It is also important to note that it shouldn’t just be the manager who checks in. Someone from HR should also touch base and if your company is small enough, the Director of their department or CEO should take the time to check in, too. It also encourages a sense of belonging which is especially important since employees will be working from a remote location and not have face-to-face interaction. Doing so allows you to easily, securely, and quickly distribute credentials to new employees without compromising the security of your remote working infrastructure. Newcomers can find information about GitLab’s TaNewKi call, a preboarding call where they can meet future colleagues, socialize, and ask questions. By taking these steps to prepare, you’ll be well-equipped and ready to confidently tackle remote onboarding.
These meet and greets should just be a fun space, without their manager, to get to know and talk to others on the team. A well-thought-out plan can make all the difference in how successful your remote onboarding process is. The plan should cover everything needed to ease the new remote hire into the company in their first weeks. Onboarding new employees, both in the office and remotely, entails a specific list of requirements. The onboarding process must cover a lot, from administrative areas, such as payroll forms, to computer setup, personal introductions and first assignments. For your company to be successful in the onboarding of long-term remote workers, it is critical that investments are made to create a remote-friendly workplace that makes everybody feel included, irrespective of where they work.
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If you’re just getting started with remote onboarding, review our step-by-step guide below for how to build a remote onboarding program. Maybe you can even schedule extra meetings with line managers through the probation period to talk them through any doubts they’re having and ensure it’s going well. The concept has become increasingly popular in the last few years, and it’s essential to make sure your remote employees can efficiently and easily settle into their roles. An emphasis on company culture is also a fantastic way to bolster your new employees’ sense of belonging and camaraderie in their work environment.
Prepare the rest of your team for the new employee’s arrival.
- It’s filled with the company’s products, and a warm note linking the products to the company’s mission.
- The key to efficiently onboarding remote employees is to create a detailed onboarding plan.
- In addition to that, it’s also a great opportunity to get to know them better and welcome them to the organization.
- It’s important the new hire feels as if they’re up to speed on all the new responsibilities and tasks within their new role, the software they’ll be using, and how to best interact and communicate with other team members.
- By being inclusive, employees will feel confident and welcomed into your company culture.
- This plan should cover all aspects of the onboarding process but most importantly, include milestones that can be used to measure how an employee is progressing through the process.
Getting to know each other outside of work helps bring new team members into the fold and collaborate on work projects in the future. During onboarding, you can then use the Calm app throughout the process – starting with a group meditation or time of thoughtfulness, group stretches, or watching a series on mental well-being. Your team can also set aside time during onboarding to share ideas on how they handle stress during the work week. For your organization, this could mean having documented 30, 60, and 90-day milestones for your employee or a robust custom onboarding plan remote onboarding best practices that is updated for each employee. An effective onboarding program is considerably more important now with the increasing popularity of remote work. This makes it the ideal time to share all ideas related to company culture and company values so that it really entrenches itself in your new hire’s work habits.
This will further indoctrinate the new hire into your organization and set a clear line of communication moving forward. You can use your initial one-on-one meetings to check in on major milestones in your employee’s onboarding plan and offer a safe space for any questions or support they may have. Engaging in regular conversations with your new hires is an effective way to begin building trust.
Get some tips on effectively onboarding remote employees from the members of Forbes Human Resources Council. In a virtual setting, you can’t rely as much on the organic and spontaneous relationship-building that happens in hallways, over lunches, and at office events. That’s why it’s best to be proactive and intentional about setting up a mix of formal and informal one-on-one interactions between the new hire and other individuals. Additionally, it’s important to organize a mix of different group discussions so that the new hire can develop contextual understanding of team dynamics. Lastly, one risk of virtual work is that it can make it easy for an individual or leader to operate in silos or with the same network of people on a regular basis.
Encourage collaborative learning
Onboarding is that critical juncture of the employee journey when a new hire connects with other members of the team, learns the ins and outs of the job, and has a chance to feel and embrace the company culture. All of that is likely disrupted if your company has recently moved to a work-from-home or hybrid model, which means you need to focus on creating a positive remote onboarding experience — and fast. The key to efficiently onboarding remote employees is to create a detailed onboarding plan.
It’s filled with the company’s products, and a warm note linking the products to the company’s mission. As stated above, conduct welcome and introductory sessions with the employee’s direct superior. Then, move onto a virtual happy hour or casual meet-and-greet to make the employee feel welcomed.
Checking in with an employee can be as simple as sending an e-mail or arranging a video call. Consider creating a welcome pack that can be distributed electronically to new remote employees. The welcome pack should ideally be sent out to new employees before their first onboarding session. We send everyone a $20 Grubhub gift card and use this meeting to get to know each other outside of what was on the resume.