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Introducing and Onboarding New Starters, Remotely
Through the implementation of flexible working practices, and due to the pandemic, working from home has increased over recent years. Introducing new starters can be difficult at the best of times, but it is made that much harder when you are onboarding remotely.
In this article we will look at introducing new starters remotely, and some onboarding strategies you can implement in your hiring model…
Introducing New Starters to your Business and the Wider Team
Usually you would arrange a group lunch, training sessions, 121s, or shadowing. But if you’re working from home, hiring staff from further afield, or overseas, this isn’t going to be feasible.
So, we’ve put together the following, to help you onboard your new team member(s) remotely…
Introducing the new member of your team to their colleagues:
Technology is BOOMING, we have Facetime, Whatsapp, Skype, Zoom, Teams and much more. So, introducing the new member of your team to the wider company is actually quite easy, as it can be done facetoface via online video meetings. Video-meetings allow you to see one-another, get to know each other and keep in contact with each other in a more personal and immediate way.
Ensuring the new team member knows your company values, motos, benefits, rules etc:
Put together a trusty PowerPoint presentation! In-fact, this is probably more reliable than a face to face meeting, as your colleague can go back to the PowerPoint at any point if they forget or need reminding on any of the information they’ve read.
Keep momentum going:
When you start a new job you’re excited, you get to meet new people, you get a new computer, your own desk etc… When working remotely you get your home comforts but it can be boring and lonely. In comes the GROUP CHAT, it keeps you in the loop, keeps you connected and most importantly makes you feel part of the team.
Onboarding Strategies for Remote Workers
Now we’ve looked at the ways you can introduce your new starter to the wider team, let’s look at some onboarding strategies for remote working…
1. First impressions count 🤝🏾
First impressions are important for all businesses, regardless of whether they have an office presence or not.
Ensure laptops, internet, phones, software etc are all set-up and ready to use for your starters first day. There is nothing worse than not being prepared and your new recruit being left twiddling their thumbs. It can make you look unprofessional and unorganised.
2. Communication 🗣️
When onboarding remote employees, you need to consider the way you communicate with them, ensuring they’re involved with the company and that they feel welcome. Feeling part of a wider team is a key motivator for staff across the UK. In a recent survey 45% of employees consider their colleagues one of the most important elements of their job.
As you know, there can be a large gap between the acceptance of a job offer and the start date. So, don’t wait until they officially start. Speak with them prior to see how they’re feeling and allay any of their concerns. Introduce them to their line manager and immediate team members with a casual video chat. A card and a coffee mug arriving at their home go a long way.
3. Introduce your company culture 🙏🏽
You need to introduce unique ways of showcasing your company culture and include your new employees in the process. If you take time to onboard your team correctly you will see a significant improvement in job retention.
A great way of doing this is to host quiz nights via zoom, weekly work lunches via skype, or general chats to see how the team are.
4. Personal mentors 🎩
Providing your new recruits with a personal mentor can be very beneficial to them and your business. A personal mentor stands outside of the management structure but is someone they can ask questions without feeling it reflects on their work. A great mentor is usually someone of the same, or equivalent position, who has maybe recently gone through the same experience. So, if you can provide them with a mentor who can guide them through the early stages of their new role, this will help them feel welcome, safe and respected.
5. Provide the all-important details 📝
When someone new joins a business they’re usually provided with the all-important details. From who’s in charge to payday and pension schemes. When a recruit joins a company, they learn early on who fills which role, just from being in the office. However, when you are on-boarding remotely it can be tricky for the employee to remember who fills which role.
So, it’s a good idea to create an organisation chart, showing them not just the structure of the business but who exactly to contact regarding a query with your car, tax code, childcare vouchers etc. If you include photos with your organisation chart it’s the chance for the new starter to put faces to names.
6. Feedback 💡
Receiving feedback from your team is a simple yet effective way for you to uncover your teams needs.
Creating a feedback culture isn’t just for long-term colleagues, it’s also crucial in the early stages of on-boarding remote employees. From surveys to one-to-ones, there are a number of great ways to find out how your on-boarding strategy is working. It means you can continue to develop your on-boarding practices and make improvements where necessary.
Onboarding remote employees
We hope our on-boarding tips above help you when it comes to introducing new starters to your business and wider team. It’s understandable if this is a bit daunting for you. If you do need any help, guidance or would like to speak to us about remote opportunities you are looking to fill, then please email us at: hello@gbsolutions.co.uk.
