HR professionals significantly influence the success of the company in three areas: Recruiting, Onboarding, and Training. They are often faced with the question: Digital or Face-to-Face?
Three Steps to Qualified Employees
HR managers know: The highest asset of a company is its employees. At three stages, you decide on the success of the employees: In Recruiting, Onboarding, and finally in the job itself, in the form of ongoing training.
Three steps to success in the HR field: Recruiting, Onboarding, and Training. Source: blink.it
In all three stages, you as an HR manager have the choice between digital or analog measures. Or a good mix of both! It's important that you can only decide on the format once the goal is clear. More on this in the article "Whether E-Learning or Seminar: Tailor the Format to the Goal!"
Overview: Digital and Analog Formats in the HR Field
| Recruiting | Onboarding | Training |
Digital | E-Recruiting | Online Courses or Video Calls | E-Learning |
Digital + Analog |
| Blended Onboarding | Blended Learning |
Analog | Trade Shows | Classical Learning On-the-Job | In-Person Seminars |
Digital methods in Onboarding and Training have been known and tested for some time. In Recruiting, however, many HR professionals have only ventured into new territory due to the Corona pandemic. You may have already come across the buzzword "E-Recruiting."
E-Recruiting
The term "E-Recruiting" covers all areas of recruitment with digital measures. And that's a whole range! Here are just a few examples of online recruiting measures:
Job postings on online job boards
Career page and career blog
Virtual tours of the company
Video calls for job interviews
Some of the mentioned measures have been established for a while. For instance, almost all companies now post their job openings on corresponding online platforms. Other measures like chatbots or virtual assessment centers are still very rarely used.
The key point in E-Recruiting, as with other digital formats, lies in good preparation. This is also affirmed by Professor Christof Obermann, author of the book "Assessment Center – Development, Implementation, Trends":
As with other video conferences, I need to be much more precisely prepared in the online assessment center.
Professor Christof Obermann in an interview with Jan Schulte
However, unlike Onboarding or Training, Recruiting is not a typical learning process. Therefore, there is no "Blended Recruiting." Nevertheless, the rule also applies in Recruiting: Pick the best of both worlds! Thus, there is nothing against a good mix of Analog and Digital. Especially in the early stages of Recruiting, digital measures are useful. For example, in the form of automated tests or questionnaires.
Once the suitable candidate for the new position is determined, the next crucial phase in HR begins: The onboarding and usually also the probation period.
Blended Onboarding
Some HR managers have not yet arrived in the digital age in terms of onboarding. However, the onboarding of employees works wonderfully in a mix of Face-to-Face and digital methods. The table above shows: Just like in training, onboarding is also a learning process that works best in a "Blended" format – as Blended Onboarding.
Reading Tip: In our blog, you will find a whole series of articles on the topic of onboarding: blink.it/tag/onboarding
A successful onboarding significantly contributes to the success of the probation period. Does the new employee feel comfortable? Can he or she use their skills effectively? Then nothing stands in the way of a long-term commitment to the company! Now, alongside everyday work, a particularly helpful aspect for success is personal development in the form of training. This brings us to the third step in the HR field – operational training.
Blended Learning
After E-Recruiting and Blended Onboarding comes Blended Learning: You have searched for, found, and onboarded a suitable employee – and now you want to help them reach their full potential! In this regard, Blended Learning is the best way to achieve sustainable learning success.
Reading Tip: You will also find numerous articles on the topic of Blended Learning in the blog: blink.it/tag/blended-learning
Unfortunately, in many companies, 2-day seminars are still the classic form of operational training. However, success is demonstrably higher when learning is a) more long-term, b) in small chunks, and c) with a lot of practical relevance. This is why Blended Learning has been the most sought-after method for professional training for years, as also evidenced by studies every year studies.
Example: 3 Different Models in Blended Learning
3 typical models in Blended Learning: Springer, Reiher, and Sandwich. Source: blink.it
Conclusion: From E-Recruiting to Blended Onboarding
In the three mentioned steps to employee success, a good mix of digital and classical methods is generally sensible. However, a "good mix" does not automatically mean 50-50! Because even in the HR field, the principle applies: Tailor the format to the goal, not the other way around!
Digital, Analog, or both? The trends in recruiting, onboarding, and training are going in the following directions:
E-Recruiting: Job postings and assessment centers take place digitally, while face-to-face measures are more suitable for getting to know one another.
Blended Onboarding: The onboarding takes place partly face-to-face and partly digitally – for example, in the form of a supplementary online course.
Blended Learning: Training in the best mix of online and offline. Thus, employees remain successful in the long term.
What do the three stages of HR areas look like in your company? Do you see any other formats for the long-term success of employees? Feel free to leave us a message!
