The onboarding process, which is designed to cultivate a long-term relationship between the employer and the employee while fostering a feeling of belonging and an affirmation of making the right choice, is extremely important for all involved. As such, employers should prioritize onboarding new hires, even though – in most cases – this will be conducted virtually.
If you have new hires who need to be onboarded remotely during the pandemic, keep the following five best practices in mind:
- Meet with them in-person on their first day, if possible. If local laws allow for it, meet with new hires at the office to welcome them to the company, get them set up with any necessary equipment and deliver any printed training materials. Be sure to test the equipment to make sure it works before you both leave the office. If meeting them at the office is not possible, consider an offsite location where you’re able to follow social distancing protocols.
- Set clear expectations. Because your onboarding process is now being done remotely and you’re not there in-person to monitor a new hire’s progress, setting expectations becomes even more important. Be sure to discuss company values, team objectives and the new hire’s specific responsibilities.
Interested in more strategies for effective recruiting, onboarding, engagement, communication and leadership? Check out “Managing a Remote Workforce: A Guide to Success.”
- Don’t overwhelm new hires with too much training. Training remotely isn’t ideal for managers or the new employee. As such, only train them on the skills that are absolutely essential for them to do their job. Overwhelming new employees with too much information at once when they’re working from home can lead to confusion, stress and frustration.
- Check in daily. Having employees work from home can help keep them healthy, but it can become isolating, especially for new hires. Schedule a daily call or video chat to help them feel like part of the team and give them the opportunity to ask questions.
- Match a new hire with a remote mentor. Assigning mentors to new hires can be advantageous to both parties. It gives new hires someone to contact for questions and helps mentors develop confidence and pride in their jobs. Encourage mentors to have daily check-ins to establish a professional relationship and help the new hires feel included.