Training and Onboarding of new employees plays an important role in a new hire’s success and happiness. In our unique times today, onboarding in a remote culture can be even more daunting for new employees. This is an opportunity for the new employee to get excited about the future ahead and take in all the valuable information that will help them to be successful with your company. According to CareerBuilder, 93% of employers were unanimous in stating that a good virtual/remote onboarding experience is crucial in affecting the decision of a new employee whether he/she will stay with the company (CareerBuilder and SilkRoad, 2020).

Are you onboarding new hires remotely? Here are 5 keys factors in onboarding remotely to ensure your new employees’ success:

1. Build Valuable Connection and Boost Employee Morale from Afar

For your new employees, not only are you meeting new people (virtually), but you are learning a whole new set of skills and traits. Bringing valuable connection and boosting employee morale can make the process much more enjoyable. Hold 1:1 meetings with your new employees, share news about your personal lives, weekends, and updates as if you were in an office environment to share. Send welcoming notes, cards, letters, or emails to make new employees feel part of the team from the get-go. Schedule virtual coffee dates or strategy sessions centered around your new employees’ tasks, goals and plans for their new role. Send them company swag to sport their new company’s gear and give new employees tasks or assignments to increase their engagement of your training message.

2. Introduce New Employees to Different Communication and Productivity Outlets

Give your new employees an outlet to be connected in different ways. Allow these outlets to be both personal and professional such as different software and applications (for example – Microsoft Teams, Structural, team-focused group chats, and email threads). Create an online program/area or avenue to freely ask questions.

3. Provide Employees with Information and Resources

In their first interactions with their new company, provide a virtual onboarding packet. Create an itinerary or calendar for the first couple of weeks or month so the employee knows what to expect and prepare for. Create a list of tasks or goals for the first couple weeks and begin assigning tasks that allow your new employee to learn and use new technology, systems, and processes. Provide crystal clear information to give your employees a sense of what your company wants in their role. Bring your new employee into problem solving situations, ask for their view or opinion and acclimate them to the team. Provide a list of company resources such as contact information or emails for directors, managers, co-workers, leadership, and mentors.

4. Inspire

At this point in the virtual onboarding process, your new employees are almost ready to stretch their wings and fly. Before doing so, provide one last nugget of useful knowledge and INSPIRE THEM. Within your company, have company leaders or top performers share their stories and share experiences of your company. Provide information on the potential growth for their specific position and the company growth itself by providing VISION for the future. Provide culture videos, resources, web platforms or other documentation that details your company’s mission, vision, core values and more. According to SHRM, “The #1 thing to remember is you’re building a foundation for the new hires to have strong relationships in the workplace and helping them to have a voice, which is even more important when working remote.”

5. Immerse Them into Your Culture

This is the time that your new employees are ready to put all the training and onboarding into action. They are ready to use your mission, core values and goals as their guiding force moving forward. These new employees are ready to aid in achieving your company goals. At this time, there is a need for clarity and consistency as your new employee is ready to take on more responsibility and put their new knowledge into action.

As you continue to grow your company and bring on more new employees, employee feedback is a crucial part to your continued growth.  Continue to think about and consider how your employees feel valued and heard even after their initial virtual onboarding. The company’s continued support of the new employee will make all the difference in their success, happiness, and desire to blaze new trails within your company’s remote workforce in the future.

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