This post was originally published in July 2017 and was updated in April 2022 and June 2024 with new information about the positive impact of paperless onboarding.
Managers’ Impact on Paperless Onboarding
Gallup research shows that managers have a larger impact on the effectiveness of paperless onboarding than you might realize. Managers set expectations and goals and help new hires learn about company culture. Employees feel 3.4 times more likely to feel they were successfully onboarded if their managers played an active role.
The onboarding process is your company’s second chance to make a great first impression on new employees. New hires are making the switch from being a candidate to an employee and they’re still deciding if they want to stay long-term. 90% will decide if they want to leave their new jobs in the first six months.
Unfortunately, traditional onboarding practices rarely leave a positive impression, and only 12% say their company does a good job onboarding its new employees. Fortunately, with a paperless onboarding platform, you can start the employee experience on a high note. And, your new hires will be 2.6 times more likely to say they’re “extremely satisfied” with their workplace.
Welcome your new employees and get them set up for success with paperless onboarding software. Find out how your HR team can use digital onboarding to drive real results and make a big impact on employee and company success.
Does your #Onboarding process drive retention, cost savings, and productivity? If not, your company could benefit from paperless onboarding software:3 Benefits of Paperless Onboarding Software
1. Paperless Onboarding Retains More Employees
Evidence shows that great onboarding improves employee retention. If employees feel they had a good onboarding experience, 69% will stay on for at least three years. Using paperless onboarding software effectively demonstrates that your company cares about helping its employees do their best work. Paperless onboarding also kickstarts employee engagement and can lead to a 54% increase — and engaged employees are 87% less likely to leave the company.
Did You Know? One in 10 employees says they have quit a job because of a bad onboarding experience.
2. Paperless Onboarding Saves Time and Money
Did you know that it can cost as much as half of an entry-level employee's salary to replace them? That’s without mentioning the loss of productivity from an unfilled position and the work hours spent recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and onboarding a new employee.
Paperless, digital onboarding can save so many costs (and work hours!) associated with onboarding:
- Less money spent on printing important documents, employee handbooks, policies, and other new-hire paperwork
- Better onboarding experience leads to higher retention and fewer hiring costs
- Digital onboarding software saves time with fewer manual hiring and HR processes and improved communication
3. Paperless Onboarding Improves Productivity
Onboarding new employees in a standardized way can lead to new hire productivity rates that are as much as 50% higher than at companies with no standard process. A standard employee onboarding process gets rid of confusion for new hires, managers, and HR teams, and that leads to more productivity for everyone. New hires know what they’re expected to do and feel supported by their new company. Managers know when the new team member will be fully ramped, and HR teams can confidently complete their onboarding checklist.
How to Effectively Use Paperless Onboarding Software
Follow these tips for effective implementation to make the most of your paperless onboarding software:
- Choose the right software. Define your business’s needs so you can find a paperless onboarding solution that fits those requirements. Look for a system with customization options, user-friendly interfaces, and a robust toolkit of features. The best digital onboarding software works in tandem with an applicant tracking system (ATS) for seamless hiring and onboarding.
- Digitize new hire onboarding forms. Thanks to e-signatures and other digital verification technology, new hires can complete that stack of onboarding paperwork without picking up a pen. Turn this time-consuming manual process into a digital one with software to save time and ensure essential documents are completed on time and stored securely in your software.
- Set up standardized onboarding workflows. A structured onboarding process ensures that you give every new hire the same excellent experience. It saves valuable time for your HR team, strengthens your employer brand, and sets employees up for a successful transition.
- Collect feedback on the new software. Encourage new hires and internal stakeholders to share their experiences using the paperless onboarding software. You can even send a survey to collect feedback anonymously. Use the feedback to identify pain points, resolve issues, and refine the onboarding process for future hires.
With paperless onboarding software, you can optimize the onboarding process, increase HR efficiency, and create a positive first impression for new employees.
Go Digital with ClearCompany’s Paperless Onboarding Software
ClearCompany is a remote-first employer, and our paperless onboarding system contributes to the success of every employee. Our complete Talent Management software takes them all the way from recruitment and onboarding to goal-setting and performance management.
Want to try the Employee Onboarding program used by ClearCompany employees and clients like Kinetic Construction, Glow Networks, and the Housing Authority of Snohomish County (HASCO)? Start by signing up for a demo of our best-in-class onboarding software.
