5 Ways to Use QR Codes for Employee Onboarding and Training

QR code on cellphones
Stories
Krishanu Borah
May 3 2024

Traditional onboarding and training strategies can feel slow and have long, tedious processes. Pertinent information can get lost and misunderstood, and long paperwork can be intimidating and boring.

As the author of Meet the Modern Learner, Josh Bersin says, “Today’s workforce is overloaded, easily sidetracked, and demands flexibility in learning.”

The good news is that there’s a tech-savvy and enjoyable solution. Something most of us are familiar with is QR Codes. They may have been around for a while, but their potential is still growing. QR Codes generation is expected to grow by 70% between 2023-2027, and it can be leveraged for employee onboarding and training.

So, if you’re part of the People and Culture or HR team and are searching for a fresh approach to employee onboarding and training, this blog is for you.

Let’s start with the most crucial part of onboarding and training: an HR management solution.

Technology Is Essential to Employee Onboarding and Training

With HRMS, you can automate workflows that can help you provide onboarding benefits to new employees and keep them longer, by automating repetitive tasks such as sending welcome emails and assigning training modules.

Document management can help you store and manage all your onboarding documents in one centralized location.

Progress tracking allows you to monitor new hires’ progress throughout onboarding. At the same time, performance management features let you set goals and track new hires’ performance after onboarding.

You can further streamline the HR management processes by using QR Codes to easily share paperwork, gather employee feedback, share knowledge documents, etc.

How Can You Improve Employee Onboarding and Training Using QR Codes?

QR Codes let you provide quick and easy access to information, resources, and activities related to your organization. You can also relay your organization’s key messages in a video and custom QR Code format. But that’s not all!

Here’s a closer look at how QR Codes can potentially impact employee onboarding and training:

1. Personalization Helps You Communicate Better

Who doesn’t like a personalized touch to learning? Some experts also feel personalization can drive loyalty and employee satisfaction.

One way to provide personalized communication to your new joiners and employees is through QR Codes. This would make them feel more welcome in the organization. You can also include them in your training agenda for better engagement.

For example, you can create a personalized QR Code for your new employee or include it in your training. This Code will take them to a landing page that greets them by their name and has a brief video message from their manager. You can also provide them with a customized onboarding or training checklist that includes specific tasks for their role.

2. Easy Access to Resources and Information

A recent Deloitte study found that 70% of employees seek technology that facilitates their work. And yes, QR Codes can help employees access resources, instructions, and feedback more quickly, increasing efficiency and reducing frustration.

3. Better Engagement Through Gamification

You can use QR Codes to gamify onboarding or learning tasks such as an induction quiz or treat your employee to a virtual process tour. This helps increase employee motivation and enjoyment, leading to higher engagement levels.

4. Enabling Data-Driven Decisions

Measuring engagement through data is essential to improving it. Highly engaged organizations measure engagement more frequently than others. Here’s where QR Code tracking (scan analytics) offers reliable insights to help you improve employee experience.

5 Innovative Ways to Use QR Codes for Employee Onboarding and Training

QR Codes are often neglected when conducting employee onboarding and training. However, using them in these two HR processes can offer high engagement and a good first impression of the organization. Feel stuck? No worries. Here are creative ways to employ QR Codes for employee onboarding and training.

1. Make Your Process Interactive

Starting a new job can always give you jitters, and the onboarding process for new employees can always add to the jitters. That’s why making the process as simple, interactive, and engaging as possible is relevant and essential, and QR Codes can help with that.

How?

  • Welcome kits are given to all new employees, right? Stick a QR Code in there. By scanning this QR Code, new employees can quickly look at important documents such as employee handbooks, policies, and forms.
  • You can also use QR Codes to provide interactive multimedia content, such as welcome videos from company leaders or virtual office tours, for a more personalized and immersive experience.
  • Use QR Codes in interactive modules to access training materials, quizzes, assessments, SOPs, etc.
  • To provide access to sensitive materials, use password-protected QR Codes.
  • Provide access to self-paced learning QR Codes, which cater to individual preferences and learning styles and lead to better knowledge retention.

For example, a tech company can install QR Codes throughout its office buildings to let new hires meet their colleagues virtually before official introductions. When scanned, these codes reveal short video introductions to key team members in different departments.

2. Provide Quick Access to Critical Information

Employees sometimes struggle to access the information they need to learn a process. This especially applies to new hires who often have many questions during onboarding.

QR Codes offer a solution to this problem. They provide instant access to essential information, such as company policies, benefits guides, or video tutorials. This eliminates the need for them to sift through lengthy documents or wait for answers from busy colleagues.

You can use QR Codes for workflow automation to provide quick access to critical resources such as induction modules, performance support tools, and job aids.

For instance, a hospital can place QR Codes on employee badges. When scanned, these Codes link to a digital library of job aids, including step-by-step guides for standard procedures and protocols. This helps new staff access the information they need quickly and efficiently, improving patient care.

3. Update Outdated Information

Updating training or induction programs can be time-consuming, and we understand how challenging it can be to keep up with the latest technology and business demands. However, ensuring your employees can access the most recent updates is essential to perform their jobs safely and efficiently. That’s why, using dynamic QR Codes in your training manuals can go a long way.

Dynamic QR Codes let you make updates quickly without printing or reposting anything. This feature saves you time and resources, making accessing up-to-date information more convenient for your employees.

For instance, a manufacturing company can use QR Codes to link employees to the latest safety information online, ensuring they always have access to the most current safety guidelines.

4. Use Gamification

Gamification, collaboration, and interaction are essential elements for effective learning. QR Codes can be a great way to create engaging and interactive activities that encourage teamwork and problem-solving skills among new employees.

For instance, you can place QR Codes throughout a training room that reveal different parts of a fictional marketing case study when scanned. Teams can then gather information and develop a solution to the presented marketing challenge.

Similarly, adding QR Codes to quizzes and challenges can be a great way to add fun and competition to the learning environment. You can also reward employees with points or badges when they complete tasks and answer questions correctly.

To get started with gamification, you can include QR Codes in your induction mail, leading to fun puzzles and quizzes that bring a sense of playfulness to the workplace. For example, in Virtual Escape Quests, QR Codes lead to secret interactive websites where players must solve a puzzle to move on to the next level.

5. Track Employee’s Actions to Identify Learning Gaps

As an employer, you should understand your employees’ needs and support them in their learning and onboarding journey. Again, one easy way to do that is by using dynamic QR Codes.

These QR Codes provide insights into your employees’ interests, performance, and learning progress. This information can help you identify areas where you can offer more comprehensive training and support.

For instance, a supermarket store can use QR Codes to track individual progress and identify employees needing extra support.

You can also get more constructive feedback from the employees to understand where the loopholes are and what suggestions they provide to improve learning for them and new joiners.

How to Create a QR Code for Onboarding and Training

A simple 5-step process is all you need to create QR Codes that can excite your training and onboarding process.

  • Choose your goal. What information should trainees find when they scan the code? A video? A website? Decide this first.
  • Find a QR Code maker such as Uniqode and login.
  • Choose your QR Code type and pick the one that works best. Need a website link? Choose “URL” and type the address. For real-time analytics and edits, choose a dynamic QR Code.
  • Customize it and make it resonate more with your brand. The following options are available for customization on Uniqode’s dashboard: colors, logo, pattern, shapes, and frames.
  • Before sharing, make sure the Code works. Scan it yourself to see if it takes you to the right place. When all’s well, print your Code or download it for your training materials.

Adapt and Thrive Through New Ways of Learning and Onboarding

Adopt a new way of learning that can enable your team to succeed on their terms. As technology advances, so do the expectations of your workforce. With the right set of tools, you can give your employees the flexibility and convenience they need while ensuring they have the right information to grow. Now is the time to boost employee engagement and make your workplace interactive and a great place to work and grow.

Modernize your onboarding processes and improve new hire experience with Folks HR:

Discover flexible and affordable onboarding automation features!

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