Some hassles come free with operating in multiple locations. Those can be branches in different cities, country headquarters, regional directorates buildings, or different department groups in different locations.
Maintaining an effective communication approach between these locations for routine operations is another problem while we want to talk about employee onboarding processes.
In general, a new employee needs to know the company apart from the info s/he can find on the internet.
- Where, when, and how do we eat? (Respect Maslow, please)
- How to travel between locations, especially between my base location and others? (Public transportation, company shuttles, commercial flights, etc)
- How to travel from home to my work location?
- In which buildings do the most of departments I’ll be in connection with are located?
- Will I be working with branches? If so, how do they operate in general and what is my role in their operation?
- When I visit building C, which I obviously have to visit soon, where are the departments I need to get in contact with?
- If I have to stay overnight in a city, how can I book a hotel?
Well, we got the point here. That new friend, Jane needs to get as much information as possible which directly affects her daily company life. She needs that info, in a nutshell, nut in a library. Here are our suggestions:
1. Desktop Intranets or mobile intranets
Very functional at first look and let’s admit, it might be the most affordable onboarding solution for many companies as they already have a working intranet environment.
Pros
Less expensive compared to other solutions IF the company has a working intranet.
Perfect for people who like to search for the info they need as they’ll only be exposed to the info they need.
Can be better if all info is personalized based on departments and locations.
Easy to update info.
Cons
The new employee can easily miss a search or a notification.
People are immune to the intranets. From the eyes of many, basically, they are some bulk info containers that you’re forced to read.
Not so fancy or techy anymore
2. Virtual tours aka Metaverse
Very enjoyable and amusing especially with virtual reality headsets. As VR will be more and more reachable in means of battery life, we can see more implementations of VR onboarding in the future.
Pros
Very very entertaining! You can’t miss a thing if the UI is designed based on your needs.
Very techy looking
Cardboards for mobile phones can also be used to minimize hardware costs by opting out of some features.
Headset-free, desktop, or mobile versions are also available.
Actual footage (image or video) can be used to generate tours instead of using 3D modelings.
Cons
Not budget friendly. From modeling (or filming) to implementation, deployment to reaching end users, it has some budget killer points.
Difficult to update info compared to other solutions.
Might be difficult to finish the onboarding playground as people can get dizzy if they stare at it for more than 3-4 minutes.
Personalizing the timeline can be difficult.
3. Physical printings
If it comes inside a fancy box, who can say no?
Pros
Could be saved as a reminder of old times. Can also include some items such as keychains, pens, etc.
Can stay at their desk for enough time to take a look once in a while.
Does not require any third-wave devices to read.
Cons
Difficult to personalize
Difficult to update
Once lost, nobody will try to get a new one
4. On-site training
The one which has the best results as employees will actually see the locations and meet people.
Pros
Actual life moments are a great way to learn. Can be backed with digital reminder tools for the future.
Seeing makes believing easier.
Updates are easy and maybe unnecessary
Cons
Very very expensive.
Difficult to organize. You might need to keep new employees waiting until you reach a certain number.
Might interfere with ongoing processes on-site or in the base location
5. In-class orientation
Very similar to on-site training.
Pros
Face-to-face with people from different locations is a good opportunity to blend in
Updates are easy(but)
Cons
Updates are difficult to track
As expensive as on-site training. Plus, needs classrooms
Difficult to organize.
6. Video orientation
Trendy as it sounds. Everybody loves watching videos instead of reading nowadays.
Pros
Easy to complete
Easy to follow
Suitable to watch at home or on public transport, etc…
Cons
Very long videos will make employees bored
Might be difficult to update if not followed up well
7. Personalized onboarding videos
Not the best for every company but the one we love the most!
Pros
As good as face-to-face because videos are uniquely generated for every single employee
It will be easier to watch with interactive elements and scenes
High completion rates because of personalization
Easy to update if maintained well
Cons
Needs more budget than regular videos
Needs a good database
