Remote onboarding tips!

With the future of work ever changing, the possibility of hiring and onboarding remotely post covid is becoming more of a reality. Investing time in making the right hire is crucial, as is their onboarding experience. Starting a new role is an exciting but also nerve-wracking time, and the first 3-6 months are critical to create a foundation for a great career. We have spoken to the market and found out first-hand what has worked, as well as changes they would make in future. See our tips on effective onboarding below!

Structure – the first few weeks in any new role is daunting and part of the process is finding your feet and getting a feel for the daily/weekly/monthly routine. Blocking time out in the diary and creating a time table is a great way to give structure and direction in the first few weeks. You can use this opportunity to book in virtual meet and greets with other teams/members of the team, workshops and training sessions and any onboarding requirements with HR. By organising your new employee’s diary, it gives them a sense of purpose and belonging, and also allows you to manage your own responsibilities/daily tasks.

Team integration – this is something that would happen organically in an office but needs to be premeditated when onboarding a new hire. Making time for the wider team to come together for non-work related calls i.e. coffee and a catch up, weekly quizzes, is a great way for new hires to feel part of a team and bond with their colleagues.

Make yourself accessible – one of the big things to come back from new starters is that they’ve been conscious to not “bother” their new manager. Working remotely can make this even more of an issue as people don’t always feel comfortable reaching out: by booking in daily check in calls for the first few weeks it gives your new hire the opportunity to check in with you and for you to set an agenda for the day. Verbally confirming that it’s ok to reach out at any time also helps!

Training – as well as booking in training sessions and workshops, one suggestion we had was to record training calls to allow your new hire to go back through it if they have questions, reducing their reliance on other people: this ties in nicely with the above point about people not always feeling comfortable asking for help!

Feedback – the best way to evolve and develop is through feedback; by having a check and balance in more detail on a weekly basis allows you to see how your hire is getting on, check on the quality of their work and make any suggested changes as you go. By nipping any issues in the bud you reduce the risk of something small growing arms and legs, and becoming a bigger problem!

Reassurance – starting a role remotely can feel isolating and a well done can go a long way! Through regular 1:1s and calls you’ll have an idea of how your new hire is performing: don’t forget to praise them for good work and let them know that you’re happy to have them! This will help with, “the 4-week wobble” where people start to doubt themselves: give praise where praise is due!

Buddy system/mentor – onboarding a new employee can be intense and if you work in a small team or organisation you might find that you end up spending a lot of time together, limiting the amount of time your new hire has to get to know other people in the wider team/business. By buddying them up or allocating a mentor your new hire will integrate with the wider organisation and feel more engaged with the business. It’s also a great opportunity for existing employees to demonstrate potential leadership skills, and positively impact the company culture. 

Technology - ensure that your new hire has all of their required equipment ahead of their start date to allow a smooth start! Additional equipment such as office chairs are a nice touch to allow your new hire to work comfortably and effectively from home.

Good luck!