4 Reasons Why Better Learning Ensures Better Onboarding

Most organizations want the same thing for their new employees: to get up to speed in a quick and timely manner, avoid and diminish any knowledge gaps, effortlessly integrate with the team, and ultimately, be productive. That can be accomplished by implementing an effective employee onboarding program in organizations.

Unfortunately, 88% of employees state their employer did not provide them with a productive onboarding program. Onboarding should avoid seeming like just an HR “check the box” obligation. After an individual has accepted the offer, onboarding is really a learning and development activity. This is why strengthening your ability to onboard successfully requires a modern-day approach to learning.

Here are 4 reasons why better learning will be sure to increase the success rate of your new employees, and better their onboarding experience overall.

1) Learning assists employees from the start in understanding company specific tools and processes

Throughout the day, the modern knowledge worker uses many tools. Some may include web browsers, email, instant messaging, document storage, phones, video conferencing, project and task management, and so on. Before you assign any job-related tasks to your new employees, you should consider the opportunities you have to introduce the “The Four C’s of 21st Century Competencies”:

• Collaboration: Meet your team and learn how to mesh with them.
• Communication: Discover the preferred method and tone to use.
• Critical Thinking: Planning and evaluation of day to day work.
• Creativity: Taking steps toward innovation in the role, industry, department, or company.

Once you have worked on those components, you can then make sure your new employees can proficiently handle the tools required of them. To ensure the success of your new employees, your company needs to do a great job of onboarding for every piece of equipment. Be it hardware or software.

An example of this may be general purpose tools, such as computer and phone systems, to specific use tools like a password manager. The odds are your new employees may not know how to use every tool perfectly. With the incorporation of a Learning management system (LMS), you can increase the chances of your new hires getting up to speed quickly. By delivering the necessary information to your people from a centralized platform, you can help get new employees up to speed with the right tools and processes easier, which will make them more productive in a fraction of the time.

2) Learning rapidly closes skill gaps among employees

Figuring out how to transform your learning management system to close skill gaps and appeal to the different learning and communication preferences of employees is key. Nowadays, people consume content on their phone, tablet, computers. Traditional learning methods may be deemed obsolete. Create a more personalized learning experience for your employees with content based on their particular roles. Offering content users are likely to find interesting will boost engagement within your LMS. A great learning management system allows an organization’s new hires to increase their competence and productivity in their earliest days- increasing both revenue and retention. Great learning increases productivity and thus business results.

3) With learning in tow, confidence and ability is increased in the critical early days

Potentially, the most important time for your new employees are their earliest days within your organization. This time is important because it sets the tone for the rest of the new hires work experience. Onboarding is an essential part of learning critical skills to increase employee confidence and ability. Building learning into the onboarding process exponentially also increases productivity and retention.

By focusing attention on onboarding in the early days of your employees, you will help them integrate with their new skills, new technology, and new team members. Overall you’re building more positive experiences during their critical first days with the company and beyond.

4) Learning helps new employees integrate with the rest of the team

When onboarding a new employee, consider the fact that it’s not just the employee you are onboarding. Indirectly, you’re onboarding a newly redefined team- the people they may work closely with starting from Day 1. Your new hire is being onboarded into a pack with its own, microculture, and relationships. Many HR leaders believe a team-based model improves employee performance. In addition, relationships at work strongly affect performance and the employees’ experience. Without good workplace relationships, employees are more likely to leave their jobs. The social aspect of learning in the onboarding phase is extremely important but often neglected. 

SkyPrep helps your business achieve results through e-learning that will not only educate but empower your employees. When it comes to onboarding your employees, we’re here to help and prepare them for whatever comes in the future.  Sign up for a free SkyPrep trial and start building an engaging onboarding experience for your employees today!