Remote Onboarding Best Practices: A Guide for Employers

Even if they don’t receive the informal feedback (smiles, high fives, and “good jobs” in passing) that we take for granted in office contexts, clear expectations give them meaningful benchmarks for their performance. By now, you’ve undoubtedly given your remote workers some objectives and goals, but now is the time to delve into more detail and offer them an opportunity to ask questions. The onboarding and training of new employees can be easily interrupted, especially when they are learning remotely.

With Panopto, you can maximize the productivity of your remote workforce and improve the flow of information at scale so your business can be more innovative, agile, and profitable than ever before. Here at Panopto, new hires record their own video introduction at the end of their first week, which then gets shared with everyone in the company. It’s something we’ve been doing since our once-small startup began growing more than 13 years ago.

Make e-signing more accessible

This also has the desirable effect of decreasing the time it takes for them to become proficient at carrying out their new tasks. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, remote work has become an ever-more popular way of working. Before you can login, you must activate your account with the code sent to your email address.

• We can also check the validity of their ID documents and conduct a biometric match to the ID document.
• Providing the necessary technology systems and training will ensure the remote employee has a smooth onboarding process.
• A well-thought-out plan can make all the difference in how successful your remote onboarding process is.
• Training can often go overlooked, leaving managers to fall back to traditional methods rather than to optimize the onboarding and on-going support of remote workers.
• Traditionally, training is lengthier, more complicated, and teaches the employee the ins and outs of their daily duties.
• If possible, assign a mentor or peer to shadow them and help them become familiar with the team’s culture and work style.
• Documentation, anticipating new team member’s needs, and an ongoing commitment to process improvement in response to feedback are essential components of remote onboarding.

Create a template for the onboarding process, with tasks and check-ins to be completed. Encourage new employees to connect with the team by holding a virtual meet-and-greet and using the virtual breakroom to play some games. If remote onboarding is a must, make sure to incorporate live video chats and social interactions. Ensure that new team members have everything they need to be productive from day one.

Set up remote communication channels

For remote onboarding, it may be more efficient to partner with a reliable third party who can run multiple checks and deliver results online. Screening platforms like Veremark also have a system that can be easily integrated into your workflow for a more seamless https://remotemode.net/ onboarding and hiring. Nowadays, even companies with in-person arrangements take advantage of remote onboarding because of its many benefits. By setting up the remote employee with a buddy, this buddy can be their point of call to answer any issues they may have.

But, she notes, there are ways to make remote employees feel included and connected to the company. Make sure you don’t make the mistake of regarding it as just a one-week thing. The learning process is constant, so setting the onboarding process to one week it can make new employees feel pressured to know and understand everything, which is impossible to achieve in only one week. Before kicking off the remote onboarding process, make sure you introduce your new team member. Alternatively, you can arrange a video call with a few team members to introduce them to one another. In addition, set up security measures for your email system, such as antivirus protection and hardware encryption.

Set up a task board with scheduled tasks

The steps you take to ensure effective onboarding varies, but some of the most important are to establish clear communication channels, prepare a checklist so as not to miss steps, and keep the new hires as engaged as possible. A remote remote onboarding best practices onboarding buddy, usually an existing employee who is not the new hire’s line manager, can help keep them up to speed with the next steps. They can also answer questions and make the transition less stressful for the new employee.

• ISpring Suite Max also has a cloud-based tool that allows you to create quick and simple microcourses in much the same way that social media posts are created.
• Having a mentor may help in such situations, as could having regular video calls for team members to get to know each other.
• The first days at a new job play a big part in how new hires feel about a company, and ultimately, how long they’re willing to stay with the organization.
• Introduce them to immediate colleagues through virtual meetings, fostering a sense of belonging right from the start.
• As mentioned earlier, it is during onboarding that employers conduct crucial background checks.

While this statistic refers to onboarding in a generic sense, it becomes even more imperative in remote onboarding, where the personal touch can sometimes get lost. Consistency is key during this time, and making sure new employees have access to company tools, protocols and resources places them in a position for success, she said. “The buddy is the new team member’s point person throughout the onboarding process,” said Christina Ioannou, vice president of HR at Lewis. “The buddy is available for all the ‘silly’ questions, to fill them in on office happenings and add them to the office social channels.” New hires need help connecting with other employees, and this is especially true in a remote setting, said Tracy Browne, vice president of HR at Salit Steel, based in Niagara Falls, Ont. Browne said COVID-19 forced her company to adopt a remote work model, making onboarding more challenging.