Remote Onboarding Challenges
Both employees and employers may encounter the following obstacles in remote onboarding.
- Lack of in-person interaction: In a remote environment, it can be difficult to establish meaningful connections. For some employees, it may be harder to build rapport and trust among colleagues.
- Limited access to resources: In the absence of office tours and face-to-face introductions, it may take a new hire longer to understand who and where to go for questions and support. This can range from things like tech support to brand guidelines and many things in between.
- Lower engagement: Working in a very siloed way can lead to reduced engagement and motivation stemming from feelings of disconnectedness, impacting the willingness to learn, accept challenges, and work productively.
- Difficulty in collaboration: Remote employees may communicate less due to differences in time zones, technical issues, language barriers, or simply not knowing which departments or individuals to reach out to for assistance.
- Little feedback and support: Outside of a physical office environment, new employees may have limited opportunities to receive feedback and support. This can be challenging for those who are both new to the organization and/or new to remote working more generally.
Remote onboarding accelerated to new heights during the Covid-19 pandemic and remote working is only here to stay, whether it is employees working remotely for a company in their local region or a foreign country.
10 Recommendations for Remote Onboarding
- Get off to a quick start.
Remote onboarding could be even more daunting for new employees than traditional on-site orientation. Not being able to get acquainted with various teammates or colleagues across the company during arguably the important week of starting employment could impact new employees’ confidence and knowledge, slow down their pace of learning, and reduce their desire to participate, all leading to slower productivity.
Remote employees might have the same desire to meet in person. The alternative is to get started quickly with virtual phone calls, video conferencing, and both asynchronous and synchronous communication platforms. Efficient onboarding right from the start is the first step to new employees’ success. - Establish a connection prior to the start date by also sending new hires basic information. Introduction videos from their teammates and key information about the company and department might be a great place to start. Employers should be ready to address any questions the new employees may already have.
- Sending welcome packages has become an increasingly popular way to break the ice. Not only do employers who quickly reach out with onboarding surveys kickstart the process but sending new employees their favourite foods based and practical branded company merchandise, such as t-shirts, hoodies, or backpacks that can be put to good use puts the first impression of the employer in a very positive light.
- Create an onboarding schedule. Some companies give hires a four-week guideline, 30-60-90 day plan, or something in between. On a high level, these should outline what the employee needs to know about their team, department, and the company, who to work with, and how they’ll be evaluated in their roles and responsibilities. Specifics of self-learning or instructor-led training available as part of the company’s resources can be given to the employees along with access to platforms and programs crucial to their positions.
- Directing the employee to a dedicated onboarding point of contact will go miles in making the process smoother. Whether this is a human resources colleague, office manager, hiring manager, or a teammate, a proactive individual whom the new employee can get support from will enable them to get organized, feel at ease and confident, and start getting integrated into the broader company.
- Put all the right equipment and software in place
Whether they prefer a Mac or a PC and need a monitor among other equipment, having the right equipment and environment in place as soon as they’re onboarded can make a huge difference in how smooth the process is and set them up to do their best work. Some employers provide a one-time stipend up to a certain limit with no questions asked and no receipts needed for their new hires to use toward work-related equipment, eliminating the fear of asking and speeding up the total process, especially for new remote employees.
Whichever the company-wide internal information database, communication and calendar apps, among other resources, getting new remotely hired employees up to speed will be more seamless when they have the right tools in place. From asynchronous to synchronous communication, new employees should know exactly which platforms to turn to. - Enable them to build connections as quickly as possible.
Give them a list of teammates they should have virtual coffee chats with during their first two weeks. In addition to their own team members they may frequently work with, they should sync up with key stakeholders that may have a direct or adjacent impact on their work. These easy-to-schedule 1:1s should help new employees fast-track and familiarize themselves with their colleagues, the corporate culture and any other must-know information so they can feel more comfortable and assured in their new roles. - Set clear expectations from day one to encourage their work’s alignment with the organization’s broader mission, vision, values, and goals.
Setting clear expectations with new hires on their current role and what it may evolve to in future will create a more seamless transition.
While initial interviews and assessments are great tools for the employer to get a sense of their new hire’s ability and potential as it is a way for employees to gain an understanding of the business and their role in it, reality may differ. Especially during remote onboarding, setting the expectations clearly from day one and generally anticipating changes where there are would be remarkably helpful for the new hire to get excited, on board, and moving as they find their place within the greater organization. Of note, it might be helpful for employers to consider letting employees know unspoken assumptions. These include “must-knows,” workplace culture, dress code, and video conferencing communication etiquette among others. The hiring manager or an assigned buddy would make excellent resources. Reducing as much ambiguity as possible would help the employee acclimate to the company, culture, and role much more easily and quickly, especially in instances in which they may not know what to expect, let alone ask. - Invite them for regular virtual hangouts and learning
Whether it’s happy hour every other Friday at half past 4 with the occasional beverage send or discretionary lunch and learn sessions, extend the invite. They might not be available or have the desire to attend every single one, but having the option allows them to feel like they’re a part of the team and its contribution. Where in-person meetings or team building events merit their presence, spend the budget to fly them to the headquarters regularly if possible with cost management. - Celebrate their achievements with shoutouts or recognize their accomplishments with compliments
For remote employees whose physical presence isn’t felt, giving credit where it’s due may go a long way in encouraging them to go above and beyond, especially if others in the company are made aware of their contributions. For employees who don’t enjoy the spotlight, include their achievements in regular company communications. Receiving hard-earned recognition would be encouraging to continue to produce good work.
Before the real work starts and counts, it might be a good idea to start them off with easily done processes such as studying the company’s social media, filling out administrative requirements, and setting up all of their communication and job-specific tools.
Spotlighting a new remote employee’s achievement also reminds them they have a stake in the project, team, and greater organization. And when something’s at stake, magnifying their sense of responsibility, you would be glad to see them rising to the challenge.
With Borderless, remotely onboarding new employees is something you don’t have to worry about. We make it easy for you to hire, onboard, engage, manage, and retain global employees. Book a demo today to see how to help you grow your business.
Disclaimer
Borderless does not provide legal services or legal advice to anyone. This includes customers, contractors, employees, partners, and the general public. We are not lawyers or paralegals. Please read our full disclaimer here.
