Seamless Onboarding for Remote Hires

Starting a new job can be difficult when you don’t get to meet anyone in person or have that usual office introduction! It’s important that new hires feel connected to their team and the workplace no matter where they may be based.

So, how can companies ensure new employees feel welcomed, motivated and ready in their new role?

Here are some of our best tips!

Have a clear and informative induction video library

Induction documents can be a little overwhelming. Video’s make it easier to take in information. A clear collection of induction videos that introduce the business and several departments to a new employee can be helpful for them to watch as if they were watching a webinar or lecture. They can take notes to reference later including any questions they may want to follow up with.

Have a team introduction

A team video call to introduce someone new is a must! This gives the employee a feel for the team dynamic and gives them an opportunity to get to know everyone as well as the team getting to know them. Keep the call mostly social but you can also go around in a circle (or rectangle in the case of a video call) to briefly introduce each team member and their primary role and responsibilities.

Set up one-on-one meetings between them and your team

After a group call, it’s important that a new employee has some one-on-one time with everyone on the team, especially those who the new employee will be working with most. This will allow them to feel a little more welcome and get to know people more personally.

Make sure you have a team chat set up where you share not just work things but social things too

At Peoplebank we use Microsoft Teams to instant message not only individuals but also to have group chats. These group chats are a great way to share random funny stories, anecdotes, to check-in with each other, ask each other quick work questions, and general messages to help keep people in contact. The last thing you want is a new employee feeling lonely or isolated when joining your company. 

Check-in with them

An easy one for any manager is to check in with your new hire, but make sure it doesn’t come across as micro-managing. Some ways you could check-in include:

  • A quick instant message asking ‘Hey [name], how are you going with everything this week? Do you have any questions I can help with?’
  • An email about a specific project could go something like, ‘Let me know if you need more context or information to help you get started on this.’

Make sure they have clear direction and know what needs actioning

A new hire who joined Chandler Macleod Group during the current Sydney 2021 lockdown said, “I found it really helpful that everyone on the team spends the time to give me a lot of context and that the emails I receive for tasks are clearly written - so I feel confident in what I need to action/execute.”

Clear direction is so important especially for someone in a new role. Direction can be conveyed in several ways:

  • Clear emails including context (as mentioned above)
  • A quick phone or video call to give a rundown of the project/task
  • Handover or instructional documents (as mentioned below)
  • Encouragement of project lists or shared to-do lists

Handover documents are helpful

If someone is stepping into a role to replace an employee who is leaving or moving into a different role, it can be extremely beneficial to have clear handover documents for set processes.

Short handover notes can also be helpful for smaller projects or tasks.

This helps with clear communication and can help a new employee feel more prepared to start a task armed with more knowledge.            

Give clear IT instructions and let them know who to ask for help

IT issues can be a huge hindrance when trying to get started in a new job. It is great to make introductions to the IT team and who to reach out to specifically when they may need help resolving issues or setting up any programs.

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