The cheat sheet to virtually onboarding a new team member from half way across the world

Three months ago I started a new job in the North America region, from Sydney Australia. I was going to make my big move.... but COVID19 hit. It's been a wild ride (from getting an interview with the US consulate, to visas being suspended)!

For those who will be starting new roles remotely, I've compiled this cheat-sheet for you to be aware of the ups & downs, and also for your companies & teams to better care and support you.

The Good

• Serious networking. In my first two months, I managed to meet 60+ people, including Schneider’s North America Zone President, US Country President, amongst others. Usually most of these people might be spending 80% of their time travelling and in meetings. But now, all I need to do is send a calendar invite and within 2 weeks (not 2 months), I’m in!
• Focused conversations. Understanding the microgrids in general is not easy because there are so many elements to piece together, and entities of Schneider Electric’s offerings involved in creating a solution. During COVID19, I sent 1:1 calendar invitations with knowledgeable specialists so I could fast track my learning. In fact, after 3 weeks I did my first video on ‘what is a microgrid’, which is now available in our learning portal.
• Hyperconnection. I’ve ‘been’ to many homes and seen new swimming pools, personally configured microgrid systems, standout trophies and medals, family photos, even met a lot of children along the way! A person’s home says a lot about a person. With these experiences, I feel like I have been invited to many homes and have had both professional and personal conversations.
• Ability to work around-the-clock work. Being in Sydney means that I can complete my tasks, handover to my teammates in different time zone, go to sleep, then wake up to a finished product. We have been fully utilising 24/7 timeframes.
• Culture-sharing. Is a BBQ a cuisine, or a casual event? Apparently for those in Nashville, you go out to have ‘barbeque’ as a cuisine, similar to having ‘thai’. In Australia, you just chuck on a barbie when you have mates over! The comparisons are quite interesting, especially as you get into discussions around COVID19, #BlackLivesMatter and politics.

The Bad

• Disconnected from local community. Although I’m in Australia, I don’t feel as connected to what is going on in my country because my mind is focused on learning about the US culture. That’s why I now make the extra effort to constantly connect with my friendship circles and family to keep myself grounded on local activities.
• Extra effort to be mentally present at meetings. Because meetings can range from 6am in the morning, to 5pm in the late afternoon, to 11pm at night, I have become ridiculously organised with meetings. 6am meetings mean I need to set my alarm every morning, and 11pm meetings mean I need an extra glass of wine to stay awake. Because of the extra effort, I take each meeting with real care.
• Less social life during the week. Now I work around the clock, every day. It was easy when everyone was in isolation, but with social gatherings starting up again, I have become very intentional with my time. I only have evening calls on Mondays and Tuesdays, as well as morning calls during the week. Never anything on the weekend.

The Ugly

• Late night calls and early mornings. The time zone sucks (US/Australia), but I’m passionate about what I do and I really like the people I work with. That makes it worthwhile. Doing this every day is not sustainable. Be strict with when you have meetings (eg from 7am-1pm, re-adjust in your calendar) and be transparent about your situation with your teams.
• The stress of needing to wake up early. Subconsciously your mind is still racing when you sleep, and it’ll keep racing until it’s time to wake up. This is leaving me more and more tired during the week, and waking up in the dark doesn't help! Take a ‘Spanish siesta’s at midday and don’t put an alarm on during the weekend. Sleep is the best medicine.

What can companies do to support?

Clear communication about the company's strategy, policies and movements available to anyone, anytime.

What can managers do to support?

Ask your reportees how they are tracking in terms of their health/ body routines, set realistic SMART goals, schedule meetings that are mutually beneficial time-wise, educate the wider team to support.

What can team members do to support?

Don't cancel your meetings at the last minute!!! Be aware of time zone differences, send invitations to meetings so everyone is included, explain new/ common/industry terms, acknowledge your support, have regular 'check-in's.

Treat us as though we are already part of the team.

The North American team at Schneider Electric has been incredible. Special shoutout to them for making me feel like I've been part of the team from Day 1.