Did you know that around 25% of people in the United States work a fully remote job?
Online jobs are becoming more popular since they provide a better work-life balance and more comfort. If you have employees working from home and need to hire someone else, you need to have an onboarding plan.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about virtual onboarding so that you don’t leave your employee in the dark!
Start Before They Begin
One of the first steps in preparing for virtual onboarding is to start before they begin.
By the first day on the job, you should already have a plan and resources for the new hire. Take time to sit down with members of your team to identify everything that you need to gather.
Don’t wait until the week before they start to begin preparing, as this could leave you short on time.
If you are supplying your new hire with a laptop or other resources, plan a meeting for them to come in and pick the items up. If you aren’t in the same area, you will need to ship them in the mail.
Plan Orientation Meetings
An advantage of remote onboarding is that you can plan most orientation meetings through virtual calls.
Make sure that your new hire has a computer, internet access, and a camera. Once they have these resources lined up, you can schedule meetings with members from each department. These meetings offer a chance for the new employee to meet coworkers and learn more about the company.
Many businesses schedule orientation meetings with the HR department, payroll, and their supervisor. Depending on their role, you may need to assign more meetings.
Prepare Their Calendar
Starting a new job is overwhelming, which is why you should try to help out your new employee as much as possible.
Instead of stressing about learning a calendar, set up their meetings with detailed information for the first few weeks. As the employee begins to adjust to the job, they can learn the system and take responsibility for their schedule.
It is best to start their calendar when you first hire them. This will provide enough time for other staff members to respond to meeting invites and organize the best times.
Try to leave time in between their meetings so that they can ask questions, get organized, and connect the dots. The more structured that you make their calendar, the easier it will be for them to understand their expectations.
Handle the Paperwork
If you have always dreaded the paperwork part of the hiring process, you will be relieved with remote employees.
There are many types of software that are safe and secure to file paperwork. Your new employees can handle all of their tax documents, like i9 and W4s through a program that guides them.
By looking at https://workbright.com/verify-i9-remote/, you can find a solution for getting tax info.
Aside from taxes, your employee will also need to have completed an application. Direct deposit information and signed disclosures might also be necessary. If you have an employee handbook with policies and culture information, send it through email so that they can read it before their first day.
Build a Training Program
Since you won’t have the time to plan the new hire’s training on their first day, you need to make a program while developing the role.
While you are creating a job description or role at your company, you need to think about all of the information they need to do their job. Writing down these key details will help you allocate time so that your employee is properly trained.
If you have previously hired people in this upcoming role, take a look at how they were trained. Modules, meetings with coworkers, and practicing are the best ways to train. Format your training program to the specific role and try not to overlook information that you think is obvious, but isn’t for newcomers.
As you conduct the training, be open to feedback and take notes. This will help you improve your training for the future.
Welcome the New Hire
Finding virtual onboarding ideas for welcoming someone to a team can be fun.
Whether you want to introduce your new hire on a conference call, video chat, or through an email, you want that person to feel welcome. Letting the rest of your team know who the new hire is will help them build relationships at work that are supportive.
Before you introduce them to the team, don’t forget to send an email with all of their log-in information and access keys. They won’t be able to join the calls if they can’t access your network!
In the offer or welcome letter, you should also include their start date, salary, and a formal job description.
Get Them Acclimated to the Company Culture
Each business has a company culture to take pride in, whether they are remote or in a building.
During their first week, you should share company visions, history, and values to set the right tone. This will also introduce them to some of the terminology and acronyms that they will need to familiarize themselves with.
A wonderful way of sharing your company’s culture is through enjoyable videos or chats. Online chatting platforms like Slack and Teams make it easy to share information and ask quick questions.
Don’t be afraid to include your new hire in some of the routine meetings during their first few days. Let them know that they can simply observe the meetings, take notes, and learn for the first few weeks. It is more likely that they will participate once they have a better idea of how the team works together.
Give Them a Partner
Did you know that Harvard research has shown that mentorships can help employees excel in their careers more quickly and are happier?
Assigning a partner or mentor for your new employee could improve company morale and help your staff learn more effectively. Although this employee is limited to remote work, they can still ask questions and get guidance from a single source.
A partner will help your new hire feel more comfortable since they will have someone they are getting to know. This person should be available for the new hire during their first few months. The new employee can call, chat, and video conference with this person as they learn the ropes.
Try to find someone will plenty of experience to be a mentor.
Check-In with Them
In most instances, the new employee won’t be able to have their supervisor as a mentor.
Supervisors and team leads should check in with the new employee at the end of the day during their onboarding period. These check-ins are effective since the new hire can prepare for the meeting by writing down questions ahead of time.
The supervisors should use check-ins as opportunities to learn more about the new employee’s skills and knowledge. You should avoid using these moments as an opportunity to assign work that they might not yet be familiar with.
Set Goals with Them
After your new member has been with the company for about a week, you should help them set goals.
Their goals should be measurable, concise, and doable. The best way to guide them in the goal-setting process is to review their job description and duties. If you have any expectations of them by a certain time, you need to let them know.
A transparent relationship will help them achieve their goals since they won’t be afraid to get help from others. As you set goals, think about the mentors they will need along the way and other resources that are necessary.
Periodically, meet with your employees to monitor their progress towards goals. You can change and adjust goals if things aren’t going according to plan or moving faster than you expected.
Gradually Increase Workload & Responsibilities
People with remote jobs spend less time chatting with people in the office and more time doing independent work.
As the onboarding goes on and your new hire learns, gauge their understanding and start assigning them projects. If your employee will be responsible for taking meeting notes, have them do a couple of tries before they take over the role completely.
Throwing on all of their tasks at once can be overwhelming and delay the onboarding process. Ensure that there isn’t any confusion about how to complete a task and adjust the workload based on the employee’s performance.
Focus on Building Connections
About a week or two into their start date, your new employee should be acclimating to the company culture.
At this point, building connections in the workplace is essential. A surprising study showed that around 70% of leaders in the workforce fear communicating with their employees. Both sides are nervous as expectations are getting set.
Make sure that your management team is talking to the new hire and trying to get them involved with programs in the company. Coworkers should also be friendly and try to build a relationship so that you create a cooperative and productive atmosphere.
Not everyone will be excited to meet others. A large portion of people working from home have a more introverted personality and prefer to work independently.
Ask for Feedback & Act
Throughout onboarding, you should ask for feedback from seasoned employees and your new hires.
Since many people are involved in the orientation process, it is important to get everyone involved with feedback. Employees are the best source for finding weak spots in your company and many of them will even come to you with potential solutions.
If your employees give feedback about an issue, you should respond quickly. Take action to solve the problem or explain the reasoning behind a specific process.
When employees feel involved and heard, they are more likely to be happy at their jobs. This also makes management more approachable.
Conduct Reviews
Whether you enjoy seeing your employees quarterly or annually, you must conduct employee reviews.
Reviews are a great time to connect with the employee to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Often, when weaknesses are discussed, a solution can be found through resources and more training. Don’t be surprised when the employee asks for a raise during these reviews, especially if they are exceeding your expectations.
Make sure that all of the reviews are based on the same details, or whatever applies to their role. All of the information should get documented and filed with the company.
Reviews can get intimidating for the people conducting them and receiving the review. Keep a calm attitude while you are in a review and try to motivate employees and adjust goals.
Improve Your Virtual Onboarding Process Today
If you are new to virtual onboarding, there are some key steps that you can’t miss.
Aside from getting your new hire a computer and the necessary resources, they need for the job, you have to set them up for success. Planning orientation meetings can help new employees learn about the company. Along with their role and building professional relationships.
The more detail during virtual onboarding planning, the smoother the transition will be for everyone. Don’t be afraid to talk to your team to identify training programs and important steps of the hiring process.
When you ask for feedback, do your best to find a solution so that there is less confusion in the future.
Be sure to check out our blog for more articles about the hiring process and how to successfully run a business!
