Is Remote Onboarding Feasible in 2023?
There were huge strides toward remote working during the pandemic, and many of these trends have continued into the post-pandemic period. One of the things that recruiters and employers have been looking at is how best to integrate remote onboarding into the company processes.
Onboarding is an integral part of the recruitment process to make the new employee as welcome as possible in the company and ensure that they understand their duties in their new role.
Many companies are looking at the possibility of fully automating their onboarding process, but there are those who consider that a step too far at this time. It can look less than welcoming and may lead to lower employee retention rates than when using more established onboarding processes.
At the same time, a person who has been contracted to work fully remotely may wonder why they are being pulled in to the company premises to complete an onboarding process they could have done just as easily from home.
Several steps can be taken to make the onboarding process much easier for all concerned, and we have looked at them in more detail below.
Ways to Make Remote Onboarding More Welcoming
The human element is essential, and remote onboarding should never make the new employee feel isolated or that they aren’t part of a wider team. There are several ways to humanise the system to help with any difficulties experienced with this.
It can be hard to grasp the company culture when working fully remotely, and it is something that it is essential to try to convey, whether this is through group calls or the odd in-person chat, so there are some better ways to take this forward.
Arrange a Buddy System
This is a way of ensuring that the new employee has someone to whom they can direct any questions and bond with at the company so that they don’t feel isolated and distanced from what is happening. The person they are buddied up with should be a good team player who enjoys social interactions, as they will be the remote employee's main point of contact at the company.
The buddy system is sometimes seen as a mentor/mentee system for bringing people into the company and helping them to succeed in their new roles. Depending on how well the buddy system goes, they can even arrange to meet for a coffee once per month to catch up and ensure that any problems they are having can be addressed. One of the most significant challenges people have when working from home is maintaining their productivity and self-motivation, so having someone they can meet up with should help them considerably.
Send a Comprehensive Welcome Pack
One of the easiest ways to ensure that a new employee feels welcomed is to ensure that they receive a comprehensive welcome pack with all of the information to allow them to get started. A good touch is to include some nice welcome-to-the-company gifts as well, like chocolates or savoury edible snacks. It says that someone cares, even if not everything is in-person anymore.
The welcome back should include all of their IT information including their login for the system so they can begin right away. It should also give them the information for contacting IT in case of problems or any other useful people within the company that they may need to contact, such as payroll etc.
Arrange a Team Lunch or Social
Even if someone is going to be working entirely remotely, never underestimate the benefit of having met people face to face. Arranging a team lunch or social event to introduce the new team member to their colleagues can help to ensure that teamwork happens and that they can access help from their colleagues where needed.
It can be hard to get a feel for the types of personalities on a team if you never meet them face to face, and the chance to have lunch or coffee to meet the rest of the team shouldn’t be discounted as an ice-breaker. Meeting the rest of the team can help to ensure that there are positive working relationships across the entire work estate, whether that is office or remotely-based.
Remote onboarding can take you so far, but there definitely should be some element of meeting and socialising with the rest of the team if you want to foster the best possible working environment for all concerned.
Plan for Regular Check-Ins
Being able to check in regularly with remote employees can ensure that they are doing well and also provides some oversight of what they are doing. One of the significant concerns from employers seems to be that remote workers often don’t have the same scrutiny applied to what they are doing as those in an office.
Multiple studies have shown that remote employees are, on average, more productive, but this seems to be taking some time to permeate into mainstream thought when it comes to the management level. Check-ins don’t have to be in-person they can be remote, over a video call if necessary and don’t suffer any for that.
Consider Hybrid Onboarding vs Fully Remote
Even if the employee is going to have a fully remote role at the company, it can be helpful to split the onboarding tasks so that some are done at the office, and some are done remotely. It gives you a chance to get to know the new employee better over the onboarding process and gives them a chance to ask any questions they may have in person and get the answers they need.
This can be an excellent halfway house when it comes to onboarding, as no matter how hard you try, it can be challenging to make an online-only onboarding process feel like it is welcoming and inclusive enough for most people. Offering the chance to come in and do some on-site meeting and greeting and any training will make for a much better experience.
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