How a Modern ERP Can Help You Implement and Improve Digital Onboarding

Organisations around the globe have experienced numerous HR issues during the COVID-19 pandemic — from staff furloughs to getting to grips with new legislation to adjusting to new work-from-home policies. Within the space of just a few months, HR functions have had to create completely new ways of working and communicating with employees without an office presence. Now, as the dust begins to settle and many organisations look towards a prolonged period of home working — particularly as they prepare for second and even third coronavirus waves — it is vital that HR is able to onboard new staff remotely.

As such, successfully implementing digital onboarding is essential for the future of the business in at least the short- to mid-term, if not longer. Offices may be closed, but organisations still need to hire and onboard the people they need. And this is precisely why a modern enterprise resource planning (ERP) system like metasfresh ERP is such a valuable tool. Put simply, metasfresh ERP is a suite of integrated business software applications that allow companies to track and manage data, as well as automate business functions — including HR functions like onboarding.

With a powerful ERP like metasfresh at the helm, you can implement digital onboarding processes simply and efficiently, ensuring new hires are set up for success from the start.

Employee onboarding is all about introducing new employees to the organisation’s environment, culture and ways of working. As well as bringing new hires up to speed so they can be as productive as possible as soon as possible, a good onboarding process should also make a new employee feel welcome, settled, and satisfied that they have all the tools they need to perform their new role, and know where and who to turn to if they have any questions.

Naturally, from an administrative standpoint, onboarding involves a certain amount of form-filling and document processing to get the new employee enrolled into the payroll, as well as various business systems and software they will need to do their jobs.

However, according to Hibob’s recent State of Employee Onboarding Research Report, only 12% of employees think companies do a good job of onboarding new employees. This is concerning, especially considering that a great employee onboarding experience can improve employee retention by 82% and productivity by over 70%.

High employee turnover costs organisations. In the UK, for instance, it’s estimated that the average employee costs more than £12,000 to replace — and that’s before you’ve taken the time to train them, which of course incurs additional costs. In fact, according to a separate report from Hibob, it can take anywhere between one and two years for a new employee to reach the level of productivity of an existing one. “It takes time for them to learn the tasks and processes required for the job, not to mention for them to feel comfortable and confident in it,” Hibob explains.

However, further research shows that new hires that undergo a structured onboarding program are 69% more likely to remain at the same company for up to three years, with organisations experiencing 50% greater new-hire productivity. “Onboarding is a magic moment when new employees decide to stay engaged or become disengaged,” says Amy Hirsh Robinson, Principal of the consulting firm The Interchange Group. “It offers an imprinting window when you can make an impression that stays with new employees for the duration of their careers.”

Onboarding has always been a uniquely difficult task — even when new hires could do it in-person in a physical office environment. Now, due to the unprecedented circumstances in which organisations now find themselves, employers must digitise the process in order to get new employees up to speed, and create a welcoming environment for virtual employees that matches the experience of employees working in a traditional office.

A modern ERP like metasfresh can enable HR to implement digital onboarding processes quickly and seamlessly. This is an essential step in managing a business continuity plan in these times of crisis where new, remote hires may need to be made quickly — though, due to the benefits of digital onboarding in general, will also help you improve your overall onboarding processes to make them personalised, efficient, friendly and seamless.

metasfresh ERP is a powerful business process management and information system. This means that the system can be configured so that all information a new employee will need to complete the onboarding process can be accessed and tracked by both HR and the new recruit via the ERP system itself. This includes any paperwork that needs to be completed by the employee — employment contracts, etc. — as well as any training modules that must be undertaken.

The system can also be used by managers to support new employees during their initiation period — and beyond, of course. New hire checklists and step-by-step guides can be easily created and stored using the software, and meetings scheduled between the new employee and team members or other stakeholders. Social collaboration tools also enable new employees to ask questions, and personalised messages (including “Welcome Messages”) sent straight to the employee’s personal inbox, fostering connections and relationships with managers, peers and colleagues.

Being completely open source, metasfresh ERP is also integration friendly — meaning that any HR software you currently use can be integrated seamlessly with the ERP system, and any training or eLearning materials easily shared on the platform.

Importantly, we have designed metasfresh ERP to not only be powerful, but easy and intuitive to use in and of itself. We believe that an ERP system should be adapted to the user — not the other way around. As such, onboarding new users to metasfresh ERP itself is a matter of simplicity — even for those who have never used ERP software before. Our modern web interface has easy-to-understand controls and can be accessed from and used on any device — the ultimate tool to empower new employees through the digital onboarding process.

Built for collaboration, metasfresh ERP can help you foster a sense of community during onboarding, ensuring your new recruits have all the knowledge they need and direct access to experts across the organisation to find the support and answers they’re looking for.

Talk to us here at metasfresh. Since 2006 we’ve been developing our metasfresh ERP software non-stop with open source components and under the open source licenses GPLv2 and GPLv3. Our mission is to enable each and every company to access a powerful ERP system that supports digital transformation and fuels corporate growth. Get in touch today for more information and insights.