Bringing new talent on board is an exciting time for any company. But to be honest, traditional onboarding processes can often be a bit…clunky. Paperwork piles up, information gets lost in the ether of email chains, and new hires can feel overwhelmed, fast. But it doesn’t have to be, especially if you conduct your employee onboarding in Microsoft 365.
A well-structured onboarding process not only sets the stage for employee success but also significantly impacts engagement, productivity, and retention. According to Harvard Business Review, a positive onboarding experience can reduce turnover by as much as 50% (yes, you read that right!).
As they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression. And when it comes to streamlining and enhancing the onboarding process, the power lies within a tool you’re probably already using: Microsoft 365.
So, why choose Microsoft 365 for onboarding?
Maybe you thought Microsoft 365 was just a suite of productivity apps, a little place for emails and spreadsheets. But we’re here to tell you that it’s much more than that.
From collaboration and communication to document management and training, Microsoft 365 does it all. Specifically, it offers a centralized platform with tools that can revolutionize how you welcome new hires. Think:
- Efficiency: Goodbye forever, information silos! All your onboarding materials, communication channels, and tasks are housed in one easily accessible location.
- Flexibility: Whether your team is in-office, remote, or hybrid, Microsoft 365 adapts to your needs, providing a consistent onboarding experience for everyone.
- Integration: Connect Microsoft 365 with your existing HR systems and document storage systems for a truly cohesive experience.
With employee onboarding in Microsoft 365, you can crack the code and empower new hires to hit the ground running.
Must-have Microsoft 365 tools for onboarding
Here’s how the Microsoft 365’s key players can punch up your onboarding process:
- Microsoft Teams: Create dedicated channels for new hires to connect with their team, access welcome messages, participate in live Q&A sessions, and receive real-time support.
- SharePoint: Build a dynamic onboarding hub with essential documents, policies, and company culture information. Specifically, SharePoint acts as a single source of truth for all things onboarding.
- OneDrive: Provide each new hire with personalized cloud storage for their employee onboarding in Microsoft, including training materials, and important documents.
- Yammer: What’s the point of working together if you can’t learn from each other? Champion company-wide networking and knowledge sharing. Yammer helps new hires connect with colleagues beyond their immediate team and immerse themselves in the company culture.
- Planner: Keep onboarding tasks organized and on schedule. Hence, this intuitive project management tool lets you create visual checklists, automate reminders, and track employee progress with ease.
A 5-step guide to onboarding with Microsoft 365
- Prepare the groundwork: Set up new hire accounts, grant access permissions, and organize onboarding materials in SharePoint.
- Welcome to the Team(s): Create a customized onboarding channel in Teams with a warm welcome message, company introductions, and key contacts.
- Build your onboarding hub: Use SharePoint to put together a comprehensive site with all necessary onboarding resources, including training materials, policies, and details on company culture.
- Manage tasks with Planner: Develop an onboarding checklist in Planner, assign tasks to new hires (and their managers), and set clear deadlines for completion.
- Engage and connect: Schedule regular 1:1 check-in meetings via Teams video calls. For instance, a Gallup study found that employees are 3.6x more likely to strongly agree that they are “motivated to do outstanding work” when their manager provides daily (vs. annual) feedback. Further, encourage new hires to participate in Yammer communities so they can connect with colleagues and ask questions.
Our best practices for onboarding excellence
- Organization is everything: Ensure all onboarding materials are well-organized, clearly labeled, and easily accessible within SharePoint. This helps new hires feel calm and prepared on their first day.
- Dedicated, two-way communication: Use separate Teams channels for communication with managers, mentors, and peers to keep conversations focused.
- Continuous learning: According to LinkedIn’s 2024 Workplace Learning Report, roughly 53% of Gen Z workers want to explore potential career paths at their company through learning. Integrate Microsoft 365 Learning Pathways to provide your people with ongoing training and development opportunities to help them grow with your business.
- Feedback loops: Gather feedback from new hires to continuously improve your onboarding process.
The remote and hybrid advantage
While remote work has its benefits, the FOMO can be real. Luckily, Microsoft 365 is particularly well-suited for remote and hybrid onboarding.
New hires can access resources, connect with colleagues, and complete tasks from anywhere with an internet connection. Onboarding on the beach? Say less! This fosters a sense of belonging and makes for a smooth onboarding experience, regardless of location.
How to measure your onboarding success
To gauge the effectiveness of your Microsoft 365 onboarding process, there are a few major metrics to track:
- Engagement and feedback: Use Microsoft Forms to create surveys, gather feedback from new hires, and measure their satisfaction with the onboarding experience.
- Task completion and resource usage: Monitor completion rates of onboarding tasks in Planner and track usage of resources in SharePoint to identify any bottlenecks in the process.
- Time-to-productivity: Meanwhile, Teams and Yammer helps you assess how long it takes new hires to reach full productivity, using data from performance reviews and manager feedback.
Ready to boost your organization’s onboarding experience?
The Canadian Council on Rehabilitation (CCRW)’s journey with Learn365 proves the transformative power of technology. Especially in creating equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities. By leveraging Learn365’s accessible learning platform, CCRW is promoting inclusivity. Plus, its breaking down barriers, and empowering individuals to achieve their full potential.
Want to triple your onboarding satisfaction rates like CCRW? Then book a demo of Learn365 to discover how Zensai can help you leverage the full benefits of Microsoft 365 for a truly exceptional onboarding experience.
