The great resignation is slowly transforming into a great negotiation. Enterprises are staring at a situation where potential hires can be lost to competitors at the click of a button. According to Leena AI’s The State of Employee Onboarding Report, 67% of organizations are facing a 10% drop-off rate of employees pre-joining. Key reasons include a disconnect between the hiring and onboarding process, mismatch in compensation expectations, and easier access to global employers.
In 2024, tackling these challenges means organizations will need to revamp their onboarding process and rethink their retention strategies. The outlook towards talent acquisition will also need to expand, and the four C’s of onboarding—Connection, Culture, Clarification, Compliance, must start from offer acceptance.
In this article, we decode six employee onboarding trends for 2024 that will drive the future of onboarding.
#2: Omnichannel onboarding to become non-negotiable
Omnichannel communication strategies rose to prominence in the e-commerce industry. Its primary goal was to increase customer satisfaction and deliver a seamless shopping experience. But as digital interactions started to expand to every aspect of daily activities, omnichannel interactions have become a default expectation—even in the hiring process.
Today, based on analysis of employee onboarding trends for 2024, a talent expects to get a necessary document from a chatbot, submit it on the interface, obtain a signed copy on their email, and get updates on WhatsApp on the document’s status. The demand for flexibility in interaction is at an all-time high. Companies that can deliver a seamless experience using new employee onboarding software stand to gain big.
To implement omnichannel onboarding processes and experience, companies will first need to evaluate how their new hires want to interact. A quick survey using tools like Google Forms and Formstack that have automatic metric tracking and downloadable .CLV files are an easy way to get insights. After that, it is only a question of integrating the channel of choice with existing workflows.
Leena AI takes it one step further by integrating seamlessly with popular collaboration tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, Workplace, as well as HRIS tools like Workday, ADO, and SAP. For a full list of integrations possible with Leena AI, click here.
Other channels of interaction include automated onboarding emails, in-app messages, and curated access to educational resources. Organizations must focus on upgrading their workflows to integrate these channels seamlessly to provide a good online employee onboarding experience.
#3. Clear career path explanation and strength identification to influence retention
A great challenge present-day organizations face is tackling the turnover of new employees. And despite organisations going all out to tackle the great resignation, leaving one’s job is still a key factor for employee onboarding trends for 2024. 20% of workers are reported to leave the company within the first 45 days of their employment. The bad onboarding experience is an overarching reason most cite. But digging deeper, 79% of employees revealed that they would continue if their career path in the company was clearly laid out for them.
Assigning an onboarding buddy is a great way to tackle this aspect of onboarding, especially in a remote work environment. Preferably from the same team, the onboarding buddy can help the new hire test the waters without feeling lost. They can also show the new joiners their personal progress and the various opportunities present within the company.
#4. Visibility and tracking of the onboarding process are imperative
During the onboarding steps, the onus is on the hiring team to make sure that crucial activities like email ID creation, salary detail verification, welcome kit reception, and access to various tools are granted on time. However, organizations that follow traditional workflows tend to stay in the dark regarding the status of these activities. This is a big cause for concern, as delays in these onboarding processes can hamper experience and lead to drop-offs.
Companies should therefore invest in technology that allows them to track all key onboarding activities in real-time. Dashboards that detail information like the number of issues raised, resolution time, and responsible parties are a must-have for every modern organization. Shown below is an example of how Leena AI’s Employee Onboarding product helps track key aspects of the onboarding process. With its detailed analysis of query resolution time and ticket closing duration, CHROs are also able to open up bottlenecks and increase the efficiency of all the teams involved. To see it in action, schedule a demo here.
#5. Seamless coordination between concerned departments is a must
With AI automation tools helping hiring managers track onboarding activities and employee onboarding trends for 2024 between departments, a seamless means of coordination becomes necessary to run things smoothly. Take the example of a welcome kit delivery. If the package contains devices like a laptop, the logistics department will need to track the item and inform the IT team on delivery.
Upon reception, the designated IT personnel can reach out to the new hire and help set the system up. On the other hand, when the new employee contacts the IT team, having the designated IT team member respond with the name is a good experience. It also shows that the company gives each employee personal attention.
From an informal perspective, sending a welcome message or video once an employee receives the welcome kit is a great gesture. It is also an excellent opportunity to showcase company culture.
All of this is possible only when each department possesses correct personal details and receives timely updates of the new hire onboarding. New employee onboarding tools and applications like Slack, Troop Messenger, Chanty, and Brosix are popular ways in which hiring managers are facilitating seamless onboarding communication. All of these tools provide automation options and update tracking that make communication easy and succinct. For improving query resolution and onboarding-related issue communication, these tools can also be paired with Leena AI’s HR helpdesk.
#6. AI-powered automation with a focus on timely human intervention to rise in popularity
With advancements in machine learning and AI-powered technologies, HR onboarding processes have gained a big power boost. Automation of routine tasks, better document management, and intuitive knowledge management are a few of the perks AI-powered automation provides.
According employee onboarding trends for 2024, spotting employee churn and having their issues addressed is another key area in which AI is helping HR teams. For example, Leena AI allows employers to regularly take feedback from the new hires and equips them with the right information instantly. If a query requires human intervention, the concerned department is notified and the issue is resolved.
Intelligent virtual assistants that can address FAQs are also a great asset for the HR teams. With an ability to understand multiple utterances and learn from each interaction, they can allow HRs to focus on issues that need a human touch. For low-priority queries, an AI-powered VA working on Natural Language Processing (NLP), can provide most interactions with a high degree of human elements and provide one of the best new employee onboarding experiences.
Virtual Reality Onboarding & Other noteworthy trends…
Apart from the six major employee onboarding trends for 2024 highlighted, technology like virtual reality is also predicted to change the onboarding process. Bank of America has already set the wheels in motion by providing immersive VR training modules to help their team members tackle a key aspect for new employees—training. With options to choose between 20 VR simulations, their employees can practice various skills in a virtual environment. Top skills include techniques to deepen client relationships, an empathetic approach to interactions, and teamwork. Occulus for enterprises and VR vision are also pushing for making VR technology mainstream in enterprises.
Other aspects that will drive employee onboarding in 2024 are creating an inclusive onboarding experience, giving the candidate ample time to acclimatize, and increasing focus on integrations that can enhance the onboarding experience.
Download The State of Employee Onboarding in the US for detailed deep dive on how to leverage current onboarding trends to meet business goals.
The Future of Onboarding
Hybrid working models are here to stay, as evidenced by employee onboarding trends for 2024. Moreover, the workforce is set to diversify in a way that has never been seen before. From Gen Zs entering the workforce to millennials and Gen X rising to managers and C-suite executives—modern enterprises are a cocktail of opinions and philosophies.
In such a situation, HR managers looking to hire, onboard, and retain great talent need to adopt a fail-proof approach to their endeavors. The focus has to be on aspects that potential employees are passionate about—accessibility, culture, and personal growth.
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