WELCOME ONBOARD An exploratory study on expectations and concerns of using a LMS for employee onboarding

Abstract

Job hopping is a recent trend that can benefit the employee but negatively influences the employer that needs to invest a lot of time and money to hire and train new staff. Onboarding, the training of new employees for fast and smooth integration into the new workplace, has a positive effect on the newcomer’s integration and the organi-zation’s economy. Onboarding through learning management systems (LMS) pro-vides workplace learning and can save organizational resources through its web-based software platforms that facilitate and administer interactive learning. The aim of this study is to explore the expectations and concerns that employers and employ-ees have in using a LMS for onboarding as well as to design a pilot version of digital onboarding to explore employers’ and employees’ insights. The study was conducted at a Swedish university, in a department that hires student ambassadors. This thesis is based on Design Thinking theory, a holistic, human-centered, multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving. The methodology is based on Design Thinking and its five stages: empathize, define, ideate, prototype and test, as suggested by The Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford. The results of the study showed that the em-ployer and employees expect the LMS to play a complementary role and offer an onboarding on equal terms. A LMS should aid administration and offer the following possibilities: well-organized material, micro-learning, interactive features, multime-dia support and fast employee integration. Concerns regarding digital onboarding include losing real human interaction and socialization, passivity, feeling lonely, and feeling less confident. After testing the prototype designed for their needs, the em-ployer and employees received an overall positive insight into onboarding through the LMS.