Expert Tips for a Smooth Remote Onboarding Plan

Today's business functions have changed significantly, from in-person meetings to video conversations via the internet. Since the pandemic's outbreak, businesses have been obliged to operate entirely or partially remotely. Although this new work environment has many advantages, like increased productivity and decreased absenteeism, it has also presented difficult obstacles, one of which is remote onboarding.

You're not required to give people a tour of the premises or bond over a high-tea break. Instead, you have a somewhat more difficult task: without ever meeting your new employee in person, you must make them feel informed, supported, and at ease. Continue reading to learn how to overcome these obstacles and create a smooth remote onboarding experience.

Importance of an Onboarding Experience

Regardless of the mode in which your employees work, you want all of your team members to feel valued. Here are just a few reasons why employers should improve their onboarding initiatives.

- From day one, employees must be fully integrated into your culture.

- Workers must comprehend how to succeed in their new positions and how success is determined.

- Employees must be followed up with regularly.

- Onboarding gives new employees the knowledge they need to perform their tasks.

- Onboarding may foster leadership, mentoring, and teamwork

- From the first-day onboarding assures employee compliance.

Tips for a Smooth Remote Onboarding Plan

1) Make the First Day Special

We are all familiar with the jitters that come with the first day. Back in the day, everything was normal, and remote work wasn't as common; interacting with unknown people and unfamiliar settings would seem daunting. Imagine how miserable the first few days could be for new remote employees!

To comfort them, you can implement a strategy that enhances the feeling of ease and welcomes new employees working remotely. You can keep the first day light by allowing new employees to watch videos of your golden days at work. Surprise them with a friendly welcome email, team member videos, and personal notes from their coworkers. You may also hold a virtual lunch for them to ease new hires into the workplace and enjoy a few leisurely moments with them on their first day.

2) Assign a Buddy

It is normal for new employees to have a sense of loneliness during their first few weeks, especially in a remote work setting. If the situation is not resolved quickly, this sense of isolation might soon worsen. According to a recent survey of more than 2000 Americans who work remotely, 7 out of 10 workers feel lonely in a virtual workplace. It is evident that new employees require a friend and mentor to guide them through the challenges of remote work.

The buddy system ensures that new employees have someone to turn to, whether they need help with their jobs or just a friend to talk to. Employees' performance will also improve if they feel at ease and part of the team.

3) Develop a More Self-Serve Automated Remote Onboarding Process

Automating remote onboarding allows your employees to learn at their own pace while preventing them from bothering HR and superiors about unimportant issues. When a self-learning system is in place, new hires always have access to reliable information sources when they are lost or in need of assistance. You can combine this self-help system with a communication platform like Slack to assist staff in maximizing its use. As a result of creating an inclusive experience, employees will receive immediate updates on any modifications or additions to your employee handbook in their Slack dashboards.

4) Limit the Content You Provide in the Onboarding

What kind of content ought to be included? Make everything reference-friendly to begin with. Recruits can learn where to go for knowledge, but they can't memorize everything. You can save new hires the hassle of cramming for the test by teaching them how to use business documentation instead, which enables them to learn on the job. Think about offering a list of valuable bookmarks or creating a page just for onboarding with connections to pertinent content. Include the bare minimum of "necessary" content and some cultural context. Making a good first impression is easy with short Loom films from coworkers.

5) Add a Virtual Twist to Fun Activities

Consider all the enjoyable things staff members gladly engage in during work hours and give them a virtual makeover. Online games that require teams to cooperate to win hampers are an excellent illustration of this. You can even enjoy coffee or tea sessions there. Additionally, you might hold fitness competitions, host popular online games, or even allow staff members to share pictures of their workspaces during events.

6) Organize Online Training Sessions

To accelerate the learning process, you can use online training sessions. The topics covered in these training sessions can include the new duties an employee is recruited for, the products and services they will be working on, and the standardized operating procedures your business employs.

Another strategy to keep new hires informed of their tasks is to schedule weekly one-on-one meetings. to help address potential problems and assist them in adjusting to their new roles.

9) Make the Remote Onboarding Process More Personalised

According to some studies, a new employee's onboarding process typically consists of 54 tasks. While some components of the onboarding process, like hosting a virtual lunch and providing SOP training, are identical for all, others should be customized to the unique requirements of new hires.

10) Establish Expectations Clearly From the Start

Explain the duties and obligations and demonstrate how they support the firm's performance. Request presentations from the team leaders on the company's objectives and what the new employee is expected to contribute. This level of clarity is critical to helping them prioritize their efforts and accomplish early victories in the first few months.

Conclusion

What happens if your remote onboarding strategy is weak? Early resignations from new hires will leave you scrambling to fill the void. Create an onboarding program that lays a solid platform for the new employees' future development. Give them every incentive to remain loyal to you.

At Mann, we think it's important to work together to make sure you can get the most out of your onboarding technology. Our team of professionals can collaborate with you to install Cisco Meraki and set up your company for success. To learn more about our services and how we can help your business succeed, contact us today!