Onboarding of a new employee to your organisation plays a significant part of the success and retention of the hire. In our current climate, we are more than likely going to have a new hire join a business without ever having physically met them! But that should not limit the ability to successfully integrate your new employee, and nor should it be a reason to not hire them. Most employers have established on-boarding procedures, which for the best part can still be used. Luke Borg , General Manager & Director at Capstone has provided a helpful guide for you to prepare for your next virtual hire.
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However, in order to build a success virtual on-boarding program, it’s best to understand what someone misses out on by not being in an office with their new colleagues.
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Think about their ability to easily ask how something is done, and their ability to easily pick up on how things are done and what the acceptable company culture is.
Be prepared
You’ve invested and promised a lot in the lead up to your new hire starting, so as soon the individual has agreed to join you, start working on their onboarding plan…don’t leave it till the last minute.
Are you equipped?
If your new hire is working from home from day one, then you are going to need to understand what they are going to need in their home office and who supplies what. Think about what you have in the workplace at present, and what they will need to do their specific role. Employers will think about the obvious items like a laptop, phone and stationery, but you’ll need to ask the candidate (before they start) if they have a suitable internet connection, desk and chair (which needs to be adequately set up). Remember you will need to get this shipped to the individual prior, and whilst you are at it, think about including a welcome gift and any company branded merchandise you may have. I wouldn’t worry about business cards for now.
Go digital
Technology will be your best friend. There are so many great tools and services available to us – many right under your nose, but you may not have ever used them.
- Get yourself set up on DocuSign. You can use it to start by getting their employment contract promptly signed and returned.
- Ensure all necessary documentation that your hire will need to access in their role is available online/ via a VPN.
- Save/ scan a copy of your on-boarding documents/ welcome handbook as a PDF. This will become your new hires ‘go to’ when they don’t know who to go to. Make sure the contents are up to date (particularly contact names, numbers and emails, and any links to external content).
- Fill your new employees diary with meetings with their new colleagues and key stakeholders, and ensure any meeting they are required to be at or important dates are in there as well. Include support staff that are regularly required like IT Support, HR, and payroll/ finance. Replace traditional face to face meetings with video conferences. There are so many great services from Face-time, Skype, Zoom to the Microsoft Teams – which comes with the business edition of Office365. Start by doing a video call with all the team, where you can make introductions, and start to integrate them into the business.
- Systems training is critical to getting you new hire productive and integrated. Many software providers now have tutorials you can sign up to. But for something more workplace specific, consider recording your own tutorials or using a product like Microsoft Teams, where you can share your screen at the same time as you speak.
Have a plan
Onboarding is more than just getting your new hire setup and welcomed on their first day. You’re are not going to be able to be with them or watch over them every minute of the day, so this is where setting a plan for the individual to work through in their Day, Week, Month, and key probation milestones. Talk them through this and give them the opportunity to clarify anything. Preparation is key.
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I’m a huge advocate for the mentor system. Appoint someone in your existing team that your new hire can lean on for anything that they don’t feel comfortable coming to you for.
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Go the extra step
These are unprecedented times, and because of this, we need to be looking after our people more than ever. You should think about:
- Introducing your hire to some of your great company perks (which often get taken for granted, but in this climate can be game changers). Employee Assistance Programs can offer independent support and unbiased ears in trying times. Some employers also have financial assistance and well being programs.
- Create ‘social times’ and opportunities for your employee to get know the team in a less formal way. We’re trialing adding a quick trivia quiz to the start of our morning video calls.
- Make more effort to use the phone or a video conference instead of email and text messaging. Besides being more personable and human, they are often a more efficient way of getting to an outcome.
- A team of company (depending on size) WhatsApp group can be a fun way to build rapport on a separate platform
Starting a new job with a new company is an anxious time for most, and we need to acknowledge in the current climate this is heightened. But with the right preparation, utilising the right tools and good communication, having a new hire start with your organisation remotely can not only be a viable option, it can also be very successful for both parties.
Luke Borg has been part of the Australian Property & Construction landscape for over 13 years. Having worked for and led businesses that have supported the career growth of many key industry players, Luke is always more than happy to provide you with career and hiring advice. Having worked through a number of challenging situations throughout his personal and professional life, he always makes himself available to provide an understanding ear.
The post Onboarding New Employees Remotely first appeared on Capstone.
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