Employee onboarding is the first formal step of a new hire’s journey, and it plays a crucial role in setting an employee up for success. Studies show that effective onboarding significantly influences employee engagement, performance, and retention. Yet, traditional onboarding methods are often lengthy and rely on paper processes and manual task management, leading to inefficiencies, delays, and inconsistencies.
According to Gallup, only 12% of employees believe that their organization does a great job of onboarding its new hires, and in the evolving world of HR, the new star on the rise to combat this is automated employee onboarding. When employee experience and productivity are critical, onboarding automation offers a solution that benefits HR teams, employees, and the overall organization where HR teams can streamline the process, creating a structured and engaging journey for every new hire.
From emerging startups to multinational corporations, automating onboarding processes is transforming how companies welcome, train, and integrate new employees. By shifting from manual paper-heavy processes to automated, HR teams save time.
Forbes reports that 87% of organizations that are using onboarding automation have faster time to productivity for new hires. It improves accuracy, improved governance and delivers a smoother employee experience, essential for ensuring a positive consistent experience that aligns with today’s fast-paced HR environment.
To gain a greater understanding, let’s explore further the common challenges of manual onboarding, the benefits of automated onboarding, and how FlowForma is empowering HR departments to transform their onboarding processes.
First impressions matter, and onboarding is HR’s time to shine and to set the tone for an employee’s journey. Despite the importance of first impressions many companies still cling to outdated, manual processes that create significant challenges that bog down HR teams and frustrate new hires. The result? Missed opportunities, avoidable errors, and a rocky start for what should be an exciting chapter.
It’s clear that manual processes aren’t just inefficient, they’re holding HR back from delivering the impactful, seamless onboarding experiences that today’s workforce expects. Here are some common challenges organizations face when sticking to outdated methods.
Time-Consuming Paperwork: Filling out, processing, and organizing documents by hand takes up a large portion of HR’s time. The administrative burden of ensuring that forms are filled out correctly, signed, and stored correctly can cause delays, errors, or compliance issues if not completed properly.
Inconsistent Experiences: Without a standardized process, onboarding experiences vary widely. Some employees receive all necessary information and equipment, while others face confusion or lack key resources, impacting their early engagement.
Bottlenecks Across Departments: Onboarding involves coordination with IT, payroll, facilities, and other departments. Manual processes can miss necessary steps and can create bottlenecks when tasks aren’t completed on time, which affects both productivity and employee morale.
Limited Focus on Culture and Engagement: Manual onboarding often leaves little room for meaningful interaction. HR teams are bogged down by paperwork, unable to prioritize connecting with employees, fostering engagement, or integrating new hires into the company culture.
Say goodbye to tedious paperwork and hello to a streamlined, dynamic onboarding process. Onboarding automation revolutionizes how new hires integrate into your organization by using powerful digital workflows to manage every step effortlessly. From completing forms and assigning tasks to delivering engaging training and orientation, it’s all handled with precision and ease.
Deloitte reports in The Future of Human Resources how HR processes are highly automatable and how automated HR Processes are associated with higher performance.
With FlowForma’s process automation, HR teams can design fully customized, intuitive onboarding workflows tailored to their unique needs, and with the power of generative AI at your fingertips, your customizable onboarding workflow will ensure that every new hire feels supported and informed from day one.
The result? A seamless, stress-free experience that boosts productivity, engagement, and excitement for your newest team members.
An automated onboarding process typically includes:
Digital Document Management: New hires complete and acknowledge acceptance of all required forms online, which are then securely stored and easily accessible.
Task Automation: Tasks, reminders, and notifications are automatically assigned to relevant departments or assignees, such as IT and payroll, to ensure all necessary steps are completed on time.
Data Insights: By capturing and analyzing data on onboarding completion rates, HR teams can continuously refine the process, identifying and addressing any gaps or bottlenecks. This streamlined approach replaces the inefficiencies of traditional onboarding with a scalable, repeatable process that enhances both compliance and employee satisfaction.
Automated Workflow Creation: FlowForma can create automated workflows that ensure that every step is completed in the correct order, and nothing is overlooked.
Paperless Document Management: FlowForma’s digital document generation enables new hires to complete, sign, and submit forms electronically. This eliminates the need for paper records and physical storage and reduces the risk of errors or lost documents.
Cross-Departmental Collaboration: By automating notifications and auto-assigning of tasks, FlowForma ensures that IT, payroll, and other departments receive timely reminders to complete their tasks. Automated reminders keep every team involved on track. This removes bottlenecks and keeps the onboarding process moving smoothly.
Progress Tracking and Reporting: FlowForma’s data analytics provide HR with insights into the onboarding process, allowing them to monitor progress and track task completion rates.
Monitoring and adjusting your Process: Automating your onboarding isn’t about “launch it and leave it’. It’s about staying agile, efficient, and always improving. With FlowForma, you gain a dynamic tool that lets you not only automate processes using generative AI but will also empower your HR team to continuously optimize workflows, ensuring they stay effective and adapt to your evolving business needs. Why settle for static solutions when you can have automation that grows with you?
Learn more about onboarding automation as our solutions experts automate an onboarding process live!
Automating the onboarding process offers numerous benefits for HR teams, employees, and the organization as a whole.
Increased Efficiency and Time Savings: With onboarding automation, HR teams spend less time on administrative tasks. According to Forbes, companies that have implemented onboarding automation report a 30% reduction in time spent on onboarding paperwork, allowing HR to focus on higher-value activities such as employee engagement and culture building. FlowForma’s automated processes ensure tasks are completed quickly and accurately, reducing the time-to-productivity for new hires.
Consistency Across Locations and Teams: Automated onboarding ensures that all employees, regardless of location, receive the same information and resources. This consistency is particularly valuable for companies with remote or hybrid work models.
Improved Compliance and Accuracy: Automated onboarding reduces the likelihood of human error and ensures compliance with legal and regulatory requirements. By automating onboarding businesses can comply with diverse employment legislation by ensuring the timely issuance of written terms of employment, manage workplace policy acknowledgments, and information security acknowledgments, and track mandatory training under local health and safety laws.
By standardizing these processes, companies minimize risks such as missed deadlines, incomplete records, or breaches of employment law. According to Forbes, organizations that use HR onboarding automation report a 50% improvement in compliance accuracy.
Enhanced Employee Experience and Engagement: A well-designed automated onboarding process provides new employees with easy access to resources. Automated onboarding systems can send personalized communications and guidance ensuring a positive first impression.
Scalability for All Organisation Sizes: One of the most exciting aspects of onboarding automation is its accessibility. While large corporations were early adopters, SMEs are increasingly leveraging onboarding automation.
FlowForma’s flexible solution is suitable for all sizes of organizations. Smaller businesses benefit by delivering a structured onboarding experience without needing extensive HR resources, while larger companies can scale the platform across multiple departments. FlowForma’s scalability provides companies with a competitive advantage, enabling them to attract and retain top talent regardless of size.
Automating the onboarding process may seem daunting, but with the right tools and approach, teams can implement a successful HR automation strategy. Here are the key steps to getting started with FlowForma process automation.
Map out the Onboarding Journey: Define each step of the onboarding journey, from the initial offer letter to the employee’s first day and beyond. Identify key tasks, responsible departments, and any necessary documentation.
Create Customisable Workflows: FlowForma allows you to create custom workflows tailored to each role or department. By setting up automated workflows, you can ensure that tasks are completed in the correct order, with each department fulfilling its role efficiently.
Train your HR Team: To maximize the effectiveness of FlowForma, ensure that your HR team is trained on the platform’s features and capabilities. Training will enable HR to monitor progress, address issues quickly, and make improvements based on employee feedback.
Monitor and Optimize the Onboarding Process: FlowForma’s data analytics provide insights into task completion rates, onboarding duration, and employee engagement levels. Use these insights to identify areas for improvement, making adjustments to the workflows as needed to enhance the onboarding experience continuously.
Onboarding automation is no longer just a trend—it’s a necessity for companies that want to stay competitive. FlowForma’s no-code automation transforms onboarding processes by making them more efficient, consistent, and engaging with automated workflows and digital document management.
It equips HR teams with the tools to create a seamless onboarding experience that benefits both employees and the organization.
Incorporating insights from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), effective automation isn’t just about implementation—it’s about evolving with your organization’s needs.
FlowForma aligns perfectly with this philosophy, enabling businesses to automate processes while maintaining the flexibility to review, adapt, and continuously improve. This ensures workflows remain impactful and responsive to change, driving long-term success.
For companies of all sizes, FlowForma offers a scalable solution that saves time, reduces costs, and enhances the overall employee experience. As businesses continue to adapt to a rapidly changing workforce, FlowForma provides an investment in future-proofing workforce management.
It ensures compliance with global employment laws, reduces administrative errors, and delivers a seamless, consistent onboarding experience for employees worldwide. Make your onboarding process as exceptional as your talent—automate it with FlowForma today!