Leveraging Technology to Enhance IT Onboarding

Employee onboarding is a crucial process for any organization, and it’s especially important for the information technology (IT) department. If done correctly, onboarding can help new employees feel comfortable and confident in their roles and increase retention rates. However, onboarding is often a lengthy and complex process, and without the proper tools and resources, it can be difficult to get new hires up to speed quickly. Fortunately, technology can help streamline the onboarding process and make it more efficient, effective, and enjoyable for everyone involved.

In this post, we’ll explore how organizations can leverage technology to improve their IT onboarding process. Whether you’re a CIO, COO, CHRO, or IT Director, you’ll learn about the latest tools and strategies that can help you onboard new hires more effectively and quickly.  

Applying better technology to the IT onboarding can improve the process in four distinct ways:

1.     Reduced Time To Productivity

A study by Aberdeen Group found that an effective onboarding program can improve new hire time-to-productivity by 60% and reduce turnover by 50%. By using technology such as automation software and remote support, companies can speed up the onboarding process and get new employees up to speed faster.

2.     Increased Employee Engagement

A study conducted by Glassdoor found that effective onboarding processes led to higher employee engagement levels, which in turn led to higher productivity and lower turnover rates. By directly connecting HR onboarding software to IT onboarding software, companies can create a faster and more effective onboarding experience for new employees.

3.     Improved Talent Retention

According to the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), effective onboarding can improve new hire retention by up to 25%. By using technology to streamline the onboarding process, companies can reduce the risk of new employees feeling overwhelmed or frustrated, which can lead to a higher rate of retention.

4.     Cost Savings

A survey by CareerBuilder found that the average cost of a bad hire is $14,900. By removing manual work through checklist and spreadsheets, companies can reduce the cost associated with the onboarding process. While no companies want to make a bad hire, reducing the costs associated with good hires or bad hires improves the company’s talent retention program overall

A tool that can help improve the IT onboarding process is automation software. Automation software can take over repetitive onboarding tasks such as provisioning new accounts, procuring new devices, configuring access to multiple SaaS applications, and assigning permissions to all those apps. By automating these tasks, companies can reduce errors and speed up the onboarding process, allowing new employees to become effective faster.

Montra is the innovator of “IT Management as a Service”, and Montra’s platform provides automation to help improve the IT onboarding process. With Montra, organizations can develop standard onboarding profiles that automate account and group creation while providing a centralized view of the location and assignment of all a company’s devices. Montra has helped companies streamline their IT onboarding process from weeks to hours, reducing the time and effort required to get a new employee fully effective.

In conclusion, technology can help make the IT onboarding process more efficient and effective, reducing the time and effort required to set up new employees while improving their understanding and engagement with the company. By using tools such as Montra or other automation software, companies can streamline IT onboarding, reducing errors, and improving productivity while improving the satisfaction of new employees. Ultimately, improving the IT onboarding process can have significant benefits for the company, its employees, and the bottom line.

References:

Aberdeen Group. (2013). Onboarding 2013: A New Look at New Hires. Retrieved from https://www.aberdeen.com/research/8777/rr-onboarding-new-hires/content.aspx

Glassdoor. (2015). The True Cost of a Bad Hire. Retrieved from https://www.glassdoor.com/employers/blog/the-true-cost-of-a-bad-hire/

Society for Human Resource Management. (2017). Onboarding New Employees: Maximizing Success. Retrieved from https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-and-samples/toolkits/pages/onboardingnewemployees.aspx

CareerBuilder. (2017). The Real Cost of a Bad Hire. Retrieved from https://www.careerbuilder.com/advice/the-real-cost-of-a-bad-hire

Six Steps to Successful Employee Offboarding

When an employee leaves a company, offboarding is the process of ensuring that they have a smooth and secure transition from their current role to their next one. This includes tasks such as ensuring that all their accounts are closed and transferred, returning all devices and that the former employee can proceed easily to their new job.  

Employee off-boarding is critical not just for securing company data, but also for maintaining a safe workplace. A recent study has shown that about 89% of employees still had access to their company’s network and data after termination and around 83% continued to access their old employer’s accounts. With insider cyber-attacks rising by 44% over the past two years, it is more critical than ever to properly off-board employees after they leave your company. 

Here are some of the key steps involved in successfully offboarding an employee along with some of the best practices for making the process smoother.  

1. Disable all accounts and change passwords

One of the first steps in offboarding an employee is to disable their user accounts and change any passwords they may have had access to. This helps to ensure that the former employee does not have any access to company data or systems. Additionally, it is important to update any additional identity security measures such as multi-factor authentication that the employee may have been using. 

2. Collect company-owned devices

The next step is to collect any company property that the employee may have, such as phones, laptops, keys, or ID badges. It is important to do this as soon as possible so that the employee does not have access to company resources. Additionally, you should check with the employee to make sure that they have not taken any confidential information with them. If an employee is working remotely, you will need to arrange for someone to collect their devices from them or have the employee ship their devices back. 

3. Securely erase company devices

Either remotely or when the company devices are returned, securely erase the information on those devices. This will ensure that any company data on the devices cannot be accessed by the former employee. Once this is done you can prepare the devices for use by a new employee.

4. Contact Third-Parties

You should also notify any customers, partners or vendors, with whom the employee worked and provide them with the new contact information for your company. This will ensure that there are no potential information issues and that third-parties are able to continue working with your company without interruption.

5. Update your company’s HR records

Finally, you will need to update your company’s HR records to reflect the employee’s departure. This includes removing them from any health insurance or other benefits they may have been receiving. You will also need to update their contact information and emergency contact information. Once this is done, you can send out a farewell message to current employees. Additionally, by keeping open communication with the departing employee, you can help to make the transition as easy as possible for them. 

6. Follow cyber-compliance policies

When offboarding an employee, it is important to make certain you are operating within compliance of any relevant cyber-security regulations. For example, the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cyber Security Framework (NIST CSF) requires companies to take specific measures when deleting employee data. Additionally, ISO 27001 is a standard for information security management and requires companies to have a plan for terminating employees. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires companies to protect the privacy of employee health information. By following all applicable regulations, you can help to ensure that your company complies when offboarding employees. 

You can make sure that your company’s offboarding procedure is effective and safe by following these procedures. Whether an employee leaves your company by their choice or yours, offboarding them as quickly and efficiently as possible is key to limiting any exposure of your business to a disgruntled former employee. By following these tips, you can minimize the amount of time they have access to your IT systems and ensure that they depart on good terms. If you have any questions about how to execute these tips or would like help with offboarding your employees, feel free to reach out to us at sales@montra.io.