Eurofins: Onboarding at the largest Covid test lab in the Netherlands

What was Eurofins' onboarding challenge?

Eurofins is the world market leader in bio-analytical testing for food, water, the environment and pharmaceutical products. In 2020, within the space of 9 weeks, subsidiary Eurofins Clinical Diagnostics - which focuses on human material - built a High Volume Laboratory with the capacity to process 35,000 PCR tests a day.

"We knew that we were facing something totally new," says HR Manager Jennifer van Valkenhoef. "We needed to upscale very fast: from 300 tests to 35,000 PCR tests a day. This meant that the process from sample receipt to result was automated and we needed people with knowledge of the machines. In a short space of time, we had to organize the onboarding of a lot of people to process the huge number of samples."

To complete the onboarding as quickly as possible, Eurofins looked for a digital app which could manage the high number of new employees and the rapidly changing context, whilst ensuring that new employees could be deployed fast, were trained and enthusiastic.

What does the Eurofins onboarding program look like?

"Appical explained how you set up digital onboarding for a new employee and what steps you take. From there, we started to build the parts we felt were important for new and existing employees. We wanted a fun, interactive way to give new, mainly young people the same information before their first day at work."

"In three months, we grew from 0 to nearly 250 employees. These employees came from different sectors: from hospitality and aviation and from a sushi chef to a driving school owner. Not everyone had experience working in a lab. But even before they were trained, they were prepared via the digital Appical app. With the app, the onboarding of new employees starts immediately once they accept the job."

The app can also be used wherever and whenever it suits the employee. "Because you can swipe in the app and don't need to follow a certain sequence, everyone can do it in their own way and at their own pace. Employees can always look back at the rules and instructions."

[.callout-blue]Instead of actors, Eurofins used its own employees in the instruction videos and photos. Great fun to see yourself in them! Lab technician Andy Carolie is also pleased with the videos: "When I see something once, I can do it. The videos really helped me learn what the work on a machine involves."[.callout-blue]

How has the onboarding app been received?

Because of the speed at which the High Volume Lab was built, an average of 15 employees were onboarded via the app in the first weeks. The reactions have been positive. "People love the look of the app and say that they don't miss anything in the app. And you see that everyone really responds to the questions that are asked. Managers don't need to explain so much themselves and employees can be deployed faster. Employees leave very positive reactions in the app. Which means we get a rating of well over 8 for the onboarding and welcome feeling."

Continuous development

The app may have been well received, but that doesn't mean the platform won't continue to develop. "We regularly refresh the content to keep pace with changes in the organization. And the app has now been rolled out in all the companies in clinical. We've started using the app for more and more things, not just onboarding.”

"We also sent out a survey to find out how people are doing after the first weeks and what we can improve. We then looked at all the points and addressed them. People wanted a more sociable environment, so we redecorated the canteen. And one person said: 'I just want salt and pepper at the office', so we sorted that too.”

“My favourite feature? The time lapse of the building of the lab. That shows what a crazy adventure the whole project was.”

Did you know...

• This High Volume Laboratory was built in just 9 weeks.
• This is the largest High Volume Laboratory in the Netherlands.
• It normally takes 9 months to set up a laboratory.
• The warehouse is 2,200m2, with an 8-week supply.

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