HR Trends: Onboard
What’s crucial for HR leaders and decision-makers in today’s rapidly evolving job market? Staying ahead in recruitment requires more than just keeping up with HR trends – it demands strategic adaptation.
The rise of automation, AI-driven processes, and shifting candidate expectations in onboarding present both opportunities and risks. HR trends that are introduced too fast and/or by the wrong department will backfire by e.g. generating additional costs, negative employer branding, losing valuable candidates, longer recruitment processes, low(er) candidate experience, etc.
To help companies avoid these mistakes, we put together a summary of the most important HR trends along an employee’s life cycle – with their accompanying threats and – where possible – adding relatively simple quick wins – everything backed up with stats and real cases.
This week, we are sharing HR trends and threats related to Phase #3 out of 5: Onboarding.
HR Trend #1: Virtual onboarding & VR
If somebody asked us to describe the “new reality” of work environment in times of and post-CV-19, we would definitely answer with one word: virtual.
(Almost) all activities were moved online – and it concerns not only employees who have been with the company for many months or years, but also (or especially) the new ones. However, according to Applical.com, in-person activities are expected to make a strong comeback. Moreover, they suggest that „a balanced onboarding experience that combines both digital efficiency and the warmth of human contact could be the ultimate sweet spot”.
Virtual onboarding may include using VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality). With these technologies constantly improving, VR is rapidly becoming a key trend in onboarding processes. As Applical.com explains, this technology offers new hires an immersive, interactive, and highly engaging experience, taking the learning beyond handbooks and presentations. Moreover, according to the PwC 2022 US Metaverse Survey, 51% of companies were either in the process of integrating VR into their strategy or have already built VR into at least one dedicated line of business.
What are the potential threats?
- The corporate culture is not communicated well enough to the new employee – and that can lead to lower levels of loyalty, higher personnel turnover and candidates leaving the company shortly after they have started working for it.
- Loss of time and money if you do it poorly:
• Statistics delivered by Foundation Recruitment show that employees who had a negative onboarding experience are twice as likely to look for other career opportunities in the future.
• Gallup data from July 2021 says that replacing exiting workers costs one-half to two times the employee’s annual salary. Assuming an average salary of $50,000 that replacement cost translates to between $25,000 and $100,000 per employee.
Solutions?
→ Plan & prepare your onboarding process very well, taking into account various potential issues that might occur. Describe the procedures and rules carefully.
→ Use various media while virtually onboarding new employees: e-mail, e-learning materials, VR, video calls, onboarding buddy.
→ Keep in mind that face-to-face interactions help with building connections and create a sense of belonging for new hires.
→ If possible, aim for a hybrid process – online modules complemented by in-person team-building activities, training, or meetups.
Real-life case
Accenture changed its onboarding process in 2022: remote workers receive not only a laptop, but also Oculus VR Headsets. The company has created a virtual campus “One Accenture Park” enabling the employees to get a feel for the environment and to meet new co-workers. What’s more, Accenture has created digital copies of their offices. This year, 150,000 new hires are working from the metaverse on their first day at Accenture.
HR Trend #2: Preboarding
Another emerging trend is preboarding. What exactly is it? This crucial period that many employees have felt is overlooked is the phase between signing the contract and initiating the onboarding process.
According to the Vlerick-Talmundo Onboarding Study:
- 64% of employees did not have preboarding at all, and many have voiced the need for better engagement during this period, which is often unutilized.
- 40% of employees did not get the absolute minimum required for starting the new job.
- It took 43% employees more than a week to get basic workstation logistics and tools in place.
- 55% of employees only get a clear understanding of the company’s mission and values after 3 months of working there.
Preboarding is slowly becoming an integral part of the hiring process, serving as a bridge from recruitment to onboarding. This process can include orientations and early introductions to teams and the company’s core values. Additionally, it may feature mentorship programs, helping new hires to start their first day at work smoothly.
What are the potential threats?
- Ghosting by new hires – some candidates may continue job hunting after accepting an offer, and lack of engagement during preboarding can cause them to reconsider their decision.
- A poorly executed preboarding process may lead to disengagement.
- Too much information before day one can overwhelm new hires, making them feel stressed before starting.
- Providing early access to company systems or sensitive information may lead to data leaks if the employee backs out.
Solutions?
→ Make preboarding simple and exciting: avoid overwhelming paperwork and instead focus on cultural integration.
→ Keep engagement high: check-ins, welcome emails, and casual interactions help reinforce commitment.
→ Limit access to critical systems: provide only necessary resources before day one.
HR Trend #3: AI
The growing popularity of AI tools can be seen in the onboarding processes too. According to Applical.com:
- 68% of organizations in the USA are already using AI in their hiring and onboarding processes.
- 90% of HR managers say that they recognize AI’s importance in the future of onboarding.
- AI will enable a higher level of personalization by tailoring onboarding procedures to suit each employee’s unique profile. This includes their previous experience, learning pace, skill set, and personal growth plan.
- AI buddies (chatbots) may become a part of onboarding processes.
What are the potential threats?
- AI-driven onboarding collects and processes sensitive personal data. If not properly secured, this information can be exposed to cyber-threats or unauthorized access.
- Over-personalization could reinforce stereotypes, e.g. assuming certain employees prefer specific learning paths based on demographics rather than actual preferences.
- AI-driven onboarding might feel impersonal if not balanced with human interaction. New hires may feel disengaged if they don’t interact with real people.
- AI chatbots (AI buddies) may not always understand nuanced human emotions, leading to misinterpretations of concerns or frustrations.
Solutions?
→ Ensure AI systems comply with data privacy laws.
→ Regularly audit AI algorithms for bias and allow employees to manually adjust personalization settings to ensure fairness.
→ Complement AI-driven onboarding with human mentorship.
→ Use AI buddies as assistants, not replacements for real HR interactions.
Coming up next: “HR trends: Managing”
If you’d like to discuss how we could potentially support your organization, feel free to get in touch by email with Zadrozna.Anna@CareerAngels.eu.
