More companies are shifting to working remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and most are planning to stick with flexible workplace options even after the pandemic has subsided. But with the number of remote workers increasing, companies are faced with the complicated task of remote onboarding. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be as complex as you might think.
Here are eight of the best practices that will help every company with its remote onboarding processes.
As early as possible, establish clear expectations for what onboarding will look like. This should include:
By establishing expectations before creating your remote onboarding process, you can better prepare your new hires for a smooth onboarding experience.
Onboarding for remote employees isn’t just about teaching necessary procedures and tasks within your company—it should also focus on making new hires feel comfortable and connected to your company’s culture and community. Typically this is done with a walkthrough tour of the office, introductions to various teams and managers, and other face-to-face interactions. Remote onboarding processes should strive to achieve the same goal digitally.
A tip for onboarding remote employees while creating connections is to consider using a virtual mentor. A mentor acts as the person a new hire can reach out to when they need support, as well as the person who can introduce them into your workplace culture. This will help make sure you keep and strengthen your company culture, even with the increased number of remote workers.
Rather than having a single drawn-out presentation for your onboarding process, break apart your training into smaller modules, with each module having a specific goal or outcome.
By making each module shorter, it is easier for new hires to digest and retain essential information. Smaller modules also make it easier for all of your employees to return to the training if they have any questions.
Shorter modules act as milestones that provide new hires with a roadmap to know how far they have progressed. If you choose to include milestones as part of your onboarding process, make sure that each milestone is about the same size and difficulty. It can defeat the entire process of using milestones if one module is significantly longer or harder than the rest.
Onboarding can include a lot of new information, and even with the best onboarding process, there will be questions. One of the most essential remote onboarding best practices is establishing multiple opportunities for new hires to ask any questions they have throughout the entire onboarding process. This should include opportunities for the new hire days, weeks, and even months after initial onboarding to address any questions.
One of the biggest challenges for remote workers is having access to the right tools and information. At the start of the onboarding process, new hires should be given any login credentials or software they need to perform their job. In some situations, it might be possible to have a universal, company-wide login, while others may require each user to have their own.
Working remotely can feel isolating and lonely, and the onboarding process can help establish a community to fight against that feeling early on. One idea for onboarding remote employees is to wait until there are a group of people to onboard at the same time and build in opportunities for group work and collaboration. These organic experiences help cultivate connections and community between remote employees and help them feel less isolated from each other and the company.
In a regular office setting, it’s not uncommon for a new hire to have multiple daily check-ins with their director, manager, or team leads to ensure they understand their role and to answer any questions they might have. Your remote onboarding process should provide that same support network for all remote employees. Remote workers should have easy and consistent access to their supervisors to make sure there is a constant flow of communication.
Ditch the boring slide deck and let your employees explore the onboarding process with interactive content. Giving your employees the ability to explore and discover necessary onboarding content helps them mentally invest more into the process and increases retention rates.
With Tiled, you can create custom interactive content accessible from any device and allows you to publish updated information at any point. Request your demo today to see how Tiled can improve your virtual onboarding process.
