HR professionals significantly influence the success of the company at three key points: In recruiting, onboarding, and further education. They are often faced with the question: Digital or face-to-face?
Three Stages to Qualified Employees
HR managers know: The most valuable asset of a company is its employees. At three points, you decide on the success of the employees: In recruiting, onboarding, and finally in the job itself, through further education.
Three stages to success in the HR field: Recruiting, onboarding, and further education. 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! Importantly: You can only decide on the format once the goal is clear. More on this in the article "Whether E-Learning or Seminar: Adapt the format to the goal!"
Overview: Digital and Analog Formats in the HR Field
| | Recruiting | Onboarding | Further Education | || -------------------- | -------------- | ------------------------------- | ---------------- || Digital | E-Recruiting | Online courses or video calls | E-Learning || Digital + Analog | | Blended Onboarding | Blended Learning || Analog | Trade fairs | traditional learning on the job | In-person seminars |
In onboarding and further education, digital methods have been known and tested for a long time. In recruiting, however, many HR professionals have only ventured into new territory due to the Corona pandemic. You have certainly come across the buzzword "E-Recruiting".
E-Recruiting
The term "E-Recruiting" encompasses all areas of personnel acquisition with digital measures. And that is quite a 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 long time. For example, almost all companies now post their vacancies on corresponding online portals. Other measures like chatbots or virtual assessment centers are still quite rare.
The crux of E-Recruiting, like with other digital formats, lies in good preparation. This is also the opinion of Professor Christof Obermann, author of the book "Assessment Center – Development, Execution, Trends":
As with other video conferences, I must be much more precisely prepared for the online assessment center.
Professor Christof Obermann in an interview with Jan Schulte
However, unlike onboarding or further education, recruiting is not a typical learning process. Therefore, there is no such thing as "blended recruiting." Nevertheless, the rule also applies in recruiting: Choose the best of both worlds! There is nothing against a good mix of analog and digital. Especially in the early stages of recruiting, digital measures are sensible. For example, in the form of automated tests or questionnaires.
Once the suitable candidate for the new position is identified, the next hot phase in personnel management begins: onboarding and typically also the probationary period.
Blended Onboarding
Also, in onboarding, some HR managers have not yet entered the digital age. However, the onboarding of employees works wonderfully in a mix of face-to-face and digital methods. The table above shows: Just like in further education, onboarding is also a learning process that works best in a "blended" variant - as Blended Onboarding.
Guide: Blended Onboarding for Companies
What is Blended Onboarding and what should I pay attention to as an HR manager? We have summarized all the information and tips in an e-book as a guide.
Reading Tip: In our blog you will find a whole range of articles on the topic of onboarding: blink.it/tag/onboarding
A successful onboarding significantly contributes to the success of the probationary period. Does the new employee feel comfortable? Can he or she efficiently apply their own skills? Then nothing stands in the way of a long-term commitment to the company! Now, in addition to everyday work, one aspect is particularly helpful for success: personal development in the form of training. This leads us to the third stage in the HR field – corporate further education.
Blended Learning
After E-Recruiting and Blended Onboarding comes Blended Learning: You have searched for, found, and onboarded a suitable employee – and now want to help them reach their full potential! In this context, Blended Learning is the best way to achieve sustainable learning success.
Reading Tip: You will also find numerous articles in the blog on the topic of Blended Learning: blink.it/tag/blended-learning
Unfortunately, in many companies, 2-day seminars are still the classic form of corporate further education. However, success is demonstrably higher when learning a) is long-term, b) takes place in small chunks, and c) has a lot of practical relevance. Therefore, Blended Learning has been the most sought-after method for professional further education for years, as confirmed by various studies each year.
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
For the three mentioned stages to employee success, a good mix of digital and traditional methods is generally advisable. However, "a good mix" does not automatically mean 50-50! Because the same applies in the HR area: Adapt the format to the goal, not the other way around!
Digital, analog, or both? The trends in recruiting, onboarding, and further education are heading in the following direction:
E-Recruiting: Job ads and assessment centers take place digitally, while face-to-face measures are more suitable for getting to know each other better.
Blended Onboarding: The onboarding takes place partly face-to-face, partly digitally – for example, in the form of a complementary online course.
Blended Learning: Further education in the best mix of online and offline. This way, employees remain successful in the long term.
What do the three stages of the HR areas look like in your company? Do you see any further formats for the long-term success of employees? Feel free to leave us a message!
Free Guide
Blended Onboarding for Companies
Live sessions plus online courses: This is the Blended Onboarding method. In the guide, you will find all the information and learn how to create an initial onboarding in 3 weeks.
Get the guide for Blended Onboarding
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