Be sure all existing employee documentation is digitized and hosted on a company intranet for easy access. Many companies use an intranet or internal wiki to maintain digital documentation of projects, successes, failures, and culture outside of day-to-day operations (at Owl Labs, we use Notion). Docebo transforms remote onboarding from a dull checklist to an interactive, personalized experience.
Set-up a first-day onboarding orientation
Don’t hesitate to ask current employees what they did or didn’t like about their first day. This information can give you some valuable insight on how to plan first days going forward. Employees are most open to absorbing new ideas and information during the onboarding process. Effective onboarding aims to convince employees that sustained efforts over the long term can help them reap career jumps and financial rewards at your company. It prepares employees to fully commit to performing well and exceeding expectations.
Leverage Collaboration Tools
Employee onboarding is just as important as the hiring process and even more so when onboarding virtually. In fact, companies with a strong onboarding process is shown to increase employee productivity by over 70 percent and improves new hire retention by 82 percent according to a report by Glassdoor. Adopting tools like VPNs or other connection protocols can help maintain secure communication channels during remote onboarding.
Use self-onboarding checklists
Offer flexible work arrangements and encourage employees to use vacation time to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Complete the following tasks and activities on an ongoing basis after the three-month mark. From this point onward, tasks bolster employee engagement, development, and performance. At this point, the employee should be focusing on completing the necessary training and onboarding materials while getting used to their new environment.
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Most importantly, you need to provide them with the channels for asking questions or finding the information they need. If they’re located in a different time zone, they need to know the best possible time to reach out to you for assistance. The process of mentoring new hires should embrace understanding, flexibility, and patience.
Revisit Your Onboarding Process
This video shouldn’t be too formal, it should make the employee feel at ease in their new work environment and allow them to get to know the company and its employees a bit better. These factors can often be more pronounced when workers need to be onboarded remotely as part of a virtual team. We all know what our first day in a new job feels like… The unfamiliar surroundings coupled with new faces and unknown technology.
Connect Remote Employees with their Managers
By retaining employees through effective onboarding, employers can save on recruitment and training expenses. Initiate the onboarding process well before the new remote employee’s first day. GitLab has created a main page that provides a clear and informative overview of the onboarding process at the company. It includes links to additional onboarding pages and templates for new employees. In a remote setting, training becomes especially important during the new hire’s first 90 days.
Even in remote work environments, you should celebrate successes together and provide feedback regularly to build a supportive team atmosphere. Creating a collaborative culture is about more than just the tools you use; but about fostering an environment where team members feel valued and heard. This initial bonding experience is crucial for integrating new employees into your company culture.
By following these onboarding best practices, you can ensure your new hires get the positive start they deserve. Using a virtual tool, such as Zenefits, can help new hires learn about your company culture, connect with colleagues, and complete important quizzes on essential topics. By leveraging technology and social media, you can easily personalize remote onboarding. You can even compile Q&As for your new hires, and include them in an onboarding document folder. To make remote onboarding a successful process, hold frequent one-on-ones with your new hires.
To make remote onboarding successful, companies need to make new hires feel that they are a priority, and that they are welcomed with open arms. For example, HubSpot prioritizes training and offers new hires a series of optional training sessions in addition to a traditional workplace. New hires should spend some time getting to know their teammates before the official start date. The sooner a new hire is acclimated, the faster they will contribute to the team. If you want to create a speed dating experience for remote hires, you can even play an online game that enables team members to interact.
Moreover, use video coffee chats and other ice-breaker activities to break the ice. Some apps, such as Donut, allow employees to chat with a company representative through the internet. Onboard employees can remote onboarding best practices also receive useful information about company resources, such as knowledge bases, training software portals, and cheat sheets. Remote employees are not likely to be available for regular office visits.
List the steps involved and help new employees understand which channels are best for them. For example, if the company is located in a different time zone, create a forum where future new hires can ask questions and engage with previous on boarders. There are many common practices that are applicable to onboarding employees, but some are more effective in a remote environment.
Reinforce company values throughout the onboarding process by involving remote workers in company-wide awards and other recognition programs. Encourage employees to publicly recognize and reward each other when they live up to your company’s values. Create a template for the onboarding process, with tasks and check-ins to be completed. Encourage new employees to connect with the team by holding a virtual meet-and-greet and using the virtual breakroom to play some games. If remote onboarding is a must, make sure to incorporate live video chats and social interactions.
Also, 32% like a mix, doing some days at home for flexibility and others in the office for teamwork. If you wish to join them, you must modify their onboarding process by generating compelling, personalized material in order to integrate new employees regardless of where they work from. What Steve Jobs did at Apple was create a virtual version of the buddy system with an app called iBuddy. New employees were paired up with someone in a department unrelated to theirs in order to foster linear integration with the company culture. The buddy system has long been a great way to integrate a new person into a group.
The handbook guarantees that duties are executed consistently and in the same way each time. The Visme Employee Handbook Builder simplifies the process of generating and maintaining an employee reference manual by providing both digital and print-friendly access to the output. This flow diagram template is a great way to show new hires what the onboarding process looks like. It’s ideal to have a plan in place before beginning this procedure with your new hire. It will make the process easier for both you and the new employee you’re onboarding.
- Remote working is more popular than ever before and it seems inevitable that most businesses will have at least one remote employee.
- For new employees or HR staff, this Visme template can serve as a useful addition to an agenda or serve as a reminder of a step that has to be taken.
- If you have an office, you can invite new hires to spend their first week at your office with your in-house team.
- It’s a great opportunity to really drive home how valued your new employees are and can help retain your best workers.
- Speaking of audits, you need to consider how your remote onboarding software will hold up to audits and security regulations.
The goal of a virtual hangout is to mimic the natural interactions that would occur in an office environment. So, pre-boarding is a great way to bridge the gap between the acceptance of a job offer and the first day of work, reducing first-day anxieties. Embracing technology in the hiring process isn’t just an unexplored possibility — it’s a reality….
Recognizing achievements and celebrating milestones, as advocated by best practices, motivates remote employees and boosts morale. The ability to adapt to changing circumstances is a competitive advantage. Best practices equip remote employees with the skills to thrive in dynamic remote work environments, https://remotemode.net/ fostering innovation and resilience. Offer ongoing support and resources beyond the initial onboarding period. Encourage your new remote employee to reach out for assistance when needed. Ensure that remote onboarding materials are accessible to all employees, regardless of their abilities.