Remote Onboarding Process: Steps, Tips, Free Checklist

If they feel connected to the organization as a whole from the moment they join, they are much more likely to engage long term. If you don’t take advantage of this magic moment, then you won’t have the opportunity to create it again. Ensure that new employees feel positive, and show them that they are on your mind. This promotes enthusiasm and good vibes among new hires and inspires them to give their best right from the start. Some companies also establish a buddy-system of sorts, where the new hire links up with an already-existing employee. In large companies especially, many new hires may not know who to contact for what. Their “buddy” can introduce them to people of different departments and do occasional check-ins to make sure that the new hire is getting acclimated.

By the time the employee virtually arrives on their first day, it is too late. This will mean that both new hires and HR are prepared and equipped ready for the start date. Unfortunately it’s difficult remote onboarding best practices to simulate the onboarding experience when you work remotely. Team members are thrown into the deep end with no understanding of company culture or the role expectations that they need to adhere to.

Remote Onboarding: Understanding current challenges

HR software, for example, can help streamline your recruitment process, including onboarding remote hires. It provides a centralized platform, workflow automation, scheduling, report generation, and data and analytics. Onboarding new employees, both in the office and remotely, entails a specific list of requirements. The onboarding process must cover a lot, from administrative areas, such as payroll forms, to computer setup, personal introductions and first assignments. Remote onboarding is onboarding that is conducted entirely through technology instead of in person. Your remote employees can tell you exactly where you can improve for your next group of new hires. Now that we understand the best practices for remote employee onboarding, let’s explore why it’s so important for an organization.

One way to do so is through using a virtual office like Kumospace. As a result, the employee and manager know where to reach each other all throughout the workday. They can casually pop into each other’s offices for a quick question or just to catch up with one another. For new hires, we organize a virtual lunch with their managers and HR. We send everyone a $20 Grubhub gift card and use this meeting to get to know each other outside of what was on the resume.

Onboarding in the new normal

Most importantly, other employees need to know them, especially when joining different departments and teams. The items and ongoing tasks in your onboarding process are basically milestones, which have specific timelines.

The remote onboarding process is not one that any business can afford to be passive on. Resigning this introductory experience to a virtual onboarding checklist can be a worrying start to your employee’s careers and may set a bad example of what they can expect moving forward. Invite existing employees to come and speak on their experiences with the company. Make your new employees feel like their presence and addition to the team is one that will be essential to moving this business forward and that your goals are ones worth standing behind.

Introduce the Company Culture

This helps new hires to stay productive during the first few weeks of joining your company. Look beyond your human resources departments and your usual training. Everyone in your company has skills and expertise, and they’ll be more than excited to share their knowledge with the new team member. You can also consider investing in a remote training software that can help to fill in the cracks and provide a good record of what steps your training requires.