Onboarding Remote Employees: 7 Tips for Creating a Virtual Onboarding Plan

According to a recent study from Global Workplace Analytics, 43% of employees now work from home with regularity due to the COVID pandemic. While this can promote work-life balance, improved work culture, and employee job satisfaction, it also creates problems as well. One of these issues is onboarding remote workers. With a sudden shift to a virtual workforce, employers are already tasked with implementing new business models and ideas. As a result, onboarding remote employees is yet another hurdle in the path to adjustment.

However, executing remote employee onboarding practices isn’t out of reach. It just requires careful a meticulous, proactive approach to planning. So if you’re struggling to make new employees feel like they’re part of the team and company culture, use these tips and suggestions to streamline the remote onboarding process.

Onboarding Remote Employees During COVID

COVID has complicated many operations at every level of businesses. And while these aren’t insurmountable, they certainly require more effort and attention than in the years prior to the pandemic. In many ways, onboarding remote employees during COVID is similar to the processes for remote companies before the pandemic. The problematic portion of onboarding in the COVID era lies in first-time remote employees. As a general rule, employers should ask about virtual work experience during the interview or post-interview process. By doing so, they can plan their onboarding and training programs accordingly.

While these individuals may require more time and attention, employers shouldn’t create a separate process for onboarding remote employees. Rather, they should have a single program to streamline the process and include all necessary information—even for veteran remote workers. In the following paragraphs, you’ll learn how to plan, implement, and alter your onboarding process to fit your company. Remember that your first time is somewhat trial and error, even with diligent forethought and organization. But that’s all part of making your staff an elite team you can count on to get the job done.

Best Practices for Onboarding Remote Employees

Onboarding remote employees should be instructive, thorough, structured, and seamless. Although this seems like a laundry list of items, doing so will ensure the integration of the employee into the company culture and make them feel included from the first day of work. And despite its challenges, a well-constructed plan should help new hires feel more acclimated to the organization. But remember that this should never feel like a one-and-done orientation to employees. Through a multi-pronged onboarding process, employers can reduce the anxiety and stress that can come along with a new remote position. Here are some of the best practices for onboarding remote employees.

1. Initial Meeting(s)

Once you’ve decided to hire a particular candidate, the initial meeting is just as important as any step during the onboarding process. While email or instant messaging is a valuable tool, a face-to-face meeting via Zoom or another type of videoconferencing platform is preferred. Through video meetings, you have a more personalized approach from the onset. Hopefully, this will help forge a stronger connection and work relationship moving forward. Remember that not every aspect of communication requires a video meeting. So if you’re not relaying crucial information or messages, email is just as effective.

2. Welcome Packs/Employee Handbooks

Welcome packs are another nice touch to streamline the hiring process and onboard remote workers. This pack could include subjects and other information such as:

A welcome pack could also contain an employee handbook. This document outlines policies, procedures, and other aspects of your company’s operations and expectations. In this virtual document, include:

By combining a welcome pack and employee handbook into a single document that’s given during the first days of employment, you can set your new hire and your company up for success.

3. Proper Equipment and Other Gear

Not everyone has experience as a remote worker. As such, new hires may not know where to start regarding a home office setup or other necessary equipment. For the sake of time and productivity, you should address this situation during your initial meeting or in an email soon thereafter. Putting this in an easy-to-read list can make the transition far easier for your new employee. Some items to add to this list include:

4. Training Sessions

Training sessions are a necessity for onboarding remote employees. During these sessions, you should discuss various aspects of the job, your company’s mission and vision, and how the new employee is a vital part of operations. Following this initial information, gear training sessions toward more specific aspects of the business. This should include:

This information will vary depending on the job duties and roles of the employee. So use your best judgment to put together a living, breathing document and alter whenever necessary.

5. An Onboarding Liaison

Because virtual work can lead to loneliness and isolation, an onboarding liaison or onboarding buddy is a sound choice. At the very least, this person should be available to answer any questions during training or the initial stages of onboarding. To a more hands-on degree, this person can virtually sit in on training and guide the employee through the process. Either way, the addition of a live person during onboarding adds a personal touch and gives the new hire someone to bond with—two aspects that will enhance morale and engagement.

6. Virtual Happy Hour

Once you’ve completed the aforementioned tasks, a virtual happy hour is an excellent way to integrate the new employee and allow them to meet the rest of the team. This is a casual affair; you don’t have to talk about work. Instead, allow each individual to introduce themselves by name, cite some interests, and state their job title. With any luck, the new hire will feel included and more likely to ask for help when they need it.

7. Open-Door Policies and Check-Ins

After the happy hour, send a follow-up email or have a video chat to finish onboarding remote employees. This message should remind them that you have an open-door policy that invites them to ask questions or address concerns. Moreover, you should continue to check-in periodically to see how everything’s going. This will further indoctrinate the new hire into your organization and set a clear line of communication moving forward.

Virtual Onboarding Checklist

All of the aforementioned practices are easy to read, but visualizing and organizing them is an ordeal. Therefore, successfully onboarding remote employees requires a more hands-on approach with a virtual onboarding checklist. By following this list, you ensure that you meet all of your onboarding criteria and remove any gray areas. Here’s an example of a virtual onboarding checklist that you can base your future onboarding around.

During the Interview and Hiring Process

Every great process for onboarding remote employees starts at the interview process. The key here is to provide unambiguous clarity about the scope of the job and what’s necessary to succeed. Make sure to include:

Setting Expectations

Setting expectations goes hand-in-hand with the interview and hiring process. This idea should permeate every aspect of the onboarding process in order to remove any uncertainty about the job role. Make sure these are clear, concise, and easy to understand.

Paperwork

Every new hire has to fill out some paperwork, so don’t forget this vital step. Make sure they fill out the following documents:

Hype and Post-Hiring Q&A

After completing the interview, setting expectations, and filling out the paperwork, your next duty as an employer onboarding remote employees is to create some hype. Get the employee excited about the company, its vision, and their vital role in the organization. This can only serve as a way to increase employee morale. How you do it is entirely up to you. And while a new job is exciting to begin with, a little extra motivation and hype never hurt.

Furthermore, you should open a forum for question-and-answer sessions. In this manner, the new hire can address any concerns while also learning more about the company and its operations. Typically, this process is far easier during a video call with one or more important people in the company. Set this up as soon as possible.

Adding Essential Information (Employee Handbook)

Make sure to give out all essential information on the first day of onboarding remote employees. This could include a welcome pack, as well as the employee handbook. Encourage them to read it, as well as test out their new branded coffee mug. Who doesn’t like a useful gift with a jolt of caffeine?

Setting Up a Home Office

Even seasoned remote workers may not have thought about how to set up a home office. Therefore, a guide becomes a handy tool to make their transition more comfortable. Within this guide, you can include:

Welcome and Introductory Sessions

As stated above, conduct welcome and introductory sessions with the employee’s direct superior. Then, move onto a virtual happy hour or casual meet-and-greet to make the employee feel welcomed.

Outlining Projects

Outline the first projects and send them over to the new hire with plenty of time before the due date. Remember, you trusted this person to do a job. Therefore, you don’t have to spoon-feed them small or easy projects. Instead, engage them with the work they’re expected to do and even semi-important projects to get them acclimated to the role.

Further Team-Building Exercises

No onboarding process is 100% complete without further team-building exercises. So whether you host a company trivia night, virtual water cooler time, or another activity, do so with regularity. Not only will this breed camaraderie, but it will also keep the new employee engaged until they become a full-fledged veteran of the team.

Onboarding remote employees is an arduous process. But proper implementation will reap benefits down the road and erase any chances for the feeling of exclusion or lack of clarity. Furthermore, putting in the effort now will eliminate the need for excessive instruction or onboarding in the future. Instead, you’ll have an ensemble of happy, productive workers. That’s about as good as it gets for newly remote companies.

How has successfully onboarding remote employees helped your business? Do you have any tips on how to onboard remote employees? Connect with Virtual Vocations on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube to share your thoughts and suggestions. We’d love to hear from you!