The global pandemic hasn’t stopped companies recruiting top talent, although organisations have had to adapt and find innovative ways to allow their recruiting process to continue remotely. Remote onboarding of new employees is a part of a much bigger trend and maybe something that will still continue post Covid19.
The good news is that remote onboarding done well will make your new employee feel just as much a part of the team on day one as they would if they were walking into the office.
At VANRATH, we have seen many success stories of remote onboarding, businesses of all sizes are finding creative ways to onboard remote workers. Below are some tips to ensure your remote onboarding process is as streamlined and successful as possible.
Pre-Onboarding
The onboarding process should start before the new employees first day. It is important to ensure that new employee’s coming into the team have a clear understanding of their role, have familiarity with the team they will be working with and an understanding of the company’s culture and values.
A welcome pack is a great way to compact all the information the employee will need about the company and their role, i.e. licenced company software, any log-in details they need, polices and training materials. Before the start date, make sure you deliver all necessary hardware to the employee. This includes basic kit like Laptop, Mouse, Keyboard, Monitor, etc. Determine their Wi-Fi capacities too, and whether they need a VPN.
Communication Process
It is important to set clear tasks and give new employees purpose early on in the process, make them feel like they’re having an impact and contributing to the wider team. As well as immediate role-specific priorities, getting them involved in other work-related projects can be a useful and effective way of introducing them to team members and the wider business. Onboarding remotely with a number of new employees can create a sense of community amongst themselves.
If any training is required, using tangible tasks that enable remote staff to get used to the systems and the ways of working within the business could allow for the employee to become more confident with the tasks which have been set out.
Establishing a mentoring programis another onboarding initiative, that will make your new remote employee feel connected to the organisation and that will help in their long-term development. Using video conferencing technology to interact with other remote workers allows for the new employee to ask questions regarding company procedures, general advice and guidance, facilitating introductions to other people in the business, or organising virtual coffee-catch ups and informal chats. Interaction is the best and fastest way to embed company culture through the whole working from home process.
Having a well-planned out road map for the first 3 months is a great way to ensure your new start has everything they need to do their job. Remote workers take longer to onboard because they aren’t in an office with others. Creating a plan, setting up all the meetings (three or four per day) with agendas, video links, etc. will reduce the stress and anxiety new hires can have and ensure they are getting introduced to all the people, processes, and projects that will be a part of their work.
Review your Onboarding Process regularly.
As onboarding remotely is something that many of us are not experienced in, there’s a good chance you might experience some hiccups initially. Ask each new remote employee to pay close attention to the process and tell you what worked and what didn’t. This will allow you to continuously improvethe process for your future hires.
AT VANRATH all of our recruitment consultants are experts within their specialist sectors. They have in-depth knowledge of the local recruitment market which is unrivalled in Northern Ireland.
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