4 Ways Automation Simplifies Employee Onboarding

Migration has long been an important part of filling out the workforce in service industries in Australia. After two long years of pandemic shutdowns, the nation will finally be able to welcome foreign workers and students back into Australia. It would seem as though the answer to the critical talent shortage has finally arrived. Yet, there are still major concerns about how the lengthy process will inhibit success. Companies need workers right away. Workers and students need access to the available jobs and education that come along with Australian visas. If you’re one of many employers seeking to address talent gaps, you are likely seeking ways to speed up the hiring process of migrant workers. For many, automation could be the answer. Consider these ways automation can help simplify employee onboarding and take care of crucial compliance requirements.

1. Improved Employee Experience

Prime Minister, Scott Morrison promises to create 1.3 million new jobs in five years. As a result, the Australian unemployment rate is expected to fall below 4 percent this year. Industry groups are quick to point out that the problem in Australia’s economy isn’t a shortage of jobs. It’s a shortage of skilled workers to fill existing positions.

Businesses operating in healthcare, hospitality, and other service industries have been competing for workers for the duration of the pandemic. Unfortunately, reopening borders won’t immediately address this competition. The process for recruiting overseas workers is riddled with bottlenecks and delays. And many business leaders think the number of incoming migrants will remain insufficient to meet demands.

Companies must create a smooth onboarding process to compete against other establishments hoping to attract new workers. To hire migrant workers, you must ensure the candidate has a valid visa with unlimited, or at least sufficient, rights to work in Australia. For new employees, providing essential information necessary for employment can be a cumbersome process. An automated employee onboarding process allows you to streamline hiring with automated self onboarding via email, bulk spreadsheet upload or integration with your HRM software. Your onboarding process must be faster and easier than that of the competition. If so, you can eliminate the stress involved with relocating for employment.

2. Streamlined Internal Processes

For many organisations, labour shortages aren’t limited to service employees. HR teams are often short-staffed as well. Taking on the responsibility of hiring migrant workers is not one to be taken lightly. If you’re considering hiring workers from overseas, you must make sure they have the correct type of visa, as well as the licenses and qualifications for their roles.

In other words, your internal team is responsible for collecting and storing significant documentation for each new worker. Completing these processes manually requires considerable time and effort, and a robust HR staff. By automating document collection, and integrating VEVO with your payroll software, you can eliminate many of the manual tasks associated with hiring workers from overseas.

3. Improved Compliance

There are many rules and procedures surrounding the practice of hiring overseas employees to work in Australia. Foreign workers must have a visa that not only allows them to live in Australia but also to work without restrictions. Once a temporary visa holder is in Australia and engaged in employment, it’s your responsibility as an employer to continue to monitor the employee’s visa. Employers are also required to keep records on temporary foreign workers for seven years in case of an audit. Failure to comply with these laws can lead to fines of up to $315,000 and other penalties.

Maintaining seamless oversight of changing documentation can be an accident waiting to happen. When your team depends on manual processes to review and update visa changes, a single human error can leave you subject to expensive fines and possibly affect your rights to employ foreign workers. An automated system alleviates this issue with automated updates and alerts that highlight events requiring immediate action. For example, the CheckWorkRights system provides a monthly report that includes:

Work Entitlement

A overview of how many employees have no work rights, limited work rights, or conditions on their visa. And how many are Australian citizens or have unlimited work rights.

Evidence Verification

A clear description of how many employees need to submit extra documentation before their checks can be processed.

Visa Expiry Summary

An explanation that lists the number of employees whose visas are expiring in the next 30, 60, or 90 days.

In addition to these monthly reports, a Critical Work Rights Report will provide you with an “emergency” report with details of any staff members whose visas are expiring shortly. As a result, you can contact the employee and upload details of their new visa.

When these alerts are automatically supplied to your team, you can immediately address issues and avoid penalties for non-compliance.

4. Improved Retention

A positive onboarding experience provides new workers with a positive opinion of your establishment and makes them more likely to maintain employment. Conversely, a poor employee onboarding experience poises workers to look for opportunities elsewhere. Retention is critical in a tight labour market. Competitors are always seeking ways to attract new employees.

New changes to seasonal and long-term visas allow employers to nominate seasonal workers for a longer-term visa that can last up to four years. When you greet new employees with an automated onboarding and documentation process that streamlines critical steps of employment, you set new hires up with positive expectations and a willingness to learn. Your training programs that follow onboarding will have an increased ROI when new employees are eager to maintain their employment with your organisation.

Improve Employee Onboarding with Automation

Automation offers a variety of ways to improve the onboarding process of overseas workers for both employees and the establishments that need their services. In today’s tight labour market, finding ways to improve hiring and onboarding processes will be crucial to attracting new workers to your organisation. To learn more about improving your onboarding and documentation process with automation, contact CheckWorkRights. Or book a free demo right away.