Onboarding a New Employee Remotely

So you’ve made the perfect hire. You’re excited, they’re excited and everything was going smoothly until self-isolation came into play. There’s no need to worry, in an increasingly virtual world, there are a wealth of tools that can make your new hire feel like part of the team even if they’re starting from home. Here’s a useful checklist for onboarding remotely, sometimes we take for granted the obvious things!

HR Paperwork

Completing mandatory paperwork for a new employee can be frustrating and time-consuming at the best of times. Doing this remotely can present its own set of challenges. Never fear, with organisation and foresight, this can be a piece of cake.

-      Make sure the new hire has the necessary documents, with time to complete them, ahead of their first day.

-      Give them a timeline to have everything completed so they aren’t left out in the cold.

-      There’s a right and wrong way to complete this. Send them interactive forms that they can complete online, this will ensure they have the tools to complete. I don’t have a printer at home, do you?

-      Use Adobe Sign for ease of use and, more importantly, security. The encryption service will ensure that all personal details remain safe.

Equipment Check

Again, planning is key for this stage of your onboarding. Ensure that you’ve ordered or confirm that the employee has the proper equipment to allow them to work remotely.

-      Mouse, keyboard, laptop/desktop

-      Manuals for using the company software

-      Easy access to your IT department for troubleshooting

Orientation

You’ve held face-to-face orientations before. Introductions, passwords, programmes, etc. Much of a remote onboarding covers similar important points but in a different format.

-      Covering the Employee Handbook, Office Hours and Email policy are still very important. Use Microsoft Teams to share documents and review them with the new hire.

-      Make sure they understand which programmes will be used and how to access them.

-      Although they will be working remotely, make sure your employee knows the company’s dress code for video meetings.

Communication

This is the big one. You’ll want your new hire to feel comfortable and in touch with your team at all times. Starting a new position can be stressful under normal conditions. Make sure they have all the tools they need to hit the ground running.

-      Company Email

-      Group messaging tool – Microsoft tools can schedule meetings, create individual and group chats and send documents. It can make you feel that your team is just a desk away.

-      Video conference software – Zoom, Webex, Bluejeans – there are many different options that you’ll be able to find the perfect application for your needs.

-      Webphone application – Cloudcall can help your office stay connected for all incoming calls. Completely digital, transferring calls is easy, wherever your staff may be.

-      Shared calendars

-      Most importantly - remember to regularly talk to your new starter (or any other colleague). Whether by phone or video text is a poor substitute to effective communication especially with a new starter who is leaing peoples personalities.

Take the lead on introductions

You’ve chose this employee because they’re confident, outgoing and capable however, when starting remotely, these qualities may ebb slightly. There are things you can do to smooth their transition with their new teammates.

-      Set up a group video call with the new hire and members of the team. Introduce them as you would in a face-to-face scenario.

-      Encourage experienced members of your team to make individual contact with your new hire. You’ll want to make sure they feel comfortable reaching out to anyone over your communication software as if they were sitting at the next desk over.

There are plenty of programmes to help you get your new hire up and running remotely. Remember, they have been looking forward to their new position and sacrificed their time, energy and previous position in order to start with you. Give them all the tools they need to succeed and thrive and they’ll be a valued employee for years to come.

If you need any guidance on how to start a new employee remotely, please contact me. Here at DMJ, we are happy to help everyone through this difficult time. Self-isolation will be trying on all of us. Even if you’re not a current client or employee, we are happy to offer our guidance. Shared knowledge and experiences well help us all find some stability during this unprecedented scenario.