What are onboarding portals?
Starting a new job can be overwhelming with all the company policies, meeting new people and training. But do not worry; an onboarding portal makes it easy by putting everything your new hires need in one place. What is it exactly? Think of onboarding portals as a digital guide that helps your new hires integrate smoothly into their roles and the company. Rather than drowning them in emails and paperwork, the portal provides an easy-to-use experience with modules on company history, values and mission, videos from team members and interactive tasks to learn all about the tools and software they will use 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 be wondering: If an onboarding portal can help new hires get into jobs more easily, do you still need it? onboarding software? Onboarding portals are essentially online platforms where new hires can access all the important information, resources, and forms they need. It's kind of 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 also include a portal. Overall, it automates much of the onboarding process. This can include 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 business family.
Key features of onboarding portals
Personalized onboarding roadmaps
When you start a new job, it can be overwhelming to encounter a ton of paperwork and documents on your first day. Onboarding portals provide personalized roadmaps for each employee, taking into account their role, background and even their learning preferences. For example, if a new developer joins your team, the onboarding includes meeting colleagues, getting familiar with the company's coding standards, reviewing the technical projects, etc. Now, if a sales member comes in for the first day, he will or her onboarding will look different. This personalization ensures that employees feel more comfortable with their new start and gives them sufficient 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 employees. They already have so many things to do and remember, and printing or filling out paperwork shouldn't burden them even more. Through the portal, they can complete, sign and send the necessary documents to HR without the need for physical copies or stacks of paper. This not only simplifies the process, but also allows HR staff to keep track of who signed what. Plus, it's super convenient because employees can do it anywhere as long as they have an internet connection. This feature allows anyone to manage and find documents easily, instead of having to search for them in stacks of paper and folders.
Interactive training modules
Follow interactive training modules onboarding training to the next level by introducing an engaging and effective method to learn more about the ins and outs of a job. No one likes to sit through boring text-based classes or long lectures. These modules allow your new employees to experience their role first-hand through simulations, AR and VR content and real-life scenarios. This keeps them entertained and relieves them of the anxiety of the first week at a new job, while also helping them retain what they learn. And as mentioned above, these modules can be tailored to each employee's knowledge base, learning preferences and of course the role and responsibilities.
Seamless integration with HR systems
Most onboarding portals can connect directly to your company's HR systems. This is a game-changer, because every piece of information about every employee is automatically recorded. HR professionals find it easier to keep records and employees no longer have to fill out forms. There is also a lot of transparency. Employees can view and update their personal information at any time and have instant access to their benefits, payroll and remaining time off. This results in less manual work for your company's HR team, saving resources.
Social and collaboration features
Onboarding portals can also take over one of the most important aspects of joining a new team: socialization. Social features like employee guides and chat allow new employees to quickly meet their colleagues and start a conversation upon arrival. To further maintain relationships between team members, you can take advantage of collaboration features. Employees will find that they can share documents, assign tasks to others, manage their projects and brainstorm ideas through the portal. This promotes teamwork and productivity and brings everyone closer together, strengthening company culture.
Benefits of onboarding portals
Improved efficiency
From managing paperwork before newcomers even start their first day to personalizing the onboarding process, these portals ensure everything runs smoothly every step of the way. Keeping track of everything at all times makes onboarding more accurate, effective, and within a reasonable timeline, so employees can be productive and thrive from day one.
Improved employee experience
For new hires, finding an easy-to-use onboarding portal upon arrival goes a long way in 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 role, from paperwork to benefits, all in one place. Therefore, employees feel more comfortable knowing that everything is taken care of and can concentrate on more important tasks.
Reduced administrative burdens
By automating the onboarding process, these portals really help ease the burden on HR teams. Instead of wasting time entering data and shuffling papers, they can now focus on building corporate culturerecruiting top talent, planning team activities, etc. And with less manual work, there's less room for error, keeping everything accurate and up-to-date.
Compliance and risk management
When your company hires many people at once, it's common for things like paperwork, background checks and training to be overlooked. This can cause compliance issues and potential risks. But with the portal you can ensure that everything is done by the book. It helps you streamline the process, collect and confirm documents, track employee training, and gather all necessary information before they start work.
Scalability and flexibility
It doesn't matter if you're adding just a few new team members or a whole group of new team members, the portal can easily handle this by adapting to size. After all, employees have full control over the onboarding process. And the best part? They can complete the onboarding checklist and training at their own pace and from anywhere without disrupting their schedule. It's especially great for remote teams because everyone can access the materials no matter where they are.
What to look for in an onboarding portal
User-friendly interface
If you think about the apps you use most, they all have some common characteristics: they are easy to use, look attractive, and are intuitive. That's exactly what you're looking for in an onboarding portal. From watching training videos to finding forms and documents, it should be easy to do everything you need during your onboarding process.
Clear instructions
No one wants to be confused, especially during the first few days at a new job. A good onboarding portal should include easy-to-follow instructions for each task, such as setting up your email or signing up for benefits. Most importantly, it should be easy for anyone to navigate and find help and support easily, even if they aren't tech savvy.
Customization
There is no standard onboarding process that suits every company. That's why you need to find a platform that can be adapted to the specific needs and culture of your organization. Whether you're a small startup or a large company, your onboarding should reflect that and provide newcomers with the materials that prepare them for their role in a specific type of company.
Mobile accessibility
Nowadays, employees are no longer always stuck at their desk. So your onboarding portal should work well on mobile devices. This gives your new employees the ability to complete tasks and view important information even when they're on the road, at home, or working from their favorite café.
Conclusion
Trying out new onboarding strategies will help you deal with newcomers more efficiently and clearly and create an engaging onboarding process. Onboarding portals are your best solution, giving each employee a unique experience based on their role and needs, making them feel valued from the start. Even better, these portals can still be used after onboarding and act as hubs for continuous learning and staying up to date on company news, practices and policies.