Articles

3 Keys to Success for Remote Onboarding

The hiring process has gone through a lot of modification during the pandemic, as have most of our day-to-day human resources functions. Contrary to appearances, hiring has not come to a standstill in 2020.

In fact, figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show hiring increasing across most industries in the past months as businesses begin creeping back toward something like normalcy. As vaccinations are distributed in the coming months, those numbers should continue to climb.

That anticipated upswing makes it all the more essential for employers to get a plan in place for not only hiring remotely, but also onboarding those new hires.

Remote onboarding poses a unique challenge for many businesses, as this is generally an intimate, in-person process that introduces a new employee to the culture, practices, and expectations that define the workplace. Accomplishing that goal without the benefit of face-to-face communication is decidedly a different task, but it can be done and done well.

Remote Orientation is Just the First Step

One trap to avoid is mistaking employee orientation for employee onboarding.

A remote orientation is still quite a different process than it is in person, but it can be managed fairly easily via training videos, teleconference introductions to managers and co-workers, access to necessary paperwork, and introductions to essential tools and processes.

The challenge comes once the orientation is complete and the new hire begins their role in earnest.

In an in-person setting, it is considerably easier for a new employee to ask questions and learn by watching others. A remote setting requires a more proactive approach on the part of management.

Communicate Clearly

Even more than in an office setting, clear and direct communication is vital to a successful remote onboarding.

This responsibility falls largely on management, and it can be trickier than it might initially seem.

Remote work has many workers and managers feeling overwhelmed by video meetings already. That can make it tempting to put off getting a new hire acclimated but doing so will have a negative impact in the long run.

A new employee who feels neglected or left out right from the start is less likely to feel a part of the company culture as time goes on.

Make a plan to introduce them, not just to immediate supervisors, but also anyone with whom the new hire will be working on a regular basis. Make sure that as many people as possible stick to that meeting schedule.

Taking an active hand in building a community is an essential part of running a harmonious and productive workplace.

Team building looks very different when the team is physically distant, but it can — and must — be done effectively.

Know What Training Tools Work

Training in a new employee looks different in a remote setting.

The interactivity and back-and-forth that comes naturally in person does not always flow as easily via remote connections.

Learning management tools and training videos need to be brief, to-the-point, and engaging in order to make a lasting impression.

Managers should make a point of contacting new hires frequently throughout their first week or two to make sure they are acclimating well and getting their questions answered, though not so frequently that it begins to feel overbearing.

Plan for the Future

If remote work is part of your onboarding model during the pandemic, there is a solid chance that it will continue to be a factor moving forward.

More than 60% of workers who currently work from home say they would like to continue even after the office environment is deemed safe.

A solid majority of employers say they have not experienced a significant decrease in productivity with employees working remotely. Experts say it is likely that a more remote workforce will become the norm in industries where it is feasible.

That makes setting policies and procedures for smooth remote onboarding all the more important.

While that may require some big structural changes in some of your regular HR, hiring, and recruitment functions, it also opens the door for some intriguing possibilities.

Being able to seamlessly onboard employees without in-person contact allows you to hire qualified workers from any location. Depending on your industry, that could be a potentially game-changing expansion of your employee pool.

As with any major shift in operations, adapting to a remote onboarding system will take some work, and there will likely be some bumps along the road. For businesses that rely on remote workers now and in the future, however, those additional steps should prove to be well worth the effort.

Lindsay Brown
Sales Account Executive
Ascentis