What do you do if you need to onboard remote employees in digital strategy careers?

We all have gone through this during COVID era and evolved from experience. The L&D departments and HR has to liaison with the relevant departments and stakeholders prior to their onboarding. Roughly around 15 days prior, scheduling calendar invites, providing laptop, software installation, email setup, internal communication channels, sessions from L&D and various other departments, HR welcome and induction, welcome kit comprising of diary, pen, earphones etc. and a lot of engagement and learning activities. Next step would be after a week of training to connect them with respective department to understand the workflow, set expectations and clarity on roles and responsibilities.

Effectively onboarding remote employees begins with a thorough initial setup. Ensure that all necessary hardware and software are provided and properly configured before their start date. This includes secure access to all necessary platforms and communication tools. It's also beneficial to organize a welcome package, which could include guides, company swag, and a detailed first-week agenda. Setting up a virtual office tour or a welcome video from the team can also help in making the new hire feel valued and integrated from the start.

Onboarding remote employees in digital strategy careers requires a well-structured, comprehensive approach to ensure they are equipped with the necessary knowledge, tools, and resources to succeed in their roles while fostering connection, collaboration, and engagement within the remote team.

Training modules can be tedious and can make a remote employee feel isolated! Ensure the training modules include tasks that involve the new employee interacting with the wider business or team. It can be daunting for a new employee to approach people within the business so make everyone aware of the nature of the onboarding process and encourage the business to be giving with their time where applicable.

Given my unique situation of working remotely in a country with a different language (Austria), and with online training as my only option, it's crucial to adapt and request improvements when necessary.

Onboarding remote digital strategists requires a continuous feedback loop to ensure a smooth transition and ongoing development. Here's how: Pre-boarding: Send clear materials beforehand to get them acquainted with the company culture and tools. This initial feedback (pre-onboarding materials) informs future iterations (future onboarding materials). Virtual Introductions: Set up virtual meetings to foster connections with colleagues. Feedback from these interactions (feeling connected or isolated) can guide future onboarding practices (more focus on team-building activities). Set-up a regular 1:2 meeting and provide feedback, take notes about concern and evaluate progress.