Choosing the Best HR Onboarding Software: 4 Expert Tips

Did you know that HR teams with strong onboarding practices are more likely to retain employees for up to three years? Great onboarding turns successful candidates into engaged team members. It also boosts productivity by up to 50%!

But truly great onboarding, where new hires are properly integrated into the company culture, takes time. Time is something that HR staff are often short on, leaving many departments forced to endure at least 4 hours of overtime every week.

The result is even more painful: everything from overflowing paperwork and late payroll to compliance regulations not being met. It also leaves just a precious few hours for HR to focus on the bigger mission of building a productive, thriving workforce.

That’s where HR onboarding software comes in, which automates and streamlines the process of welcoming new employees into your organisation. But how do you choose the best one? In this article, we discuss the key features to look out for.

Why Does My Business Need HR Onboarding Software?

Your business needs onboarding software to reduce the administrative workload placed on your HR team and create a seamless new hire experience from day one. This provides you with the tools and time to build an engaged workforce in the long term!

Here are some benefits of investing in the best onboarding software:

Saves HR Team Time

By automating repetitive manual tasks, onboarding software eliminates the admin burden for your human resources staff. These tasks, including creating accurate contracts and ensuring compliance, often account for over 70% of HR’s working hours!

This frees up time to focus on more strategic goals, such as:

• Improving employee engagement
• Delivering tailored learning and development programs
• Creating a standout candidate experience

And you’ll achieve these goals without compromising quality, too. Automated data entry, for instance, removes the risk of human error, which is costly to compliance and security. In fact, 74% of chief information security officers (CISOs) say human error is their top cybersecurity risk. It’s also particularly damaging for HR teams handling sensitive employee data.

Enhances the New Hire Experience

Effective HR onboarding software keeps important onboarding documents, including contracts and training materials, all in one place. Centralised information means fewer delays, typically created when candidates and HR employees are forced to chase paperwork. 

This improves new hire time-to-productivity and means they can access everything necessary to successfully onboard and feel prepared for their new role. 

Integrating HR tech into the onboarding experience also eases communication between these new hires and HR staff, leaving plenty of time to resolve any issues or concerns before their first day!

Helps You Access Top Talent

It’s no secret that happily onboarded employees feel more engaged. That’s why organisations with standardised onboarding processes see 50% greater new hire retention!

These engaged new hires are six times more likely to recommend their workplace to others, helping you build a talented workforce.

Investing in the right HR software also means you can onboard from anywhere, without being limited by location. Employees don’t necessarily have to travel to the office to begin their induction, which saves time and allows you access to a larger, more diverse talent pool. 

Creating a diverse workforce can generate even more innovative ideas, which you may not have gained by focusing recruitment on a single location. Diverse teams with varying backgrounds and perspectives also produce 19% more revenue! 

Selecting the Best HR Onboarding Software: 4 Key Features

Put simply, the best HR onboarding software adapts to your business’s needs. It should also include the following core features to reduce your HR team’s admin workload and create a seamless candidate journey from day one:

1. Tailored Workflows

Choose HR onboarding software featuring workflows personalised to suit your business’s unique onboarding needs, including:

• Contract and Document Templates: Look for advanced contract templates that can be personalised with your branding and logo to create a professional first impression. You should also be able to switch specific data fields on and off to save time when creating multiple documents.
• Branded Onboarding Portal: New hires can find everything they need to quickly and thoroughly complete onboarding, all in one place.

• Personalised HR Data: Reporting and analytics help you track onboarding effectiveness. Use these insights to refine the process through data-backed decisions, which can be easily justified to management.

2. Compliance Features

These automated, tailored workflows also minimise human error, which can be a huge compliance risk as well as a cybersecurity risk. 

Contracts that don’t clearly set out employment terms, for instance, may be in breach of the National Employment Standards, resulting in a penalty or court fine. This significantly impacts your reputation as an employer, not to mention damaging the new hire experience!

Effective HR onboarding software should also perform automatic qualification and background checks as soon as you upload candidate data. Platforms featuring this tool save time and ensure only top-tier candidates who have the right skills and knowledge for the role are onboarded.

3. Scalability

A good HR onboarding platform should also be tailored to your business’s changing onboarding needs. 

This flexibility allows you to scale the software down during quieter periods and up for seasonal recruitment drives, without making additional out-of-budget investments. At the same time, this approach ensures you’re not paying for unnecessary capacity.

Scalable software is especially beneficial for bulk onboarding. You can manage multiple new hires simultaneously, without compromising compliance or overworking your HR staff. 

Brighton Grammar School needed to create a more efficient onboarding process to support its growing education team. By choosing effective HR onboarding software, the school significantly reduced the time required to onboard multiple candidates and boosted time-to-productivity. New hires also reported a more positive experience, with a thorough induction and less time spent completing paperwork on the first day.

4. Dedicated Support

Finally, any good company offering HR onboarding software shouldn’t just try to sell you the platform – they should also help you install it. A smooth implementation, including thorough staff training and integration with your existing systems, ensures minimal disruptions to your daily operations.

Make sure local support is also offered to help you maintain operations during business hours and navigate country-specific compliance issues. Aged care organisations, for example, must ensure compliance with Strengthened Quality Standards when recruiting and onboarding new staff, as set by the New Aged Care Act.

Discover the Right Onboarding Software with Onboard Express

Onboarding software can significantly lower the admin workload and smooth the onboarding process for your HR team right now. However, it’s also a strategic investment that boosts productivity and encourages long-term employee retention.

However, you’ll only experience these benefits by choosing the right software that aligns with your organisation’s unique onboarding needs.

Onboard Express’s flexible platform scales with you, accommodating the growing onboarding requirements of both small and large, global organisations. Our software comes with Australian-based support, including a dedicated project manager, and a vast range of integration partners that work alongside your current HR and finance systems.

Ready to create a seamless onboarding experience? Book your demo today.