As we all know it’s coming up on 4 years since the biggest change to our working habits in living memory when many of us went from being in the workplace with colleagues every day to working on our own at home. Employers have faced many challenges in that time as the working landscape has changed and one of the biggest challenges has been onboarding employees in a remote working world.
My Experience
In December 2020 I was offered the opportunity to join CUBE HR. Changing jobs mid-pandemic whilst we were all trying to get our heads around what tier we were in and what that actually meant was interesting to say the least but it also gave me a great insight into what remote onboarding looked like and the difficulties it presented. After accepting the job Lisa kept in touch with me on a weekly basis, she added me to the WhatsApp chat group where I quickly found out that she doesn’t like to be referred to as “boss” and I was sent a reward and recognition questionnaire so that she could get to know me a bit more. I felt cared for and valued. The day before I started Lisa arrived at my house with my phone, laptop and a bag full of goodies to welcome me. She rang the doorbell and then backed off halfway down the drive. It was the first time we had met in person but it was great to actually be able to chat even if it was brief. Before I officially started though I already felt part of the CUBE HR team and that helped massively in terms of me settling in.
My first week was spent on Teams meetings with Lisa and Claire. I also spent time working through online process guides to help me to figure out what I should actually be doing, plus client meetings and shadowing. It was very different to my previous onboarding experiences but it worked and I some how felt like I was competent. There was a clear plan and a clear structure for what I needed to do and how to do it and I knew that even though I wasn’t physically sat with anyone that they were there on the end of the phone or on our Teams group chat. As an introvert it was also easier for me to experience remote onboarding as I don’t need the interaction with people as much as others might to keep my energy up. Lisa and Claire were also really open and honest with me that they wanted my feedback, good, bad or indifferent on my experience so that the onboarding could be reviewed and updated for the next new starter. Being asked for my opinion made me feel valued and engaged. Overall, my experience of remote onboarding was a positive one, it wasn’t perfect but I wasn’t expecting it to be given that it was the first time that Lisa and Claire had attempted it. It did though give us all a greater understanding of the process and therefore helped us to talk to our clients who were experiencing the same challenges from a stronger, more informed stand point.
Remote Onboarding Tips
The website HR Review makes the aim of onboarding clear, “it is to help new employees feel welcomed and supported as they begin their new job, and it can provide them with the knowledge and resources they need to be successful in their role”. The reality is that remote onboarding isn’t hugely different to in person onboarding and you can achieve that aim in a remote setting as long as you prepare and have a clear process and understanding of what you are doing.
As with most things in life and work, the key to getting something right is to put in the preparation and groundwork at the outset. By having a structured onboarding plan, ideally one which includes a number of milestones, you’ll be able to effectively and efficiently onboard staff remotely and make sure that they are on track. The plan will ensure that everyone knows what is happening, who is responsible and will give new starters a sense of support as they have a defined framework to help them to settle in.
It is crucial, and may seem obvious, but before a new hire who works remotely starts with your business make sure that they have all the tools and equipment they need as well as all the software and systems access required to actually do their job.
Having some form of welcome pack is also a great way that you can remotely onboard staff. A digital welcome pack could include all the forms that staff need to complete, a set of frequently asked questions so they instantly have a useful resource to go to if they need help, company information and even videos. The videos could be from individual team members to welcome their new colleague and introduce themselves, from a senior leader or even the CEO to share more details of the company mission, vision, values and culture or on a practical level the welcome pack could include simple training resource videos about logging into systems or how to guides for the processes and tasks that are key to the new starter’s job role. Learning and training remotely during onboarding is crucial and the use of technology has made it highly effective. Videos, webinars, online guides and using test or dummy systems are all great ways to onboard remotely and get staff up to speed quickly.
Whilst you’re not going to be physically with your new hire if you are onboarding remotely, they need to know who to reach out to and how if they need support. It is vital to have planned check ins scheduled so that you have the time to talk through performance, successes, difficulties and anything else that the new starter wants to discuss. In addition, informal check ins via email, Teams chat or WhatsApp are also useful as they let a new employee know that someone cares about them and that there is a someone there if needed.
Ultimately everyone needs some human contact and so if at all possible it is good to have some planned face to face in person time during onboarding and beyond. That time could be spent in any number of ways and doesn’t actually have to be work related. The important thing is that people get time to spend together, get to know each other, form bonds and get a real sense of their colleagues and the company that they are part of.
If you want to discuss remote onboarding and how it can work for your business then get in touch with us.
Do you have any questions about todays blog, need help in becoming legally compliant with contracts/policies or can we support you in taking away any people pains to give you peace of mind?
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Why not also check out our blog on a similar topic Onboarding in the Digital Age
We also have a YouTube channel with loads of handy videos outlining various HR related scenarios.
