How can you provide remote employees with the resources and support they need?

I've introduced self-assessment sheets into our onboarding process to ensure clarity in expectations and goals. These sheets are not only a part of my journey but also offered to my direct reports. They act as a compass for tracking progress throughout the year, enabling individuals to take charge of their growth while aligning with the company's objectives. This practice promotes a culture of continuous improvement and self-accountability. One of the main reasons I initially created these for myself is that it was always a challenge to remember the dates when achievements were made. Writing things down as they occur makes it easier to keep track of things. It prepped me for each performance review in advance.

One simple thing we do with our remote team is have a weekly meeting that is just for the purpose of connecting and having fun. We have a rotating chair and the chair gets to set the agenda. Nothing is fixed. People come up with lots of creative ideas that help us get to know each other better beyond work. We also have great group discussions on various topics and also learning sessions around a topic that’s relevant to our team. When you have a remote team I think you need to make extra effort to connect beyond day to day work so people feel close to each other even though they’re not in physical proximity.

During my time as the Talent Acquisition and Onboarding Manager for a company that fully embraces remote work, I saw firsthand how essential communication and collaboration are for remote teams. Regular all-hands meetings via Zoom for unity. Managerial check-ins via Zoom for alignment. Cross-department chats via Around.co & ERGs for innovation and to bridge the virtual gap. These practices ignited remote collaboration and encouraged productivity along with creativity.

It’s important to put the question to your employees as an individual - ‘how do you like to be managed?’. Everyone is different. For some it’s the trust that they can be autonomous and are fine with a 1:1 weekly, others don’t do do well without brainstorming but need to wfh for reasons other than it working for the business so checking-in and being available on teams or slack might be crucial for them to succeed. It’s about being flexible and finding common ground so you can achieve the goals set out for the team.

I believe wholeheartedly in fostering a Guided Onboarding Experience! HR and the hiring manager should collaboratively craft an intentional 90-day onboarding experience that pairs new team members with a dedicated buddy. This can be a game-changer. This buddy is a go-to resource, making new hires feel at ease and reducing the hesitation to ask questions. Within the onboarding platform, there are Scheduled training, readings, meetings, tech setup, employee benefits, ERGs to sign up for, and more...all of this is on a live, collaborative document that empowers new hires to take control of their onboarding journey. It's all about creating a guided, supportive, and interactive onboarding experience.