Many of us are still getting to grips with using artificial intelligence effectively in the workplace. There is no doubt that it’s making everyone’s work easier, more productive and efficient, but at the same time, it’s equally important to consider its potential influence of interpersonal relationships within the workplace, particularly when it comes to onboarding new employees.
When a new employee starts in our business, we want them to feel three things:
- Valued: Welcomed as a valued member of the team.
- Prepared: Ensure they have everything they need to succeed. This includes necessary tools, training, clear expectations, and a supportive onboarding process.
- Excited: A sense of excitement about the contribution they can bring.
The role of AI in employee onboarding
Whether your business is a small start-up or a growing SME, AI can help with many of the lengthy processes and administrative tasks that are required to onboard a new employee. From tax forms to company policies, AI can ensure that new hires complete all the necessary paperwork accurately and efficiently. It also reduces the risk of errors and ensures compliance with regulations.
These tasks can also be tailored and personalised to meet the specific needs of individual employees and provide them with an engaging and relevant experience from day one.
Virtual Reality (VR) Training
If your employees’ role involves repetitive tasks that use technology or processes, VR training is certainly something you should consider within your onboarding process. The engaging experience it provides can make learning faster and more effective than standard classroom learning and make them feel more connected to the training.
According to a study by PwC, employees trained with VR were up to 275% more confident in applying skills learned after training.
But these AI automated tasks and Virtual Reality training just scratch the surface.
Now, more than ever, businesses need to look at developing more interpersonal skills with new employees with 1-to-1 direct support in their first few weeks to make them feel appreciated, valued and fully embedded into your culture.
Demonstrating a personal approach to employee onboarding
Having a culture-focused onboarding process is key to aligning new hires with your company’s values, and this is best delivered by people. Here are some of the ways you can set them up for success:
Tell your story: Involve key people in your organisation to talk about company values and share anecdotes and personal stories about how employees exemplified your company culture and the effect it had on certain individuals.
Encourage connection: Arrange 1-to-1s with key people and team leaders in your organisation so they can begin to understand the common values and behaviours demonstrated by managers.
Social events and community: Arrange company social events to welcome them to the team. These provide a more relaxed environment for people to get to know each other outside of work and connect more to the company’s culture.
AI is here to stay and balancing it with human touch ensures we benefit from innovation while maintaining interpersonal connections in the workplace. When you can harness the power of AI, you can create more space and time for a more personalised and engaging onboarding experience so that new employees feel appreciated and seamlessly integrated into the company culture from day one.
If you need guidance about how your business can integrate AI within your onboarding process or if you need help putting together a clear onboarding plan that balances AI with human connection, contact our team.
