5 free resources for remote onboarding

Remote onboarding is the process of welcoming new virtual hires to your team and getting them up to speed. A great remote onboarding process makes new employees feel like they belong even if you can’t meet them face-to-face. During virtual onboarding, new hires learn the skills they need for their role, get to know your company culture, and connect with teammates. In addition, remote onboarding guides new hires through the process of setting up necessary tools—like their computer, email, and any other collaboration software your team uses. One of the biggest challenges that remote employees will face during the onboarding process and, in some cases, during their tenure at the company is a feeling of isolation. Any successful remote onboarding program should address this issue and work to create a sense of belonging as soon as possible.

Discover the best https://remotemode.net/ practices to ensure smooth transitions for both the employee and employer – whether you’re a remote-first company or are temporarily operating remotely due to the pandemic. Request that your team reach out to new hires and introduce themselves in order to start building relationships from the first week. The first step you can take is to create a quick reference guide that explains which tools your company uses and how to get started with them quickly. The second, and most critical step, is how login credentials are shared. The length of a new employee’s remote onboarding program can vary from a couple of weeks to over three months.

When should onboarding finish?

Assigning new employees their full areas of responsibility right away sets them up for unnecessary added stress and/or failure—the opposite of a positive experience. Just as importantly, it helps to prepare the employee for what to expect in the days and weeks ahead as they get settled in with the organization. The following is the outline of the exact step-by-step process for how to onboard remote employees that we developed and used for each new hire.

• But when it specifically comes to onboarding remote employees, it makes even more sense to treat the process with the importance that it deserves.
• If you have a drug-testing policy, all candidates, both in-office and remote, should know what to expect beforehand.
• Use your onboarding portal to enrich the 30-or so days before day one with plenty of engaging communication.
• An onboarding process is intended to help a new employee acclimate both to their role and to the company.
• Also, keep in mind that the new hire may still be working full-time in their previous job.
• You can use a variety of platforms, including both synchronous and asynchronous communication tools.

IT teams should prioritize the configuration of video conference software and communication tools. This will keep new hires informed and help to integrate them quickly. A well-structured remote onboarding policy streamlines the process. The following checklist provides a roadmap to design onboarding systems that integrate new hires without raising security risks or damaging productivity. You can use the milestones that you included in your onboarding plan to assess the employee’s performance and address any potential issues as soon as possible. Checking in with new employees also provides you with a platform for getting feedback on the onboarding process.

Boost engagement between the job acceptance and day one

HR professionals need to think creatively about the onboarding experience and make every new employee feel welcome from the start. Since they can’t visit the office in person, you have to ship any tech supplies they need—then the new hire has to unbox and set everything up on their own. Before your https://remotemode.net/blog/10-best-remote-onboarding-practices-to-adopt/ new hire can start learning and meeting new people, they may have to set up a new computer and access essential systems like email, messaging, and project management tools. While remote work gives employees more flexibility, it also presents some challenges—especially when it comes to onboarding.