If you want to predict the end for your employees, look no further than the start. A bumpy on-ramp into your organization could very well be steering many of them to the nearest exit.

It should come as no surprise to HR managers, but the first 18 months of employment — when turnover can reach as high as 50 percent — are pivotal in the employee-employer relationship. But according to a Gallup study, a meager 12 percent of employees “strongly agree” that their organization provides a sufficient onboarding training process.

Far too many HR departments risk an abbreviated tenure with new hires by neglecting this early stage. Given the costs of losing a team member — at least six to nine months of his or her salary — preventing employee turnover should be a top priority for every company.

The Untapped Power of Onboarding Software

Thankfully, many HR departments have the necessary tools right at their fingertips. Many of these teams have already implemented a learning management system (LMS) for staff training, but they might not understand some of the ancillary LMS benefits. What was once a tool solely for internal use can now be leveraged long before an interview.

The advantages of a learning management system can begin as early as the recruitment phase. One HR executive recently told me about a successful hire funneled directly from the company’s online recruitment program, which vets candidates with mini certification courses and games designed to test skills. This talent acquisition software enabled the company to build a robust profile of candidate data before the interview process, which ensured it was choosing from the best of the best.

Finding and Onboarding Top Talent With LMS Software

Taking your onboarding program online can yield similar results for your firm. Here are five benefits of recruiting and onboarding new employees using your learning management system:

1)

You can track recruits on a centralized platform. Without a central database enabling a rapid review of an array of applicants, a recruiting manager might have little time to assess résumés or set up interviews. Using online training platform software to aggregate all the pertinent information about your recruits can save precious time.

Once you have the data readily available, you can use it to quickly identify which candidates should stay in the running. The software enables you to find individuals who have the right degree or key qualifications much faster than thumbing through an unyielding mountain of résumés.

2)

You can fill in gaps using detailed reports. Onboarding software brings a host of analytics to your recruitment process. With detailed reports, charts, and graphs of assessment data, you can collect critical information to find the right talent to fit your gaps.

Companies like Johnson & Johnson are adeptly using these features to match recruits with departments. By analyzing the traits of its top employees, the pharmaceutical giant identifies criteria for its assessments and is able to screen out applicants who might be unlikely to succeed. Likewise, you can develop your own criteria for what helps someone thrive in customer service or sales and then structure your employee onboarding software accordingly.

3)

You can uncover hidden talents. As many recruiters and hiring managers have learned, it’s not uncommon for candidates to discover that they’re better suited for a different position during the interview process. Why not let your employee onboarding software accelerate this realization? You can use the system to help prospective hires identify their core talents and then see open positions that match their expertise.

By moving this critical discovery phase forward, you can save your organization a good deal of time and money. Instead of going through the painful exercise of re-recruiting after shifting someone toward another department, you can funnel new hires into the right role from the start.

4)

You can get face time with candidates. Most employee onboarding software has built-in support for video conferencing. Companies such as Unilever have scrapped résumés altogether in favor of a mixture of game-based assessments and automated video interviews.

Once again, software can save you and your department the effort of going through an in-person interview only to discover that your promising candidate is a poor communicator or a bad fit for your organization. Get that important face-to-face contact before an official interview by using technology to connect.

5)

You can customize your onboarding by pinpointing areas of improvement. Because you’ve already established a profile for new hires in your onboarding system through the recruiting process, you can transition seamlessly into training. Given that nearly 90 percent of new hires say they don’t enter a new job with all the knowledge they need, they will require help to bridge the gaps in their skills.

Regardless of any shortcomings that might have come to light during interviews, induction training for new employees coupled with specific online courses can quickly bring them up to speed. You’re thus able to dive right into on-the-job training, which more than 75 percent of new employees have identified as the most important part of onboarding.

***

While the benefits of onboarding new employees are well-established, relatively few companies think to put their learning management systems to work during these early stages. With a flexible LMS that supports gamification, video conferencing, applicant tracking, and advanced reporting features, you can employ this software to smooth the on-ramp and pave the way to success for your new hires.

It’s party time, people!

That’s right it’s the holiday office party season and there is plenty of good and exciting news for everyone to enjoy.  First of all, 91% of companies will have an office party this year. That’s up from 74% in 2011.  Oddly enough this is a sign of economic development and more growth expected. Battalia Winston also reported that 66% of companies expect to grow and hire in 2013 (as opposed to 48% who expected to grow and hire in 2012).

Office parties improve employee engagement, morale and help define your company culture. Engaged employees are more productive and loyal. If your people are happy and proud to be on your team they will work harder and buy into your initiatives. This can also increase your employee referral rates. People love to tell others about their great jobs with great perks and benefits, but it is even better to see the great perks of your great job. Who doesn’t love a good party?

The holiday office party is a great way to celebrate a good year, uphold tradition, onboard new employees, and even recruit new employees. That’s right your little office gathering could be a highly effective recruiting tool.

CEO’s, Managers, Supervisors and HR must set the mood.

We’ve all seen examples of bad office party behavior; this year we are focusing on the good. If there’s going to be drinking, dancing and games then the appropriate tone must be set or else there could be HR issues. The tone of the party establishes your employer brand to all party guests. Remember, although it’s a party, it’s still a work function and it’s important not to be that person who crosses the line of socializing and embarrassing behavior. Staying true to your personality goes a long way.

Your guests will take note of the parties’ scale. The extravagant parties with limos can tell of the companies growth, but also, of how wisely it chooses to allocate resources. I think these type of pampered parties are being replaced with theme and custom parties; beautiful dining halls and restaurants. Nice and simple but not over the top. This speaks to a level of social responsibility and organizational integrity. In reality the country is coming out of a recession and the fact that 9 out of 10 companies are hosting parties means that things are getting better. We have a ways to go. There are still many businesses that are not expecting to grow this year. So you want to party responsibly; you don’t want your employees to feel that the money spent on an expensive party could go to better use – like raises or better technology.

Show guests how your business does!

Holiday office parties’ can not only increase engagement but they can be wonderful ways to onboard new employees. Just as employers use the office party to assess behavior, employees use them as confirmation for accepting a position with your company. With all the outsourcing and lay-offs over that past few years, workers are ready to enjoy work again. Your office party maybe the first opportunity for you and your employees to bond.  A great holiday part is a great way and place to introduce newer employees to your company culture.

Chris Fields is an HR professional and leadership guy who blogs and dispenses great (not just good) advice at Cost of Work.

SmartRecruiters catered a delicious holiday dinner, with guests and a new hire, in front of a modern fire above an ambitious company purpose.