Solving the Top 5 Onboarding Challenges

Onboarding is the process of introducing a new hire to the organization, to their role, and to their job requirements. Onboarding helps new employees learn about the culture of their new workplace and the expectations of their position and their team. Good onboarding is vital to retaining and engaging employees.

Once the hiring process is over and you welcome a new hire to your campus, there’s a lot at stake. Keeping your new hire motivated and excited to be there helps maximize productivity out of the gate, as well as promotes a positive experience overall. Many organizations face similar onboarding challenges. In a recent survey, “Gallup has found that new employees typically take around 12 months to reach their full performance potential within a role while only 12 percent of employees say their organization does a great job of onboarding.” 

So, what’s the root of the problem and how do colleges and universities ease onboarding woes on their campus?

Five Onboarding Challenges HigherEd Institutions Face

1. Information Overload  

A new hire is almost always nervous on their first day. They are overloaded with information from the moment they walk in the door. If you force them to drink from a firehouse the first day, your efforts will have little impact on training the new employee.  

Automation of processes allows for your new employee to filter through information at their own speed and eases the pressure of completing forms quickly and accurately. It also saves you time by allowing the process to be efficient and uniform.  

2. Role Ambiguity  

An  Allied Workforce Mobility Survey  found that only 58% of companies provide clear job titles and identify expectations for employees. Furthermore, only 39% establish milestones and set goals for new employees. If an employee understands their role and can step into their first week of work knowing how they can contribute to the team, everyone will save time and resources.  
Understanding a role increases the employees’ engagement, improves their overall performance and reduces turnover rates. With documented job descriptions and organized structures, onboarding a new employee into a new or existing role can be easy.  

3. Unorganized Key Information and Documentation  

Paperwork is king when it comes to onboarding. This unavoidable part of the process can be even more of a burden if files are not easily accessed, organized, and ready for the new hire. Making sure that you have the proper information, documentation, and signatures is important. This allows for certainty when it comes to compliance and handling disputes.  
A digital solution can help manage needed forms and policy acknowledgments all in one place. The HigherEd Platform is one platform with multiple solutions that enable compliance and efficiency when it comes to new hire paperwork.  

4. Disjointed Culture Experience

Showcasing your company culture is just as important in the onboarding process as it is in the interview process. Culture is a driving force that keeps employees engaged and excited to show up to work each day so that they can perform at optimal levels. Your onboarding process should be an immersive experience that represents your college or university’s commitment to its employees. Help a new hire understand your mission, your beliefs, and how they will contribute to the greater mission on campus as soon as they join the team.  

5. Knowledge Gaps  

A new hire doesn’t know what they don’t know. The same goes for the committee or department that is working with HR for the hire. It’s important that everyone is communicating and on the same page. HR is more than just a transactional department– it should also be utilized as a resource.

An automated and digital solution that works seamlessly between the application process to the onboarding process allows for everyone to be on the same page at all times.

Digital solutions offer streamlined processes and solve onboarding challenges

Onboarding new employees is a complicated process requiring streamlined processes, a digitally enabled approach, and teamwork. The Employee Records module of the HigherEd Platform helps you make a great first impression with comprehensive onboarding processes designed to welcome new hires seamlessly.

PeopleAdmin’s integrated Employee Records (formerly Onboard and Records) enables higher education institutions to maintain compliance without the added stress of paper processes–freeing hiring managers and HR teams to focus on personalized communications and meaningful development-driven activities. With seamless integration into PeopleAdmin’s ATS and the HigherEd Platform, Employee Records gives your institution the resources and data it needs to be successful. With Employee Records, new employees are up to speed and ready to fill their roles quickly so they can spend more time advancing the institution’s mission.

The HigherEd Platform is one platform with multiple solutions that help your institution fulfill the mission of higher education. Our  open platform solutions empower more effective hiring, onboarding, position management, professional development, and retention through interoperability, efficiency, and innovation. Our Power Insights analytics dashboards provide data at your fingertips in real-time, with a platform that speaks to all areas of your institution. The entire HigherEd Platform provides out-of-box single sign-on, mobile access, and multiple portals for employees and administrators.