Finding the right HR automation software can have a major impact on the efficiency of HR teams. Often, that means moving away from legacy systems toward more nimble, cloud-based solutions. But embarking on a digital transformation of any kind can raise concerns about costs, timelines, and the ease of user adoption.
To get the best return on investment (ROI) from your new HR technology, you’ll need to have an onboarding plan to get everyone on your team up to speed. Here’s how to develop an effective HR tech onboarding process, and how it differs from other types of employee onboarding.
HR tech onboarding is the process of implementing new tools or technologies at your organization and acclimating your team members to them. HR systems can save your organization time and money, but they often pose a learning curve to employees who are more familiar with manual HR processes or legacy systems.
To overcome these obstacles, HR tech onboarding may include:
HR tech onboarding differs from employee onboarding in that your entire workforce is adopting a new set of HR tools and processes at once. With an employee onboarding program, you’re welcoming one or more new hires to your organization — although some of the same training modules and administrative tasks may apply.
In fact, tech onboarding should be part of the employee onboarding process to ensure that new employees are introduced to your HR tech stack from day one. Both types of onboarding can benefit from the use of onboarding software to shape the employee’s journey and keep track of onboarding tasks.
There may have been a time when inviting new employees to Slack or Microsoft Teams was enough to call them “onboarded.” With today’s advanced HR tech and AI-powered software, employees may have different levels of comfort and experience with new technologies. That’s why it’s so important to meet them where they are with custom onboarding workflows tailored to each member of your team.
When you use HR tech like Pulpsteam, onboarding technology is included. This reduces the learning curve by guiding employees through the process at their own pace. It can integrate with or replace HR tools you may already be using, such as the following.
An applicant tracking system (ATS) is used to field applicants for a job and automate the talent acquisition process. You can also use it for “pre-boarding” steps like background checks and filling out onboarding documents for new hires.
Connect your ATS with your onboarding platform to facilitate onboarding training and get employees acclimated to your tech stack from their first day in their new role.
A human resources information system (HRIS) allows you to store employee data (such as contact information) and access it in real time. It typically integrates with your payroll automation software, leave management software, and other HR tools.
Do you really need an HRIS? Maybe not: end-to-end HR solutions like Pulpstream are increasingly taking the place of legacy systems, improving employee engagement and employee retention rates from onboarding to offboarding.
Identity and access management (IAM) plays a key role in validating users’ identities and ensuring they have access to your HR systems. This is especially important for organizations with a remote work policy or a distributed workforce.
Pulpstream’s role-based permissions ensure that only authorized users can access employee data, increasing your organization’s data security practices.
From business automation platforms to AI-powered recruiting tools, HR technology can help you scale up your business and retain top talent. But the prospect of implementing new HR technology can be daunting, and a poor rollout can lead to budgetary issues or technical challenges. Some stakeholders may have concerns about long-term ROI.
Fortunately, these concerns are manageable. Follow these five best practices to avoid disruptions and roll out your new software as efficiently as possible.
Investing in a new HR tech initiative shouldn’t just be a top-down decision. It’s important to get buy-in from the team members who will be using these new tools on a day-to-day basis. Disparate systems, data silos, and inefficient processes can frustrate employees to the point where they stop using your new tools or reject them altogether.
Pulpstream’s user-friendly platform minimizes this risk with an intuitive, drag-and-drop interface that’s accessible for technical and non-technical users alike. This makes the onboarding process less time-consuming than it is with many legacy systems.
Static, standalone systems often can’t keep up with today’s rapidly changing workplace. Remote and hybrid work models have made traditional time-tracking methods obsolete, while a patchwork of leave laws can complicate leave of absence management.
API integrations solve this problem by allowing you to incorporate multiple modules and link disparate systems together. For example, Pulpstream integrates with your HRIS, as well as payroll automation and scheduling tools. This reduces the number of platforms that employees need access to and the friction of sharing data between them.
Gone are the days when team members only need to access HR tech from centralized workplaces. Distributed teams may need to access HR systems from around the world, while field workers need to log in on mobile devices to track their work hours.
Pulpstream’s self-service portal is just one way that HR tech is bringing modern, digital functionality to the workplace. Employees can log in to update their information, view their leave balances, access employee benefits, and more. Role-based permissions ensure that only authorized users can gain access to your HR systems.
Even tech-savvy employees may need onboarding training to learn the nuances of a new HR tech ecosystem. Luckily, no-code platforms like Pulpstream mean you don’t have to know how to code in order to create custom, streamlined workflows.
Pulpstream’s Purple Express tutorials ease the learning curve even further, helping new users learn how to digitize and automate business processes. Team members can learn how to digitize expense pre-approvals, leave of absence requests, vendor onboarding, assessments and inspections, and other HR processes.
One of the most important things to look for when choosing new HR tech is whether or not a provider offers onboarding support. Does your pricing plan include real-time help, or will you be left to your own devices to set up APIs and new user accounts?
Not only does Pulpstream offer a free product demo, but you’ll get dedicated support as you roll out your new software solution to your workforce. Pulpstream makes it easy to customize without code and access white-glove service tailored to your industry.
HR technology plays a key role in employee engagement and job satisfaction by giving employees the tools they need to do their job well. But implementing new technologies always brings the risk of slow user adoption and uptake. By focusing on effective HR tech onboarding, you can ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruptions.
Pulpstream helps HR professionals manage employee relationships throughout the employee lifecycle with onboarding software for new hires and team members alike. Use digital onboarding checklists to optimize the employee experience and foster a strong company culture. Request a demo today to see Pulpstream at work!