Creating a sense of belonging in a remote environment starts with the onboarding process | Future of Work Club

Welcome to the Future of Work Club! ????

Your go-to resource for inspiration, knowledge, and growth in the world of remote work. Get ready to reshape your perspective on remote working! ????

We're thrilled to share some amazing highlights from our recent interview with Lauren H. , VP of Talent at Healios . Get ready to dive into the future of remote work and learn how to build a fantastic company culture! ????

Key Takeaways:

??♀?Wellbeing initiatives at Healios: Healios is all about mental health. They offer everything from weekly wellbeing sessions to remote yoga to keep their team feeling great, no matter where they are.?

??How to create a sense of belonging: Healios knows that onboarding is crucial. Their "Onboarding Passport" is personalized for each new joiner. Plus, fun initiatives like 'Walking Wednesdays' and various social Slack channels help everyone feel connected.?

?? What does the Future of Remote Work in Healthtech look like?? Telehealth is booming, and remote work is here to stay. It’s giving healthcare professionals a better work-life balance while meeting the growing patient demand.?

??Skills of the Future: to stay relevant, focus on data analytics, AI, and essential soft skills like productivity and communication. Companies are looking for high performance and the ability to manage change.?

??? Meet Lauren Hall ???

I’m Lauren, VP of Talent at Healios - an online mental health and Autism/ADHD service provider for children, young people and adults.?

My background is in startups, scaling Tech and Product teams, but most recently I’ve delved into the world of clinical. I’m passionate about data driven recruiting and building hiring processes that are inclusive, in particular supporting neurodivergent candidates, whilst ensuring the best possible experience.

In my spare time, I volunteer as a counsellor for Childline and I love to spend time with my dog, Del.?

As a company deeply embedded in mental health services, how does Healios support the well-being of its own remote workforce?

Wellbeing is at the heart of everything we do and we recognise there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to support. We have an array of benefits and forums such as the EAP scheme to ensure our team have access to free counselling and advice, Weekly Wellbeing Sessions, Remote Yoga and Mindfulness and access to Mental Health First Aiders.?

We also have a Wellbeing Forum who work with colleagues across the business to ensure our wellbeing initiatives are meeting the needs of our teams.

How does Healios maintain a strong company culture and sense of community among remote employees?

Creating a sense of belonging in a remote environment starts with the onboarding process.?

Our L&D team designed an “Onboarding Passport” that provides a consistent but personalised weekly plan for new joiners to get to know Healios, the team, peers, ways of working, values and culture.?

We also have a range of initiatives to help build a connection and meet others with the same interests -? ‘Walking Wednesdays’ is a popular initiative where we encourage the team to take a longer lunch and share pictures from their walk. We also have a number of social slack channels such as Healios-Hounds ?? and Healios-Holidays ??

The team can also join the “Donut” slack channel which gives them the chance to have a chat and beverage with colleagues outside of their team.?

Getting to know the leadership team is equally important so we introduced? ‘All Minds’ last year where our leadership team shares key updates. They also run weekly drop-in sessions so the team can come along to talk about anything they’d like.

How does Healios envision the future of remote work within the healthtech industry, particularly in mental health and neurodevelopmental services?

There has been a surge in telehealth and utilising digital technologies to deliver diagnostic assessments in mental health and neurodevelopmental services. This has been a response to the pandemic in 2020.

It is forcing healthcare to think differently and build flexible infrastructure to provide virtual care and we are seeing this trend in the demand for remote working.?

Healthtech companies are now investing in tech and product and coupled with the skills shortage of clinicians, there are increasingly more remote working opportunities to help access and attract a large talent pool, to meet growing patient demand.?

Remote working is providing health care professionals with a better work life/balance but the transition relies on the employer prioritising wellbeing, keeping communication open and regularly listening to and acting on employee feedback.

With the rapid development of technologies, what skills should talents start developing to stay relevant in the job market?

With the rise in automation, there is an emphasis on data analytics, AI and technical skills. Digital marketing is becoming increasingly popular through networking and social media.?

There is also a focus on assessing soft skills such as productivity, communication, collaboration and problem solving. I think the ambiguous economic conditions have shifted businesses to prioritise assessing for high performance, commercial acumen, driving efficiencies and change management.?

Please recommend any books/podcasts/YouTube channels etc for leaders running remote teams, for HR and Employer Brand people?

• The Recruiting Brainfood community for all recruitment related content and webinars.?
• We partner with Flexa who have a content hub dedicated to remote working.?
• Healios recently adopted the Radical Candor feedback model and the book by Kim Scott is an interesting read.

I also recommend? The Undercover Recruiter , Recruiting Future and Link Humans Podcast for EVP related podcasts and content.