It was not that remote work did not exist before the global pandemic of COVID-19 arrived on the scene, but it was not practiced at such a wide scale as now.
It was only during the “lockdown” that businesses had no other alternative but to ask their employees to work from home.
The transition to remote work, however, is not as easy as it seems. Millions of businesses realized and understood to a great extent the multitude of challenges that had to be met efficiently while transitioning to remote work.
Efficiently onboarding remote employees is one of those challenges.
Why won’t it be; after all, we are in the middle of “the world’s largest work-from-home experiment,” according to the Time magazine. And experiments always bring their own challenges.
At the same time, we are well-versed with the fact that onboarding plays a crucial role in new employees’ happiness, reducing their anxiety, and helping them to adjust to a new culture and improve productivity quickly.
As it has been beautifully explained by Sarah Wetzel, Director of Human Resources at engage: – “I truly believe that onboarding is an art. Each new employee brings with them the potential to achieve and succeed. To lose the energy of a new hire through poor onboarding is an opportunity lost.”
That said, onboarding virtually is not as straightforward a process as onboarding onsite employees. With remote work growing at an astonishing pace of 173 percent since 2005, and 7 million people working remotely in the U.S. alone, employers are preferring to hire remote workers in these unprecedented times.
And with the current situation not getting better in many countries hit hard by the COVID-19, businesses should prepare for a long haul of remote work rather than considering it as a temporary solution to regular work.
Coming back to the main topic of onboarding remote employees, companies have to face many challenges that are otherwise non-existent (literally) when onboarding on-site. Before we move on to discuss these challenges, it is important for readers to understand and familiarize themselves with the process of onboarding employees.
What Is Remote Employee Onboarding?
According to HR and Staffing experts, onboarding new employees should be a strategic process because their initial experience in the company is crucial in determining high or low retention rates.
Onboarding remote employees is different from on-site onboarding because they are widely dispersed across different geographical locations and most processes are performed virtually (digitally).
Employee onboarding involves a series of activities that facilitate the inclusion of new hires into the company. This process helps recently-joined remote employees to familiarize themselves with the company’s culture, attitudes, work environment, rituals, etc.
The major difference with remote onboarding of employees is that the new hire is going to be working from a distant location, rather than working from a regular office space. He/she would need to collaborate with colleagues and understand work processes digitally.
Employers use this process to share all necessary information with a new hire to make him feel comfortable in a new work environment while helping him to achieve success in his new role in the company.
Some Biggest Challenges Of Onboarding Remote Employees
Getting The Documentation Done – This is probably the most common challenge faced by the majority of HR managers. The hiring process of a new employee begins with filling out many forms. Even though digital solutions can help, not all documentation work can be done digitally. Most importantly, original documents must be physically verified.
Delivering The Right Support – Just because the current situation requires you to onboard remotely does not mean that your employees are equipped to carry out remote work. They may be missing out on some essential work-from-home tools, like a desk, a stable and speedy internet connection, noise-canceling headphones, or even a PC/laptop.
Integrating Into Company Culture – One of the primary purposes of employee onboarding is to integrate new employees into the company culture – from the company’s values, work processes, rules of conduct, dress code, etc. It can be difficult for remote employees to pick up cues about the company’s culture without spending time in office.
Communication – With remote employees, there’s no face-to-face, in-person communication. This becomes a cause of concern when they urgently need to talk to a manager or colleagues for work-related purposes. Team collaboration and communication have to be top-notch for remote teams to perform at their best.
Isolation – Shockingly, ‘The 2019 State of the Digital Workspace’ report from Igloo notes that 70% of remote employees feel left out of the workplace. Remote workers feel isolated due to the lack of physical interaction with colleagues. Making them feel like part of the team can be a big challenge.
Giving Remote Employees A Warm Welcome – We have already discussed the challenge of making new remote employees feel part of the team, but a warm welcome is just as important in building relationships and gaining loyalty from remote workers.
Health & Safety Of Remote Employees – It’s easy to overlook the health (both physical and mental) and safety of remote employees due to the absence of direct supervision. Even though companies cannot control their environment, it is still their responsibility to encourage employees to take care of their well-being.
As you can see, there are many obstacles in the way of onboarding remote employees. Companies have to implement different onboarding strategies to make remote employees feel “belonged” to the workplace so that they can work with a high level of motivation and commitment to achieve organizational goals.
How Remote Onboarding And Orientation Differ From Each Other?
Some people consider onboarding and orientation to be the same, but it is not true. It is important to know the difference between both to understand their value. To put it in simple words, employee orientation is a one-time event where new employees are welcomed and formally introduced to your company.
On the other hand, onboarding is a series of events (including orientation) that helps new hires take stock of how they can be successful in their job and how their work contributes to the overall growth of your business.
For example, John is a newly recruited remote employee on the design team. He can be a part of orientation with other new hires joining the company, but John’s onboarding process is likely to last for several months and can be tailored to his role as a designer.
Why Systematic Remote Employees Onboarding Matters Big-Time
Whether it’s remote or in-office employee onboarding, it is the first interaction of an employee with the company after a lengthy recruitment process. Most new hires are nervous prior to onboarding and it is up to HR managers and other senior executives to make him feel at home during the entire process.
Here’s why a systematic and effective onboarding is of great importance both for the organization and new hires.
- If the experience is not as per the employee’s expectations, then he/she might repent their decision of accepting the job offer with your company.
- Poor onboarding process creates negative impressions might give new remote employees biased perceptions about your business, and ultimately make them leave it early.
- A good employee onboarding process is essential to help newly recruited team members settle down quickly in their new role, understand the organization, get clarity on job objectives, and develop healthy relations with their colleagues.
- This process also helps to reduce the workload of the HR team, especially in these stressful times when most interviews and documentation formalities are conducted virtually.
Benefits Of An Effective Employee Onboarding Plan
Considering how crucial the employee onboarding process is for new hires and the organizations, it’s surprising that 88% don’t believe their organizations do a great job of onboarding!
GIven that a strong onboarding process can lead to higher productivity and retention, organizations can do more on this front as this process has some pretty specific benefits, which are as follows.
Great employee onboarding can improve retention by 82% – A research by Glassdoor shows that a strong employee onboarding process can help organizations improve productivity by over 70 percent and new hire retention by 82 percent.
Shortens the learning curve and boosts productivity – Technology can help in more ways than one. Besides automation of tasks, technology can help shorten the learning curve for a new hire by accommodating his/her individual needs.
Encourages communication between new hires and management – An effective onboarding plan sets in motion a good conversation between new hires and senior management. It provides employers with insight into their potential career path and the latter can have easy access to mentors within the organization.
Promotes Commitment To Company’s Goals – During the onboarding process, managers and trainers get an opportunity to work closely with a new employee, which helps them build further the four pillars of employee engagement – connection, commitment, contribution, and progress.
Improves Organization’s Bottom Line – Generally, the average attrition time for new joiners is about 13%. It takes a whole lot of time, energy, and money to recruit and onboard new employees. However, happy and satisfied employees choose to stay longer, which reduces the need to spend extra money on extra recruitment efforts.
Attracts Top Talent – Every company wants to hire and retain top talent, even though it is not the primary purpose of an onboarding program. A robust plan will help your business to attract top talent and provide them with proper training and development opportunities.
Onboarding Checklist For Remote Employees
Setting clear expectations and boundaries holds the key to a successful, effective onboarding plan. Onboarding remote employees is not a herculean task provided companies have chalked out the right plan to do so.
Remote work is here to stay and for long. Considering the uncertainty of the current situation, given below are a few crucial areas to consider as you formulate a plan to welcome new employees into your organization.
Work Schedule – For new hires who are yet to familiarize themselves with the work culture of your company, it is recommended to set specific time blocks during which they must be online and available. To minimize the possibility of any misunderstanding with new joiners, make sure you’ve clearly communicated your companies work from home policies from the onset.
Hardware Setup And Delivery – Since new employees would be working remotely, from their respective homes, you will have to provide them with a computer/laptop and other hardware (mouse, keyboard) a few days prior to their first working (virtual)) day.
Once they’ve received all the necessary equipment, your IT department should help them with the setup.
Consider Time Zones – It’s easy to overlook time zones when discussing work hours with new hires. However, it’s crucial for them to have a clear understanding of where their coworkers are located. It can also be that all your team members share the same geographical location. You can also provide a cheat sheet that mentions each employee’s time zone and availability.
Ensure New Employees Know Which Communication Tools To Use When – Tell your new remote employees about the different communication modes used by your company, and which mode to use for what purpose. For example –
- Company Email (for official purpose)
- Video Conference Software (for team meetings)
- Group Chat (for instant messaging your colleagues)
- Telephone Calls (for urgent issues)
Productivity And Task Management Tools – Team collaboration is of utmost importance for any organization, especially for remote employees who are physically distant from one another while working as a part of the team. Using efficient and scalable team collaboration software like ProofHub & Asana can help new hires to easily coordinate with others the minute they start working.
Coach Team Leaders To Manage Remote Teams – You can give virtual training to team leaders managing remote employees can be a great way to improve their leadership skills and help new hires get accustomed to business culture and values. Team leaders leading in an empathetic and supportive way can bring great results for your business.
The “Buddy” System – The buddy system is an amazingly effective tool for any onboarding plan. A “buddy” (another employee) is designated to a new hire who can ask him/her questions and take help to get acquainted with the team. This helps new employees feel supported and comfortable very quickly.
An Appropriate Employee Onboarding Process Flow
All of a sudden, remote work has emerged as the main game in the town. With the traditional route of hiring taking a back seat, the pool of remote workers to hire from seems to be expanding fast.
That’s why it’s important to follow an appropriate remote employee onboarding process flow so that the induction of new hires takes place smoothly, with minimum hassles, so that they are satisfied and happy at the end of the day.
Let’s take a look at what a good onboarding process flow looks like.
Releasing The Job Offer – The employee onboarding process starts once the recruitment phase is over. Upon the selection of an employee, he/she is greeted by a warm welcome email by the HR manager. Some essential documents are attached to this email, like the job offer letter, digital onboarding forms, and policy documents.
Acceptance Of The Job Offer – Once the employee (remote) accepts the job offer, the companies usually follow up with a quick phone call to communicate further about benefits, policies, and set expectations. New hires are kept engaged so that their choice to accept the offer is affirmed, and develop some sort of emotional bonding with the organization.
Waiting Period – Even if the employee accepts the job offer, it doesn’t guarantee that they’ll turn up on the date of joining. The employee may be open to offers from other potential employers as well. So, building a good rapport with the employee is critical so they can feel valued and wanted in your company.
The Day Of Joining – The first day at a new workplace brings with it a bag of mixed feelings. Employees are happy, excited, anxious, and nervous at the same time. HR managers should ensure that new hires feel welcomed, comfortable, and “settled”. The sense of belongingness will make them feel motivated and encourage them to do better.
Coordinating With Key Stakeholders – It is important to notify co-workers and managers about the date when the new employee is supposed to join the organization. HR managers can take the help of other employees to decorate the new employee’s office space, schedule one-on-one meetings, and organize an orientation session.
Orientation – Orientation sessions are helpful in giving new hires a fair idea of the company’s culture and an insight into company goals. Relevant information about the teams, their work processes, and company policies is given in this stage. This is the ideal time to set role-based goals and objectives for the coming days.
Training – Since the majority of new employees require some sort of training to get started in their new role, most organizations schedule the training program to make it easy for them to get familiar with the working style. This is also when employers assess the new hires’ ability and knowledge.
90-Day Roadmap – A 90-day roadmap plan is an effective way to keep employees engaged and give them a clear sense of purpose to do their work. Listing down a certain number of actionable tasks to be accomplished within 90 days gives new hires well-defined objectives to accomplish and prove their efficiency early on.
Over To You
Now that you have read about the detailed process of onboarding remote employees, it’s time to start a process!
Automate your process of onboarding to save valuable resources of your organization while helping new hires to collaborate easily with team members, understand the workflow, and spend less organizing messy, cluttered paperwork.
Share files and documents and communicate instantly with new remote employees from one centralized location with Project management tool and spend less time on employee onboarding and more on things that propel your organization forward. Good luck!
FAQ Schema
How onboarding remote employees is different from on-site onboarding?
The major difference between both is that remote employees have to be provided with technology and equipment to share documents and collaborate real-time with team members.
How do you manage remote employees effectively?
Ensuring clear communication and establishing a clear workflow structure is essential to managing remote employees effectively.
What is the process of onboarding remote employees?
The process of onboarding remote employees starts with recruitment and finishes when the new remote employee is successfully integrated into the team.
Can I Use a Software To Help With Onboarding a Virtual Employee?
Yes, using the software can help you automate the onboarding process by providing a platform for new employees to collaborate and communicate with team members without wasting time.
What Are Four Phases Of Onboarding?
The employee onboarding is divided into four stages, with each stage demonstrating their changing needs. The four phases are Onboarding, Initial Development, Ongoing Development, Retention and Separation.
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