There’s no question that there is a
huge issue with the digital employee experience at most firms. Many enterprise systems are horrible to use; complex, unintuitive, and often unfit for purpose. This includes many intranets, knowledge solutions and library sys- tems.
This has been an issue for decades, but it was possible to somewhat paper over these issues by providing face- to-face interactions and support, to address deficiencies in digital solutions. As we move into an increasingly virtual, remote, hybrid workplace, digital experiences now become paramount. While this is an issue for all employees, there is a need and an opportunity to address the digital experiences that form a key part of the onboarding process.
Field research
The best starting point is to conduct ‘robust field research’ to understand current activities and points of pain. This should take an end-to-end view of onboarding process, from the initial job interview, through to the three-to-six month mark where staff are generally considered to be fully up and running. Approach this research holistically, using open-ended questions to dig into how each step in the process works, and whether it matches the real needs of staff. Expect to gather a lot of informa- tion that will apply to everything from HR processes and IT tools, through to office layout and personal interactions with other staff. You will also uncover insights into the emotional state of staff as they go through the onboarding process.
As mentioned by Martin earlier, per- sonas, storyboards and journey maps can then be effective ways of commu- nicating insights into the needs of staff, and their step-by-step experience of the onboarding process. You should also have a (long) list of potential problems and issues to solve, and opportunities to enhance the overall digital employee experience.
There are key points in the experience of new starters that will live with them for months, years, or forever. These are the moments that matter, where strong emotions will be generated, hopefully positive but sadly, also negative. The personas and journey maps should provide a list of these key touchpoints where improvements can be made.
The role of a taskforce With a suitably cross-disciplinary taskforce assembled, these potential improvements can be assessed to identify where the biggest ‘bang for
April-May 2021 INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 45
the buck’ can be obtained during an initial project. This ensures that tangible outcomes are delivered early, improving the experience of the next round of new starters, as well as building support for bigger changes.
This taskforce should also conduct some industry research, to find out what other organisations are already doing, and what products are available in the marketplace. This will enable actions to be taken confi- dently, while avoiding common pitfalls. The good news is that there are often simple steps or solutions that can be quickly acted on. For example:
l a small amount of back-end automation can eliminate some manual steps and hold-ups;
l a web-based onboarding app can deliver standard information in a personalised way;
l the purchase of a third-party solution can improve one or multiple steps.
When aligned with broader initiatives, improvements in this area will have a measurable impact on key HR measures, such as staff engagement, or even staff retention. It will also demonstrate the power of digital employee experience, priming the organisation to tackle other facets of DEX.
Of course, there will need to be an ongoing process to deliver further improvements with the complete support of senior leaders, as befits the importance of the onboarding experience to the continued success of the business. Sufficient resources will need to be allocated to enable meaningful improve- ments to be made.
Expectations will continue to rise, driven by other leading organisations, as well as by constantly improving consumer experiences. Changes to business sys- tems and processes will also potentially introduce new problems (alongside the benefits they deliver).
Take this opportunity to shine a light on the many small (and some big) hurdles that new starters experience and find ways to have an early impact. Then estab- lish ongoing governance and management to tackle the bigger issues.
Paul: Far too often organisations make decisions on staff without being cognisant about where expertise really resides. Most focus on hastily arranged exit interviews, few give sufficient thought to new arrivals, how to get them up to speed quickly and make best use of what they know. Martin and James have, I hope, caused each of you to revisit how you tackle the issue of virtual onboarding. I will leave it to James to sum up:
“It should be recognised that improving onboarding DEX is a lifelong journey. All of this must be driven by a recognition that businesses must provide a great digital employee experience for new starters, to ensure they are fully engaged and productive”.
If you’d like more on how to onboard in a virtual environment, I’d heartily recom- mend you take a look at Gitlab a virtual organisation who make their onboarding process “Guide to All – Remote” open access:
https://about.gitlab.com/company/culture/ all-remote/guide/ IP
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