Many companies view onboarding as merely an orientation phase, where new hires receive a brief introduction to the company, their role, and job responsibilities before training. While this is important, effective onboarding encompasses much more. This might explain why only 12% of employees feel their employers excel in this process.
Onboarding new hires may start with an orientation and involve training sessions to give people the tools and information necessary to succeed. Still, the process should also work toward integrating team members into the organization, its culture, and even its values. With a growing number of companies sourcing talent outside the traditional hiring radius, onboarding becomes much more important.
However, onboarding new hires virtually isn’t always easy. For one, many managers have never led remote team members, so uncertainty can set in on how to start. The process can also become monotonous, as delivering information takes the same form daily. Without the option of stopping by a manager’s office, communication can be another major obstacle. New hires can be left waiting for answers to questions, stalling the onboarding process.
Then, there’s the simple matter of information overload. Not that the chances of this happening with in-office onboarding are any less, but the paperwork, training, and other components can become overwhelming without the daily interactions between colleagues to help break up the day and navigate the process. Who does the new hire turn to when they need assistance figuring something out?
Getting Onboarding Right for Remote Talent
Getting onboarding right is essential for all new hires. It’s just that the process for a remote workforce often takes more careful planning and attention, and you should probably keep a few best practices in mind. Those would include:
- Focus on uniformity.
Standardizing your onboarding plan is generally the first order of business. The goal here is to create a uniform process to ensure everyone coming into the company will receive the same information and experience the company and culture similarly from day one. A step-by-step guide can certainly help, especially regarding remote teams. It keeps the process on track and avoids the potential of leaving critical pieces out.
- Focus on flexibility.
Not everyone learns information the same way, so invest in learning tools that work for different learners. What’s more, these tools should also be easy to navigate. With communication sometimes being an issue, the last thing you want is for any new hire to get stuck in the process and wait even an hour for help. Also, make sure that the information is easily digestible and varies in format. Videos, interactive components, PDFs, and so on can help prevent information overload.
- Focus on the human connection.
With remote teams, there should always be a human component to the onboarding process. Though most training sessions will occur online, ensure that direct managers are always available to new remote hires. Take it one step further and schedule check-ins at least once daily, if not more. It will be an opportunity to discuss progress and gauge sentiments of how the process is going for the individual.
- Focus on growth.
While focusing on growth may sound obvious, some companies can overlook the importance of setting metrics around onboarding, similar to how one might overlook the significance of an award plaque that symbolizes recognition and achievement. This isn’t to say that they fail to monitor the activities of new hires, but it’s crucial to gather data on the process. Measuring growth in this manner not only enhances the chances of success for a new hire, akin to how an award plaque acknowledges excellence, but also allows you to refine the onboarding process to ensure growth for other new hires. In addition to data points, it's essential to ask for feedback on the process from new hires. Allow for anonymity to keep the answers honest and insightful.
- Focus on engagement.
It’s no secret that engagement can be an issue for remote team members. During the onboarding process, it may be helpful to pair new hires with more seasoned members of the team. A point of contact outside of the manager can be beneficial. It also presents the opportunity to bond with a colleague. Also, consider scheduling informal virtual meetings for the entire team to allow people to get to know one another.
Properly executed onboarding sets the tone for a company’s relationship with its new hires. Investing time and careful planning in this process enhances a new hire's confidence, understanding of their role, and ability to become productive members.
