Challenges on Virtual Onboarding

According to a survey of slightly earlier job leavers, 17% believe that "a friendly smile or helpful coworker would have made a huge difference" and could have persuaded them to stay.

This brings to light one of the significant challenges with virtual onboarding, reading body language over a video call is more complicated. A thumbs-up emoji isn't the same thing as a smile. And you miss the "office vibe" and the spontaneous conversations that allow coworkers to bond.

Engaging new hires online may be more difficult, but it is not impossible. To improve the effectiveness of your virtual onboarding program, follow these steps:

1)????Start your virtual onboarding of new hires early:

This is the period between your new employment accepting a job offer and their first day on the job. On the job. It is also known as "pre-boarding." It allows you to reach out and alleviate any concerns they may have. Among your pre-boarding activities could be:

Saying hello with an email that demonstrates your excitement for their arrival. Furthermore, it's convenient to notify new hires when to log in for their first day and ask if they need anything before starting.

Sending out a welcome package via email - Online resources such as training videos, informative webinars, product information or demonstrations, and procedure documents could be included.

2)????Virtual Onboarding Prep to Do Before Day One

Coordination with your IT team to send out any required hardware ahead of your new hire's first day, as well as add any subscriptions necessary to the software they'll be using and create log-in credentials for them.

Check-in with your HR department or People Team. HR representatives should have your new hire's job description and any policies they will need the first day as part of your organization's training plan.

3)????Virtual Onboarding Tips for week one:

(i) Manage their meetings: To avoid overwhelming them, limit their first virtual meetings to critical people. Limit them to:

. You (their line manager) should schedule meetings with your new employee every day or two. Keep these initial catch-ups as casual as possible, and use them to check-in and build rapport.

·???????Their teammates: Catch-ups with team members will help your new job get to know everyone, learn about the tasks and objectives for which each person is responsible, and begin to see how they fit into the big picture. A group video call at the end of the week will also allow your new hire to socialize and start to feel like a team member.

·???????The CEO or head of the department: They can talk about its health, mission, values, and strategy. Do you have more than one new beginning? An online group meeting with the CEO may make everybody feel more at ease asking questions.

(ii) Keep it Fun

Remember that a big part of onboarding is transforming any apprehension about the role into excitement. With Virtual Ice Breakers, you can add some levity to the proceedings.

Social activities such as online charity events and quizzes will also help build trust, reduce loneliness, and improve team communication. These social connections are vital now, as more of us work from home and are cut off from the office

CONCLUSION: Virtual onboarding approach, with the proper application, can be a highly effective tool for retaining, engaging, and developing productive new team members.