Covid 19 has been challenging for businesses and individuals alike. One of the issues facing businesses today is the recruitment process and how a global pandemic has made what would otherwise be standard procedures that little bit harder or more difficult to control.
One of those procedures is onboarding. At its most basic level, “onboarding is the integration process used to ensure a smooth transition into an employee’s role and organisation.” From understanding company and office culture, to giving the employee time to form an opinion on the business.
Whilst we await a return to some level of normality and being back in an office, what is true is that business has changed. Expect to see remote working or a move to a hybrid workforce continuing in the future.
Overall, the onboarding experience is being impacted for new starters. We're going to take a look at how to onboard workers remotely and what plans need to be made.
Remote employees onboarding checklist
There are some things you can do to help onboarding remote workers; these include:
- Send a welcome pack with new swag. This could be a branded t-shirt, coffee mug, headphones or a letter from the CEO. Make them feel welcome from the first moment.
- Send HR documents with DocuSign reducing the amount of time required to print, sign, scan, and send back.
- Pass over the employee handbook in digital format. This will help the new starter get to grips with the company culture.
- Ensure new hires know the communication tools and when to use them. Provide manuals on some of the tech they're using just in case they don’t know how to use them.
- Set up meetings with key members of the team and the hiring manager. Explain the role and responsibilities and get to meet other team members.
- Arrange role-specific training to be conducted over video conferencing and schedule times to do this with games and interactive participation.
- Finally, schedule times to catch up after the first week, month, or quarter to touch base. Try and get a physical meeting penned in if possible as well.
Have a candidate onboarding plan
Onboarding is the integration process used to ensure a smooth transition into their roles and into the organisation. It remains a fundamentally important part of the business hiring process, ensuring that new team members get settled in properly.
You need to have a plan that can ensure from the first day of employment you're getting your new team member best equipped to do the role and in return, establish a bond/loyalty with the business.
It's a good idea to think about onboarding as a two stage element; before the first day and during the first quarter.
Before the first day
This includes the offer stage. Things like salary negotiations, benefit package and letter to the potential employee.
Once accepted, you'll need to focus on procuring equipment, emails and access to software, getting forms sent across, scheduling meetings with the team and senior people to welcome them aboard.
Finally, you'll need your legal forms prepared for signing and a plan for the first day.
On and after the first day
This will be everything that comes with the first day and appraisals moving forwards.
Plan for the first day priorities; arrange a lunch with the new hire and conduct a formal HR onboarding meeting which outlines holidays, benefits and job duties.
For the first week and month, be sure to schedule regular 1-2-1s. Set clear goals and objectives and provide feedback after a few days and weeks to manage performance expectations.
Finally, in the first quarter, be sure to have formal 1-2-1s, and feedback on the onboarding process.
Remote onboarding can teach us that some of these techniques can be brought into a regular system. Think about pre-employment. Having documents sent across for digital signing will speed things up whilst an employee handbook makes them feel already welcome. Think about how the good parts of your remote onboarding can improve the physical experience for the future.
Whilst we don’t know what 2021 will bring, businesses should be prepared to have onboarding as part of their process, be it remotely or face to face. The system has to work for the benefit of the new employee as well as the business. Think about reducing time spent on paperwork, and getting the new starter to meet the team before the first day if possible. Establishing better processes will help the integration process and ensure a smooth transition
How Thomas can help you with remote onboarding
Onboarding someone face-to-face is difficult enough, but what if that person is working remotely? Not being office-based adds to the challenge, so knowing how to get the best out of your people, regardless of where they are, is more important than ever.
With Thomas Perform you can onboard people effectively, wherever they are. Our assessments help you recognise a candidate’s speed of learning and preferred methods of communication so you can be sure you’re building relationships in way that suits them best.
