While Induction programmes and Buddy meetings are widely accepted as an effective means of assimilating new joiners faster, there is one tool that can provide a transformative experience. That tool is your Company's Intranet.
All stakeholders are worried about candidate engagement and how to minimise ghosting in the current world of work. What is also being discussed, is how to retain new employees after they join. Both are valid concerns given the time and resources invested into getting them on board.
One of the biggest headaches that our clients face is - how do we provide the correct information to the new joiner so that she can access the data quickly with minimum disruption in the employee experience.
The New Joiner Point of View
New joiners are still lost and ‘at sea’ while being onboarded remotely.
Many people in this cohort are yet to see their offices and while companies are planning return-to-work initiatives, there is still awkwardness in the minds of the new joiners.
New joiners have come into the new organisation after leaving companies whose processes and systems they were familiar with. Now, everything has changed and this has added to the mental stress that new joiners go t
These are the most commonly asked questions by new joiners:
I keep getting emails with three-letter acronyms (TLAs) thrown in. What do these mean? Who can I ask for clarification?
How am I supposed to know that ‘X’ is the name of the payroll system?! It’s not like I have worked here before!
I need to upload my bank account details I have everything ready, but the link to the account update on the payroll system has not been shared yet - and I have to do this by this evening!
I need to take some time off, and my Manager has approved my leave. Now I need to apply for leave without a clue about the policy's 'location' and where I need to apply!!
The Manager's Point of View
Managers are hard-pressed for time but are still being asked transactional questions on the same topics.
In almost every case of employee confusion, the first port of call is the Manager of the new joiner.
We know that several companies have chatbots and HR Help-desks where tickets can be raised. However, even today, the Manager is still Helpdesksthe first face that the new joiner sees when she needs clarifications. This puts an additional load on the Manager.
Here’s what the manager is thinking:
How can I balance the workload that my business mandates with the workload of answering employee queries? What is HR doing?!
As per the process, I need to meet with the new joiner within a specific period to discuss her goals and understand what she has planned for her career. How can I ensure consistent conversations with all my new joiners on this critical topic of career goals?
So, the big question is - How do we reconcile these requirements using a scalable and modular system that 'just works'?
THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF THE COMPANY INTRANET
Company intranets are transformative because they can condense a large amount of information into a single, shortened, easy-to-share link. This boosts shareability and adoption dramatically.
Many companies already possess a working company intranet. These could be on SharePoint or any other platform. However, we know from experience that intranet pages are often created with gusto but then left to decay. This results in a powerful tool that goes to waste simply because it is forgotten.
Here are some ways your intranet can be leveraged to provide breakthrough employee experiences for new joiners:
Create a page that contains references and back-links to your policies and processes, arranged in order of department or priority - eg: Payroll process, bank account updating pages
Create help cards that can be printed out and used as checklists to guide discussions with Managers, Senior Leadership teams and even HRBP discussions
Review HR Helpdesk or HR BOT data to determine what queries are frequently asked by new joiners. Make a list of the questions, arrange for them to be answered and then upload this as an infographic on the Intranet!
New Joiners are exposed to different acronyms. The same acronym can mean different things in companies - confusing and frustrating new joiners. Create a panel that demystifies the most commonly used acronyms and provides context to the new joiners.
The Covid Pandemic has resulted in an entire legion of new joiners who have joined companies without seeing an office building. Personal connections and ‘getting things done’ through familiar faces and networks have been hit. Create a section on the new joiner intranet page that connects names, faces and contact details of key people in various departments such as IT, Payroll and Admin
HOW TO PROMOTE YOUR INTRANET TO YOUR NEW JOINERS
It’s not about creating content alone - it’s also about promoting that content. Here’s how you can share your intranet ‘wisdom’ with everyone:
ending out a note to a new joiner? Add the link to the intranet page in your email signature
Keep your new joiners engaged. Share news and updates on the pages based on New Joiner Feedback. They’ll love to know that you’re listening to them (who doesn’t?!)
Create customised email signatures targeted towards new joiners that Managers can use when sending out emails to new employees. Even better: share specific pages that contain content that new joiners find helpful.
Share links using QR Codes to the web page in all collaterals - online and offline. Many QR code apps allow you to track how many times they have been used - giving you an almost real-time data point to inform future decisions.
TO SUMMARISE
Creating a fantastic experience is not as difficult as it seems.
Use empathy, a sense of curiosity and good old data gleaned through Helpdesk queries and new joiner interviews as a great starting point to kick off your journey.
Breakthrough new joining experiences are not the result of one or two initiatives deployed sporadically. The ‘experience’ needs to be a cohesive and interconnected set of interventions designed around your organisation's mission, Vision, Values and Culture that is unique to your organisation.