A 5-step guide to remote onboarding

Remote onboarding has been a new challenge for many companies over the last year but is still an important part of the recruitment process. Studies have shown that 69% of employees will stay with a company long-term if they had a good onboarding experience so it is essential to get it right. To help you and your organisation we have put together five tips to successfully onboard a new employee whilst working remotely.

Set expectations

Before they start, clearly outline your expectations to the new employee. Having a clear picture of responsibilities will be the basis of a successful hire. The new employee should understand their tasks, the systems to use, company values, the team’s objectives as well as their own. The best way to do this is to create a schedule with allotted time for training, reviews and check-ins. Also, you can provide a new hire with a document outlining the onboarding process so they can reference it for questions and guidance.

Welcome them to the team

Usually, on the first day, an employee will walk around the office and introduce themselves to the team forming that connection early on. Whilst remote working, welcoming a new hire to a team can be tricky. Encourage other team members to set up individual calls with the new employee to kick-off a relationship as well as whole team meetings with social aspects involved. Establishing a team connection early on is extremely important so the new employee doesn’t feel isolated from the group and so they are comfortable offering ideas in front of others.

Create a remote onboarding plan

Create a concise onboarding plan which you can share with anyone. Within the plan, you should cover items such as a list of things the new hire should look at before the start date. For example, information on the company, payroll and what they can expect in their first week. Also included in the plan should be a list of any tools or software’s the new hire will be using along with login details. You should share information on relevant team members such as responsibilities and contact details. This will help them get a better understanding of the team. Finally, bring them up to speed on any campaigns or projects that may be necessary. This will make them feel more comfortable when starting on the tasks.

Provide individual objectives

In the first week, provide the new hire with objectives they can use for guidance. This will set expectations for the employee and the manager can monitor progress and how they are integrating into the team. Setting out a rough timeline to complete each target will give the employee structure and keep them motivated throughout the first few weeks of their employment.

Create a space for questions

Implement a safe space for any questions. This could be a Teams chat or setting up a weekly 10-minute meeting. Starting a new job can be very stressful, especially when you’re not physically with any of your colleagues, so creating a place for questions can make the new employee feel more comfortable. It will also ensure that they can get to ask all their questions in one place and they won’t feel like a burden for asking too many ad-hoc questions. For future onboarding, you can collate all questions in one place so when another new hire joins you can share with them.

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