Successfully onboarding remote working employees

Since 2020, many hiring managers have found themselves in the situation of having to onboard their new staff remotely and many are continuing to do so in 2022. Businesses cannot undertake exactly the same onboarding process as they would if the employee was in the office, it has to be modified accordingly. Therefore, here are some tips on how to onboard remotely and successfully.

1) First impressions: ensuring technology and system is setup on the employee’s first day.
Employers need to ensure that all IT systems, laptops and phones are set up. It’s far from ideal for a new employee to be spending their first days in the business organising equipment or solving tech issues. Being ready for the new starter has a huge impact on a positive first impression and when there are limited ways to engage the new employee to the business remotely, it’s imperative that they’re impacted as positively as possible.

2) Informal Introductions to other staff members to promote Inclusion within the team
When onboarding a new staff member working remotely, different procedures need to be in place to integrate them into the team. By working from home, they are automatically missing a lot of the natural interpersonal interaction that they would have with the team. This could be achieved by setting up a video call for something as simple as an introduction and afternoon tea.

3) Proper training and structuring of the employee’s day
When a new employee is working remotely, it’s important that they feel in control of their role and not overwhelmed by the tasks. Proper training is vital for a new employee, to ensure they are comfortable. Creating structured training and tasks throughout their day will ensure they are engaged in their role. This will help limit unproductive time in their day. Without this structure in place, it’s likely the new starter will start to disengage and lose interest in the role.