How can HR teams personalise the automated onboarding process?
HR professionals can create a variety of onboarding and training scenarios depending on the role, the department and the type of employment. The new joiner will be sent appropriate messages and materials as a result of the various factors in play.
How do you assess the effectiveness of the automated onboarding process?
Useful metrics to track would be: Task completion, Time to reach full productivity, Role clarity, Early retention. Short surveys can be used to pick up on issues even if the onboarding has been a success.
How can you automate employee onboarding before the first day?
Start onboarding automation as soon as the employee accepts the offer. Send welcome messages, first-day schedules, equipment instructions, system access details, and introductory materials in stages to help new hires prepare without feeling overwhelmed.
How can managers use automation to improve employee onboarding?
Managers can use automated calendar reminders and notifications to schedule welcome meetings and 30-, 60-, and 90-day check-ins. Automation helps them follow through consistently while keeping conversations personal and responsive to each employee’s needs.
How can automation prevent information overload during employee onboarding?
AI can help employees find information and answer routine questions, but HR teams should provide human support for sensitive issues, conflicts, and complex policy questions. They should also explain how employee data is collected, used, and accessed.
How can AI support employee onboarding while maintaining employee trust?
No. A full and final settlement letter confirms your last pay, dues, and deductions have been calculated and paid. A relieving letter confirms your employment has formally ended. Companies often issue both around the same time, but they’re separate documents.
What metrics should companies track during employee onboarding?
Companies should track task completion, time to productivity, role clarity, early retention, and new-hire feedback. Pulse surveys during the first week and around days 30, 60, and 90 can help identify gaps and improve onboarding.
How can companies improve the employee onboarding experience using feedback?
Companies can use new-hire surveys and onboarding data to identify recurring problems. For example, unclear role expectations may indicate a need for better manager guidance, while repeated system access issues may require earlier IT setup.
Jeevithan K is a Senior Solutions Consultant at Engagedly with extensive experience in HR technology, customer success, product implementation, onboarding, and training. He specializes in helping organizations adopt B2B SaaS and enterprise AI solutions effectively. His expertise also includes project management, account management, process improvement, and translating complex product capabilities into practical solutions that deliver meaningful value for customers.
Innovative
