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In this article, we’ll look at some of the challenges of remote employee onboarding. We’ll also share tips for creating a successful remote onboarding program. Providing a robust onboarding program that includes resources, clear communication, and support will ensure that new remote employees can easily integrate into their new environment. A clearly defined onboarding plan makes it easier to have standardized virtual onboarding practices for every new team member at your company.

It also answers some of your new employees’ questions, thus preventing them from feeling lost on their first day. In most cases, it would be a given that an on-site employee has all the equipment they need from the get-go. You assign them a desk, you have the IT guy assign them a computer login, and in a few minutes, you can move right on to the next step of the onboarding process. There are unique challenges that remote employees have to face when comparing to on-site employees, including time-zone difference, lack of opportunities for face-to-face interactions, etc. And the below are key areas to pay attention to when onboarding remote employees.

Share important documents and information

If you’ll be providing any hardware, make sure you are prepared for it to arrive early so your employee can be ready for orientation. Remote employees look forward to concrete goals and an opportunity for one-on-one face time with their manager. Employees with proper support during onboarding are 54% more productive as new hires. Put in requisitions for the company-issued laptop, phone or other required office equipment in advance, so your new remote employee has what they need technologically to get down to work quickly.

Then, schedule manager one-on-ones or meetings with other supervisors the employee will closely work with. After a few days, introduce your new hire to everyone else on the team during one larger meeting. Live one-on-one video calls between instructors and new hires can help employees learn the basics of their team or department, proprietary software quirks, etc. Give them the time and date of these training sessions, and let them know whether they’ll need to be on camera. To build confidence before any real work has to be done, prepare a few easy tasks for your new employees to complete early on.

Send all devices prior to their start date

Be sure to add software where needed to speed processes and provide the required legal or audit trails. Assigning an individual whom the new employee can go to with questions about the culture can be especially remote onboarding best practices effective. The buddy might debrief after an important group discussion, flagging to the new employee on actions that aren’t in line with the culture or how his or her style may be perceived by others.

Keep these in mind when creating your onboarding process, and you can set the stage for healthy, long-term professional relationships with all your new hires. Remote onboarding can be just as effective as an in-person experience. https://remotemode.net/ But to make it successful, you need to do more than just transfer your existing process online. You need to reconsider and redesign your onboarding process to address the challenges remote employees could face.

How to onboard remote employees

Some remote businesses opt to employ a structure that enables new hires to complete their training in just two weeks. On the other side, some experts argue that making the onboarding period as long as a year may increase employee retention and make new remote hires feel like valuable members of the team. Workers feel a sense of purpose and job satisfaction when they understand how their specific role supports a company’s mission and how the organization supports its staff. Important steps here usually include applying two-factor identification, requiring password resets at regular intervals and only allowing employee access through a VPN. One week isn’t enough to fully integrate new employees into your company culture. In fact, only 29 percent of new hires feel fully prepared and supported in their new roles after their onboarding experience.

An onboarding agenda breaks down training into achievable steps, making it easier for new hires to succeed. 71% of HR professionals still plan to use virtual onboarding for their new hires. Remote onboarding became the norm during the pandemic while many businesses struggled with it. Even post-pandemic, many believe, virtual onboarding is here to stay.

If possible, ship these items to them in advance, so they’re all set on their first day. These could be related to their new job, your company culture, operating practices, etc. Because a solid onboarding process helps new employees feel welcome and like they’re already part of the team. You’ll help smooth their transition, make it less overwhelming, and gradually get everyone accustomed to the new workflow. In turn, your new team members will be excited and eager to get to work. A new employee should have a team member they feel comfortable approaching at all times, someone whom they can ask both trivial and important questions.

• For examples, do they have a dedicated workspace at home or will they need to rent a desk at a co-working space?
• Make a welcoming phone call, and ask about the devices and software they have on hand.
• To use SharePoint’s content AI services — Syntex — organizations should determine their pain points and plan thorough end-user …

In fact, 83% of employees prefer companies that allow them to work from home a few days a week. One of the main reasons for this is that remote work reduces their chances of getting sick and gives them more time to rest and relax before and after work hours. Using an LMS for onboarding makes it easy to automate training rollout. It also helps you and your employees keep track of their progress and ensures they get a consistently effective training experience. Upload the necessary guides and policies, and include links to scheduled meetings and online training in each step of the process. According to research, new hires normally know whether they will stay with the company just within the first few weeks, so it’s key to nail your onboarding process to engage the new hire.