HR departments are becoming increasingly reliant on social media for onboarding. Sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter have a real value in that they can facilitate communication between newly hired employees and other staff members. These websites provide an interactive means of enhancing workforce management for new staff members.
According to the Harvard Business Review, one way social media has improved onboarding is by building communities within companies. The news source compares social onboarding to how college students prepare for their freshman year. Before moving to school, many kids will go online and see who they're living with and whether they know anyone in their dorms.
HBR points out that copying this strategy can be beneficial for onboarding because it creates a community for new hires. Staff members will be able to go online and see what their colleagues think about a company and start building connections as soon as they're hired, instead of trying to make friends on their first day.
This approach ensures that new hires can become comfortable in an unfamiliar environment sooner rather than later. By allowing employees to forge relationships before they officially start working, HR departments can encourage teamwork to enhance productivity.
Real connections for the virtual workforce
Additionally, social media is a valuable asset for onboarding remote staff members. Thanks in part to new technology like video conferencing software and cloud services, companies are able to hire employees from around the world. The objective is to add top talent to the team, but it can be difficult to onboard these virtual contributors.
Blogging 4 Jobs notes that holding face-to-face meetings is a great way to onboard remote employees. The news source explains that digital conferences allow far-flung workers to ask questions and and clarify any confusing aspects of their positions before they start working.
Social media can actually help companies achieve this objective. Facebook offers video chat services to all of its users so HR representatives can conduct digital discussions with every employee with a single click. Capitalizing on Facebook's feature ensures that companies don't have to purchase conferencing software and integrate the platform with their current infrastructure.
Few resources can match social media's effectiveness as an onboarding tool. Popular networking sites can be used to enhance communication with a staff and give the HR department a valuable channel for connecting with employees.