Onboarding Remote Employees
Creating Employee Connection in a Digital Age.
Welcoming Remote Employees
Your company puts significant effort into recruiting and hiring the best employees you can find. In “normal” times, you make sure their first days on the job are productive and informative. They meet new teammates, receive technical training, and get a full orientation to their new company and position. There’s even an office tour.
This is important stuff. What you do during the first 90 days of employment goes a long way toward making new workers more productive and satisfied. This orientation period sets the tone for an employee’s overall perception of their job. It also helps you set expectations for performance and communication standards.
But how do you make this transition work when the employee is onboarded remotely?
Some tips are below, but start by acknowledging that some responsibility for settling comfortably and productively into a new position is on the employee. They need to ask questions and seek information about their job responsibilities, company culture, and standards for good performance. Be sure to not only tell them their questions are welcome, but provide multiple ways for them to get the information they need.
Here’s some other “best practice” suggestions.
1-Share onboarding responsibility with the team. While the new employee’s interactions with the boss are important, relationships with teammates are also critical first impressions. Interactions with co-workers and supervisors contribute relatively equally to a new employees’ perceptions of the job and company.
2-Be explicit about developing relationships. Sharing personal experiences and viewpoints is one way people figure out how to work together. Even small talk helps us bond, as we discover who shares our love for a TV show or sports team. So allow extra time in team meetings for people to learn more about one another. Even a few icebreakers can make group members more comfortable with one another.
3-Keep recruiting. New employees are still in a “checking it out” mindset. Ask your team to share their favorite things about working for your company, or which projects they find most meaningful. If you have company swag, make sure the new person gets a welcome basket! Or consider sending a gift after the first week. (My newest find: Sugarwish. Very reasonable prices and people get to pick their own treats!)
4-Don’t assume they have what they need. Have a list of supplies, access codes, and files and ensure they are available. Remember: people starting a new assignment are likely to think THEY made a mistake if they can’t access data. Consider a shared document where the employee can post questions and team members can provide answers on an ongoing basis. Just having all those questions and answers in one place can be a valuable resource.
5-Talk about the rules. Be explicit with expectations about availability, scheduling, and time off. Also talk about check-in protocols and when and how often they should expect to interact with their boss and peers.
6-Provide support for about 90 days. While new workers may understand the mechanics of their jobs earlier than that, learning about the company’s culture and their place in it can take a little longer. Since “fit” in the organization is often as important to performance as technical skill, spending a little more time ensuring that employees understand workplace norms is a valuable effort.
7-Celebrate milestones. A “Happy First Week!” surprise party or “Congrats On Finishing Your First Report” e-card helps people know their efforts are appreciated.
8-Continue to hire well. You still want to identify and hire the best possible employees, and focus in particular on those who appear enthusiastic and positive about the job. The best newcomer socialization happens when the employee is proactive about seeking information while the company provides a supportive situation in which they can thrive.
