About one-third of the private sector operates remotely, especially after the pandemic a few years back. Today, the corporate world has moved from in-person traditional routes to more flexible and adjustable workplace options.
Around 34% of private organizations offer their employees remote working or a hybrid version. Although remote operations provide several benefits, the remote onboarding process is much more complicated.
Organizations were not used to hiring professionals when the trend first started. Despite the primarily accepted change in the industry, several organizations are facing complications with the onboarding process, which is entirely understandable.
This article will share 8 great remote onboarding tips to make the onboarding experience easier for you. However, before we begin that, let's quickly go through some of the common challenges professionals face in remote onboarding.
Organizations have long faced issues with hiring new employees for their companies. These new hires can easily feel overwhelmed, out of place, or other complications without proper guidance. Moreover, the businesses may also face issue with the hiring if they are new to it.
Therefore, we have listed some remote onboarding tips for you. Remember these challenges may vary from case to case, but we can categorize them into the following types, have a look:
Virtual communication may be highly effective for team members, but digital communications mean added backups. However, these backups can make virtual communication and navigation within the onboarding process more challenging. With proper data management, companies retention skyrockets after day one.
With the digital onboarding done remotely, there’s more inclusion of technology, and lesser conventional working methods. However, setting up the technology for these processes may require more work for business owners.
It can be particularly problematic for companies that are new to digital working methods and need the professionals or the hardware required for setting up a well-functioning remote hiring and onboarding system.
Contrary to conventional workplaces, remote workplaces have more diversification before there are no geographical bounds for employees hired. However, culture and relationship building can also become pretty challenging for managers with a diverse groups (especially with a remote team). The business owners may take longer to segment the employees and help them find coherence among each other.
A remote onboarding program requires a lot of information processing, which can be significantly challenging for most companies. Anyone new to onboarding new employees remotely will make mistakes. However, these mistakes can prevent the professionals from losing potential employees and increase the onboarding process.
As you probably understand by now, there are various issues you will face with the remote onboarding process. Business owners must understand these challenges and find solutions to them accordingly.
The solutions to these problems may vary a bit for each organization. However, the generic concept remains the same. Our experts have outlined the best remote onboarding tips you should consider for your subsequent hiring. Let's begin:
The first and the most common mistake you will see professionals make is not choosing the proper pre-boarding method. It is the first step to an effective onboarding process and determines an organization's final experience with a new employee.
People believe the pre-boarding process matters when the professionals hire conventionally, but it's just as crucial for remote onboarding.
Instead of making the new employees spend time completing documentation, legal requirements, and other boring stuff, they can spend some time with the team.
You can even use an online game as an icebreaker for new remote employees and help them interact. The faster a new team member gets to know the rest of the team, the quicker they can get to work.
The best way to make the new employees feel more welcome in the company is by letting them run their onboarding process. You can create a “getting started” checklist to complete when they first join. It can include requirements for the first week of working.
It can also be the channels these employees need to join or the meetings they must attend. By giving them a charge, the professionals become more dedicated to their tasks assigned and take the initiative from the get-go. However, if you see them suffering, you can always lend them a hand with the process.
A common mistake most human resource professionals make is going with the flow. Improvising may be a good idea, but only in some things. We recommend being as organized as possible. Regular check-ins with new employees pay dividends. You can create a plan for the new employees for the first few weeks.
It might seem like a lot of work, but you will use it for multiple employees in the future, so it’s worth the trouble. The more you prepare for an upcoming employee, the smoother the onboarding process will be, making you and your firm look professional.
You can also add small notes, digital reminders, and a centralized server for these employees to make their professional journeys easier. Moreover, we also recommend taking feedback from the newly recruited employees after they complete a few weeks in the workplace.
It will allow you to fine-tune possible issues that you may face with future employees. You can also ask the employees to report any issues they may face in the office otherwise.
As someone inducting the professionals in your company, you must make them feel welcome. No one wants to join a company remotely to be left alone. Instead, it would help if you walked them through each step of their setup, the team introductions, and other essential processes.
With the remote working mode, you can easily do this with programs like Zoom or any other video conferencing platform. This way, you will ensure the professionals have a warm and structured welcome instead of feeling haphazard. Once you complete the remote employee onboarding, you'll ensure they are joined and understood.
Additionally, the HR person in charge of onboarding must be present the entire time to review the processes and answer any new employee questions. If you guide them, (even if it is virtual), will make the employees feel more excited.
A company's existing culture is a major driving force for its reputation in the industry. As the hiring authority, you should ensure the professionals see it as aptly as other day-to-day responsibilities.
At the same time, companies should also learn to change and adjust their culture when hiring remote employees. As mentioned, digital hiring means having a larger employee spectrum, which might not fit well with your existing company culture.
However, this should be a manageable element. Onboarding remote workers can be improved with the right approach. Some of the best ways to ensure the professionals are ready to work in your firm can be through:
· Coaching
· Mentoring
· Technology
· And a lot more
With these simple steps, you can teach the new employees to understand and implement the approach better. Once you prioritize these things, your work culture will become stronger and so will the remote onboarding process!
Adjusting to a new workplace can be significantly challenging for new employees, even if they have prior working experience; if you wish your employees to adjust to the environment and job properly, with mentors that can keep a check on these newly onboarded professionals.
However, the person you choose as a mentor for your employees matters a lot. You need to hire someone patient and willing to help the employees out. Chances are this new worker will make a mistake, which is where the mentor's guidance will come in handy.
Similarly, these mentors can also provide the new-hired professional an opportunity to connect with other co-workers, giving them a sense of belonging in the workplace.
As a new professional in the workplace, an individual may not necessarily comprehend the processes right away. Instead, they require a much more interactive option. A great option in this regard is the video/visual SOPs.
These new methods have greatly helped companies adopt new employees, streamline the remote onboarding process and smooth out everything else.
However, you should know the type of employee you are hiring. For instance, some of these professionals may not be 100% remote (in the case of hybrid workers).
With the dedicated videos, the new employees will feel much more welcomed and have a sense of belonging in the workplace. Moreover, it's great for hiring and onboarding new employees throughout the process. You can also use various employee video recordings to make the newly hired professionals feel more welcome.
People have commonly switched their jobs between 'The Great Lockdown' and there are a lot of different onboarding approaches these individuals have seen over the years. As an onboarding professional you should create a standard plan for these new employees for the first few days. Some of these include:
Setting up their laptops and other digital devices
Setting up a timetable and task timeline for them
Creating virtual communications for them
Introducing them to the overall culture and relationship building.
Remote onboarding can be complicated, especially if you do not have the right skills, devices, and professionals ready to help you. As a hiring authority professional, it's your job to cater to these new workers and help them meet their goals as aptly as possible.
We recommend following the tips outlined in this article, and you should have little to no problem hiring new employees remotely. You can always fine-tune this remote onboarding recommendation as per your business model.