• Drug screening and background checking partners who submit their reports to your company securely online
• Recruitment firms that focus on advertising through social media and other internet platforms
• Training companies that present curriculum in a virtual setting and eliminate paper workbooks and manuals
• Benefits enrollment partners who use an ESS portal for both initial enrollment and ongoing support
• Unemployment insurance and tax credit specialists who accept submission of new hire data in electronic form

These days, there are plenty of vendors to choose from who communicate with their clients mainly through online interaction rather than via paper documents. Those that are still stuck in the age of paper generally aren’t going to be the most up to date in other areas (such as compliance). So, it’s probably best to avoid those vendors anyway.

There’s another reason to pick vendors who handle all their data virtually – it allows you to automate more HR processes. For example, if a tax credit partner can receive information directly from your onboarding application, this saves HR the effort of pulling that data and sending it over as a separate step. With SaaS products such as Universal Onboarding that are interface friendly, the chances are high that HR can integrate its processes with multiple vendors. Every task that can be automated in this way is one less item on HR’s administrative “to do” list. Plus, it’s easier to hold vendors accountable when HR isn’t constantly chasing paperwork.

Isn’t Recycling Good Enough?

For companies that are only partially invested in becoming more eco-friendly, even a minimal effort may seem like a big deal. You may run into the objection that your organization is already doing its part by recycling used paper. From a “green” standpoint, recycling paper is certainly better than simply throwing it away. However, HR can’t simply toss paper in the recycling bin. If it contains any sensitive information (employee identifiers, salary information, confidential communications, etc.) it must be shredded. The same holds true for paperwork in other departments such as customers’ financial details, purchase orders containing confidential pricing information and so forth.

The shredding process shortens the paper fibers and limits the paper’s use as recycled pulp. Some recyclers will not accept this low grade paper waste. Contracting with multiple collection services and training employees to sort shredded and non-shredded paper into separate bins can complicate your organization’s recycling program. It’s actually easier to do away with paper altogether than it is to deal with the hassle of recycling it correctly.

There’s No Money for That

Lack of funding for software to replace a paper-based system is a common excuse for not making the switch. The truth is that simply moving a process from a physical space to a virtual one has only limited benefits. It could take a significant amount of time to recoup the cost of such a program. That’s why it’s critical to choose HR software applications that don’t just replace a process but that actually improve it. This makes the high value of going paperless most apparent.

Using data collection that enforces business rules and automating the flow of that data into back end systems is very different from simply making fillable PDFs available in place of paper forms. When an application increases compliance and reduces HR’s labor workload, the ROI for such software is remarkably fast. In fact, it could start saving the organization money immediately upon implementation. That’s often the case with Universal Onboarding – especially in the SaaS version which is billed month to month on a per new-hire basis.

• Reduced costs for paper, printing supplies, and document storage space
• Greater accessibility that makes it possible to mine data for ways to improve business processes.
• Data kept safer from unauthorized access or destruction
• Reduced labor hours for administering paperwork
• Easier compliance with state and federal laws surrounding recordkeeping.

Payroll (if separate from HR) is the most obvious department to collaborate with in moving to not just a paper-free but fully automated system. They may fall under scrutiny from the IRS, DOL, and Social Security Administration for any errors in their data. Some of the mistakes that end up impacting Payroll originate during the onboarding process. For example, a typo made by an HR clerk inputting a social security number into the HRMS can end up on a W2. So, HR is likely to find an ally in Payroll to support using a system such as Universal Onboarding that eliminates rekeying from one system to the next.

Managers who handle various types of employee paperwork are another group that can be called upon to support a move toward “greener” HR practices. A manager self service portal, an online performance evaluation system, a simple module for handling personnel status change requests, and a requisitioning application are examples of programs that benefit both managers and HR staff.

Of course, the most important department to have on your side in the quest to eliminate paper is IT. If they can be convinced that the solution you are recommending won’t increase their workload over the long term, that’s a point in your favor. This is one reason to explore SaaS applications over other options. The vendor can handle updates, maintenance, security, data backup, and other tasks that would otherwise be a burden for IT. With Emerald Software Group’s suite of products, there’s also the option of on-site installation for companies that want to go green but aren’t ready to move away from an on-premise licensing model.

To create a consistent system, you really need your own software application that can be accessed directly through your corporate website. Then, all job candidates can be routed through the same process when they submit their information. Ideally, your module will include a way for applicants to attach a resume in .doc or .pdf format. This encourages applicants to save paper by not printing out copies of their own resume to bring to HR.

There are a couple of benefits to having resumes and applications kept on file virtually. First, the information is more secure. If you are collecting SS#s on the initial application (a procedure you might want to rethink), it takes a high level of physical security to keep this information private. In many companies, completed applications are dropped off in a public area such as the lobby.

• Is the receptionist trained to watch at all times to ensure that no one picks up a finished application and walks off with it?
• Are all the applications being kept in a locked location in HR?
• How are they being disposed of when they are too old to be useful any longer?

The second perk of having all applications submitted electronically is that the information is more accessible. For example, with a consistently formatted set of applications it is easier to search for skills, education level, date submitted, and other criteria. For this to work with paper applications, the data from the forms must to be keyed into a database by hand. This is a huge time suck for HR and a task that is rarely done in a timely manner. This means the information on the pool of available candidates is often out of date.

Emerald Software Group has a Universal Employment Application module that can be used as a standalone program or integrated with Universal Onboarding. This solution uses a simple, wizard based process for walking users through the form completion process. It ensures each application is completed in full with no required fields omitted.

This slideshow was uploaded about a year ago. It shows that 57% of companies surveyed don’t automate their transactional onboarding process. That means most businesses don’t have good visibility into their onboarding data either. Apparently, only 18% of respondents plan to implement automation any time soon. This leaves a huge gap between HR departments that have the tools to engage in analytics best practices and those who will be left fumbling in the dark.

Change is Coming

Human Resources is viewed as a cost center, so reducing short and long term expenses in this department is one of the core objectives of data analysis. There are several areas in onboarding where a review of the true costs of inefficiencies can affect a company’s bottom line.

Time spent on transactional onboarding – both for HR staff and new hires – should be revisited frequently to ensure labor hours are not being wasted. Using an automated system that records the time spent on each step of an onboarding wizard is a highly useful tool in analyzing this aspect of the process.

Many new hires decide within their first few months on the job whether they will stay or go. This means acculturation can’t be ignored as a driver in increasing retention. Developing an Acculturation Index takes good planning and the willingness to stop accepting subjective information when it can be replaced with objective data.

Compliance is (as I’ve written about before), one of the greatest financial risk factors in human capital management. Measuring the degree to which your onboarding process complies with the law and with your business rules is easiest when the opportunities for errors and omissions to occur are curtailed.

Emerald Software Group’s Universal Onboarding and Acculturation Portal products allow you to address all of these areas – and track the improvements and cost savings you experience over time.

Randstat used several best practices in handling their acculturation analytics. First, they determined 3 things before implementing the new system:

1. What results they wanted to see from the program
2. What types of data would be tracked
3. How the data would be collected and analyzed

They used employee self assessments and evaluations based on productivity numbers. The success of their training initiative was so profound that they now determine a portion of managers’ merit pay on how well they onboard new hires. So, analytics are used to determine which managers are doing their part to mentor new employees in alignment with Randstat’s onboarding objectives.

Emerald Software’s Research

If you contact Emerald Software Group and ask for access to the extensive knowledge library, you will find a white paper in the archives called “New Employee Acculturation: Measure, Engage, and Immerse”. In that document, Chuck Ros and Jay Torrence offer their advice on best practice in onboarding analytics for acculturation. They use a straightforward Point A to Point B diagram to demonstrate a new hire’s path to productivity and point out how to avoid detours along the way.

One of the most helpful parts of that whitepaper for employers who are just beginning to realize the importance of effectively socializing new hires is the following question set:

• What does it mean for an employee to be fully productive?
• How do you determine when someone achieves full productivity?
• How do you account for differing times to productivity due to varying complexity of roles?
• What is considered a good time to productivity?
• How do you help employees who are not meeting expectations?
• How does the organization know (objectively) it is making improvements in the time to productivity?
• What is employee contentedness and how do you measure it?

Eliminating subjectivity, quickening the path to productivity, and maximizing employee satisfaction are all important business goals in this type of onboarding. I highly recommend reading the full article for tips on how to collect and analyze Acculturation Index (AI) data.

Combine and Conquer

To get the most “bang for your buck” in HRIS, you need to have visibility into every process new hires encounter. This is one reason to implement a virtual benefits enrollment program, staff service request software, an ESS, and a performance evaluation system along with your onboarding software. Building (or at least planning) your whole system at one time instead of adding stuff randomly makes it easier to integrate your reporting systems.

You don’t need to buy a suite package to get this functionality. It is actually a good idea to use Best of Breed products that are based around service oriented architecture for easy integration. However, you do need to talk with your vendors up front about how their piece of the puzzle fits in with your analytics strategy.

See the Whole Process

With this big picture approach, you can look at the entire new hire/employee experience and identify more areas where things tend to get bogged down. Using a split system that involves both paper and electronic forms wastes time and skews your analytics since it makes it much harder to get a clear look at aggregate data. (This is one area where Universal Onboarding excels – you can upload an unlimited number of documents and create electronic forms to capture data as needed).

Why is it important to have all your data integrated? If you don’t, the likelihood is that you won’t be taking all the relevant factors into account when making changes. HR has a hard enough time getting funding to make improvements in business processes. When you spend money on the wrong things and show poor results, the chances of getting a larger budget allocated next year aren’t good.

For example, you might have ‘x’ number of dollars to spend on an employee satisfaction survey this year. Your stated goal is to decrease new hire attrition in the first 60 days after hire. Unless you have an idea of where the problem areas are in your onboarding process, you won’t have a clue what specific questions to ask.

All you will end up with is a range of vague responses with no clear direction for improvements. With good analytics, you can ask specific questions such as “How satisfied were you with how easy it was to review your forms before electronically signing them?” Of course, with Emerald Software’s onboarding solution the answer to that question will be “Very!”

Front End

Eliminating the rekeying of data from one system to the next is a great way to shave time off onboarding. Automatically importing job candidate information from an Applicant Tracking System is a good way to start things off. You can use this data to pre-populate the onboarding module so all available information is presented in the appropriate fields without HR having to key it in by hand.

The employee would still have the opportunity to review the information and update anything that has changed before moving to the next screen in the wizard. If you import even 10% of the necessary new hire data directly into the onboarding module, this could represent a 10% reduction in the time it takes to fill out forms.

Back End

Analyzing how well your vendors are doing is a big deal in HR admin. If you are sending out data automatically from your onboarding system, you still need to track what’s happening to it. Are your managers and vendors fulfilling their obligations and adhering to your business rules?

Calling to check on the status of new hire screenings or to ask for attendance reports from third party training partners is time consuming. So is following up with department managers to ensure they have completed all their assigned tasks for prepping a new hire for work. Missed deadlines are no joke from either a compliance or productivity standpoint. Your onboarding and requisitioning software should make it possible for HR to easily view the status of each outstanding task instead of finding out when a problem crops up.

To find out more about how Emerald Software’s products allow you to stay in control of what’s going on with your new hires, click here.

Successful Transitions Require Communication

Within modern companies, it is possible (and desirable) for employees to stay connected with former coworkers even when they switch locations. It isn’t a problem for an employee to maintain friendships and loyalties to their teammates in a previous department as long as this promotes interdepartmental cooperation. These bonds can be kept strong most readily in organizations that have a functional online social network.

While staying in touch with old friends happens naturally, a transitioning employee may need to be prompted to connect with unfamiliar coworkers at his/her new assignment. This objective can be achieved using an acculturation portal that facilitates introductions with team members in advance of a move. The employee can be prompted to use casual communication to become familiar with the “inside jokes” and other unique cultural aspects of the destination location or department so he/she feels more integrated upon arrival.

Having a personalized welcome message and short introduction to the expectations that come with the new position delivered to the employee via an online orientation module is a nice touch. This material should be composed with the assistance of the individual whom the transitioning employee will be replacing when circumstances permit.

Job Training & Familiarization with Departmental Structure

Providing appropriate education and tools is just as important as socialization for transitioning employees. An online onboarding portal that permits connection with third party training partners can be useful in situations where advanced skills must be acquired for an employee to succeed at their new assignment. A refresher course on the company’s organizational structure can also be helpful at this stage. This gives the employee a sense of where they fit in the big picture and ensures that they understand the reporting and evaluation norms in their new department.

The AllegroHR Acculturation Portal can be used to support all of these activities and make transitions easier to manage.

Now, here are several onboarding items that you need to take care of if you are acquiring workers from another company:

Government Forms

Do you need to have new I9s filled out for these employees? That’s a complex question. The exact nature of the M&A can impact whether or not you can or should re-verify work eligibility. That’s an issue that should be addressed with an experienced labor attorney before the deal closes. If you make the wrong decision (even if you think you are erring on the side of caution), you might be found in violation of ICE regulations in an audit.

With the W-4 form, using an existing copy that is on file might be OK – at least to start with. Unless the form is being sent to the IRS, the employer information section doesn’t have to be filled out and might simply have been left blank on the originals. However, it is a better business practice to give employees the opportunity to fill out a new W-4 especially if their salary has changed as a result of the acquisition.

Benefits Plans

Benefit coverage is an area that is very complicated for transitioning employees. They may be moving out of their current coverage (medical, short term disability, etc.) and into the plans provided by your company. It may surprise you to learn that many workers end up being covered by multiple plans because this topic wasn’t addressed during due diligence. Scott Williams, CEO of The Stonehaven Group HR advisement firm, told me that he has discovered clients who are wasting millions of dollars because of this type of oversight. Ouch!

Company Policies

Since no two companies have exactly the same policies, it’s imperative to obtain signatures acknowledging receipt of your employee handbook and all other written policies. This should be done before a worker becomes your company’s legal responsibility. An acquired employee should never be able to use the excuse that “they didn’t know” how things work under their new employer’s rules. Fortunately, the time it takes for an employee to complete the onboarding process using Emerald Software’s Universal Onboarding system is so minimal that they won’t mind going through this extra step.