Onboarding – Being Strategic vs. Administrative

When it comes to onboarding employees, look beyond the skillsets of employees for the present job at hand, and look into their efficiency at contributing to the company over the following decade, and prepare them for the same. This is where strategic on-boarding comes into the equation. Not only does it introduce employees to a company, but also helps in their evolution, and in serving as a vital resource for that company. 

What is Strategic On-Boarding?

Strategic on-boarding involves more than just your recruiting team. It entails the process of an employee being on-boarded throughout the lifecycle of his involvement with a company. The employees’ manager and team are involved in this process, and it leads to the chalking out of a plan, which helps employees upskill and keep evolving with the passing of time.

     Technological advancements, and changing business representations with respect to the market at large, require employees to be prepared for a paradigm of change when necessary. Strategic on-boarding defines the continuous process of an employee being on-boarded in an organization, to counter these changes, and be prepared for a future role in your company.  

Here is How Strategic On-boarding Outranks Administrative On-boarding

• Strategic On-boarding is Key to Being Relevant in the Future

According to Robert Dvorak, the CEO of SilkRoad Technology – 

 “HR leaders must prepare their entire workforce – not just new hires – with the skills they need, and continually ‘on-board’ them to new roles of business value and relevance. These new skills include critical thinking, active learning, and an agile mindset to build sustained relevancy to their organization and their career.”

Strategic on-boarding is not limited to new hires but extends to each employee involved in your organization. Each employee needs to be upskilled to be relevant in the future. Practises, language and methods used today might be outdated tomorrow. You need to prepare for this, and strategic on-boarding ensures that your employees are up for the task. According to research, 78% of recruiters believe that on-boarding, as a process, is not just for new employees.  

     They believe that it should encompass all employees involved in an organization. According to the same research group, 70% of new employees have an on-boarding program that lasts only three months. This needs to change if you want your employees to remain relevant in the future. 

• Strategic On-boarding Will Help Employees Prepare for an Artificial Intelligence-Driven Future

According to Lilith Christiansen, the Vice President of On-boarding Solutions at SilkRoad Technology –

“During the next three to five years, businesses in every industry are expected to experience massive disruption and opportunity through automated, digital, AI, and machine learning advances. The potential is huge (e.g., offloading work to algorithms, bots, and other tools), but it’s also unnerving (‘what does that mean for me and my job?’).”

  The future is bound to be driven by artificial intelligence, and rather than seem like a fish out of water when the time arrives, it is better to prepare your employees for the paradigm of change. While artificial intelligence is unlikely to replace your taskforce, it’s co-existence with your team will prove to be essential. 

     Artificial intelligence will make our lives more comfortable, and your employees need to be ready to embrace this technology in the near future. According to research, 81% of employees fear technological advancements as they think that their skills could get redundant in the future.  

• Strategic On-boarding Helps Keep Employees Ahead in the Game of Upskilling

     According to Lilith Christiansen –

“Recognize those moments in time that require new skills of an individual and utilizing strategy and on-boarding to acknowledge those transitions.”  

     Being armed with a set of skills that make you relevant in the future is not too bad, to say the least. It keeps the future of the employees within an organization prepared for technological advancements and prevents confusion for new employees, each time you need a change in some metric of operation within your organization.

     Your employees become more confident in their abilities and scope to adapt to change. According to research, 65% of recruiters have said that their company’s recruiting and on-boarding process has put their employees in good stead for the next step in their careers. Still, only 11% of recruiters have said that their company’s on-boarding process continues after the initial training period.  

Conclusion – 

     Administrative on-boarding is an outdated concept, which does not prepare your employees for the future. Technology is ever-changing, and upgrading of qualities can make your employees relevant in the future. Seeking new talent each time a new trend sparks the market is a waste of time and resources. While continuously training your team costs money, it is money well spent, as it secures the future of your employees, and ensures their usefulness to your organization in years to come.