Digital onboarding: more fun and flexibility

HR/learning in organisations
4/5/2023

Digital onboarding is totally hot. But how do you ensure a fantastic digital induction period? We wrote the blog about it below!

Make the onboarding of your new employee digital. Online elements can easily be combined with onboarding on location. By partly helping your new colleague find their way online, you create additional options and flexibility. Then you can even better check whether there is really a match between the newcomer and your organisation.

Hybrid working has actually become very common in recent years. Take a critical look at your existing onboarding from today's perspective. What does your onboarding program look like now? Are you already making sufficient use of the digital options? Or is it still a little too much? old school? At least set up part of your onboarding program digitally. Then you create extra opportunities to introduce the new colleague to your organisation at your own pace.

In addition, you can get all that information online, perfectly timed and dosed, to the new employee. This can create the “we feeling” even before the first day of work. That is very nice for the newcomer. It also gives you, as an employer, the opportunity to make optimal use of the training period and also to arrange almost everything down to the last detail, even before the start of employment. That's called a win-win situation!

Tip 1. Personal onboarding program

Get off to a flying start. Immediately send a welcome card to your new addition with a link to a personal onboarding program.

Build the digital onboarding from various modules, so that you can tailor it perfectly for each new colleague.

When compiling the program, include at least the following components:

  • Acquaintance: plan a nice mix of online and live meetings with colleagues, spread over the first weeks.
  • Knowledgebase: create a basic file with all kinds of information about the organisation, function and business. Not only useful at the start, but also as a reference for later.
  • Fun: think of gamification such as a knowledge quiz, but interesting tests about, for example, personal motives, mindfulness tips or (see tip 2) funny facts from colleagues can also provide a positive surprise effect.

Tip 2. Online heat

‍ You're stuck in our previous blogs already got inspired in the field of digital onboarding.

So there is already a good basis ready for new colleagues. Take a critical look at that basic package from today's perspective.

When it comes to onboarding, don't just think about passing on business information, training and training. After all, real onboarding is mainly done by feeling.

Make sure your digital onboarding is filled with positivity, humor, and personal interest.

And get started as early as possible!

We've said it before in other blogs: it's not the salary employees go for and what binds them to an organisation. It's mainly about the sense of belonging and job satisfaction. If that's okay, you won't think about leaving.

Of course, it's okay to have the director leave a personal welcome speech at the start of the digital onboarding. But go further than that. Have close colleagues also record a video with their phones introducing themselves one by one. Don't make it too formal, keep it light and surprising. Name, position, but also hobbies, family composition, favorite vacation destination or crazy traits are very interesting. Maybe they would like to show off their garden or introduce the cat? Edit it into a video and voilà: you have a personal welcome video that will be talked about for years to come. And it's a lot easier for the new colleague to come in on the first day.

Tip 3. Digital buddy

Is your new employee going to work a lot with a certain colleague? Or do you know a positive, experienced force who knows a lot about the organisation and the work that needs to be done? Appoint that colleague as a “digital buddy” just a few weeks before the start. This forms the bridge between the previous job (or study) and the new challenge.

The digital buddy contacts the new colleague by Whatsapp or email, offering to get acquainted and go through the onboarding program together. If the starter already has questions before the first day of work, he can also ask them immediately. And once the new employee has started working, the buddy is the person to show the way in the organisation and answer practical questions.

Tip 4. Go with the workflow

Consciously include your employee in the organisational flow.

Have him or her join as many meetings as possible, both online and on location.

Not only internally, but also with external stakeholders, so that it is clear how things are going there. Take advantage of the ability to share documents online and collaborate on projects.

A daily or weekly startup with all employees is also a good idea. Set up the startup digitally so that really all colleagues can connect, including those who are working from home or at another location. For a new employee, such a regular contact moment is extra important. To get to know the different colleagues, to discover the relationships between them and to profile themselves. Consciously create an extra stage for the new colleague and make sure he or she speaks enough and can ask his questions.

Tip 5: Keep onboarding organic

Maybe your new addition has already worked so many flying hours that he seems to be able to hop right in and get to work whistling. Just keep your finger on the pulse. A job interview is usually not comparable to daily practice.

Every organisation works differently, and so does every person.

Therefore, check regularly what the employee needs and adjust the personal onboarding program if necessary. Just that little bit of extra attention when it comes to digital onboarding can mean retaining your employee!

Would you also like to facilitate a fantastic digital onboarding?

Then you've come to the right digital address! Working and training online are just our thing. For example, we can help you with the setting up a digital onboarding and have countless ideas for using media. Therefore, feel free to contact us. Then you ensure that your employee is not only trained in no time, but also wears the colors of your organisation!

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