Onboarding is an important process that can ensure new employees’ future success by connecting newly hired employees with their company and its culture. According to HR experts, onboarding processes can take from one year or more, depending on employees’ experiences and employers’ requirements. Onboarding process and its success is crucial for high rates of retention within companies, which will save companies valuable time and resources. Specifically, onboarding is extremely important for new employees that work remotely as remote workers do not have as many chances to interact and immerse in companies’ cultures and working processes. 

This article is a guide to how to safely onboard new staff members online. 

Things that Should Be Included In Onboarding Programs

Onboarding programs vary between companies as each company has different goals and work practices. However, according to HR experts, companies should include four things in their onboarding programs: company policies; documents that refer clearly to employees’ roles and responsibilities; guidance on informal and formal norms of the company’s culture and available connection methods; and information for new employees to communicate with their companies and colleagues. A great tip to follow is to offer to do quick tests with new employees to make sure that they have understood everything in the onboarding program. Create a basic questionnaire to ensure that they feel comfortable and don’t have any questions about your business or their role. 

Provide Training to New Employees Regarding Collaboration Tools

Nowadays, more and more businesses are looking to hire and onboard new employees entirely on digital platforms. Onboarding online can be challenging for many recruiters due to its lack of physical interactions and you can see website resources online which can help you to improve your onboarding methods. Traditional training processes such as interviewing dates and orientation can all be difficult in today’s digital world but there is software and online options to assist you with everything. For remote training, collaboration tools are one of the most vital tools for productivity and success of remote workers as they allow teams to schedule meetings, foster communication and share working files. 

It is important to make sure that new employees are familiar with and able to use the collaboration tools that your company employs. Documentation regarding collaboration tools’ guidelines and instructions should be made available during the onboarding process. It is best if your company can provide access to this to new employees beforehand, so they will have time to figure everything out before the starting date. 

Make Sure New Employees Have Everything They Need to Work Successfully

Similar to in-person onboarding processes, newly hired remote employees will have to fill out paperwork and familiarize themselves with necessary equipment such as your in-company chat platform to be able to start working. Make sure that important information such as starting date, as well as your new employees’ contact information and necessary documents are readily available and accessible for both the company and new employees. By having important information such as company policies and job requirements on documents, it will ensure that everyone is well-informed and accountable.  

Remember that you should check in with new hires regularly to ensure that the onboarding process is going smoothly. It is highly recommended that onboarding programs should have meet-and-greet agendas to help new employees to connect with their colleagues throughout the onboarding process in order to make sure that new hires feel welcomed and included while understanding their responsibilities as well as the company’s culture better.    

Build Relationships with New Hires

Establishing relationships can be challenging when it is entirely done virtually as in contrast to traditional hiring practices, remote workers will not have orientation days at the office or physical meet-and-greet occasions with their colleagues. Fortunately, with the right tools and a well-planned strategy, companies can build engaging and effective connections with new employees virtually. For instance, companies can foster connections between newly hired employees and current employees by having online meetings via video conferencing platforms available in the market.

Consider Having Welcoming Buddies

It is senseless for employers to hire new people and expect them to immediately work productively and get along well with the company’s culture on their own. Therefore, onboarding programs need to be taken seriously to ensure future growth of new employees within companies. New employees will need more frequent support in their first few weeks. Companies are recommended to assign employees with buddies to offer additional support to newly hired personnel during the onboarding process. With technological advancements, introductory videos and meetings can be used to support new employees as well as establishing connections between both new and current employees. 

Go the Extra Mile to Introduce Your Company’s Culture 

Company culture can be fostered in various ways and it is more than just organizing team lunches or attending colleagues’ birthday parties. It takes serious efforts to foster deep connections between companies and employees, but since company culture is a major factor in how employees contribute, and how long they stay at companies, it can greatly affect the likelihood of success of a business. Unfortunately, remote workers tend to have a harder time in getting a sense of belonging to their teams or understanding the unique culture of a company. Thankfully, building company culture is possible with remote teams and onboarding programs are the perfect place to start.

First of all, your company should invest time in building well-designed onboarding programs to make sure new employees feel included and are  clear on their jobs as this fosters trust and a sense of workplace safety. Afterwards, it is crucial for your company to build unity and a supportive working environment for every employee. This can be done with the help of various collaborative tools, video conferencing software and online platforms. For instance, team building activities can be hosted online to bond team members, whether it is a birthday party or a lunch date between team members.   

Onboarding new staff members remotely does not need to be a lengthy and difficult process. Virtual onboarding programs can be well executed with careful planning and consideration. Remember that what new employees experience in onboarding programs will be one of their first and most important impressions of your company. By following these tips, employers can make their companies more attractive to talented employees which will ensure business growth and success.