COVID-19 has opened employers’ eyes to the benefits of offering remote and hybrid work opportunities. It may be challenging for some employers to imagine not conducting their new hires’ onboarding and training in person, luckily there are various ways to ensure a smooth transition and foster a warm welcome virtually.

Our HR team at RLB is here to provide you with the important steps you will want to follow during remote onboarding.

Ensure your new hire has all their resources

Ensure all necessary equipment is provided in advance so the employee has everything they need for their start date. The majority of employees will have an office set up on their first day, so if feasible consider a budget for remote workers and offer an equipment benefit to help the employee create a productive and ergonomic remote work set up.

Start the welcome party early and keep it going!

Emailing the employee a few times before their first day to let them know how excited you are to have them join the team and sharing an onboarding/training plan can kick start employee retention before their first day. Keep the welcome party going by scheduling a virtual lunch or breakfast including a few ice breakers with the employee’s team. A few ideas to create a great first impression are reimbursing their choice of meal and sending a welcome care package.

Select a virtual training buddy

Choose someone from the employee’s team to act as their virtual training buddy. Set up a video call during the employees’ first day with their training buddy. This chosen person can help answer any questions the employee may have about the systems, procedures, and general inquiries and provide guidance and insight to the company.

IT Orientation

Depending on what you plan to cover with your new employee on the first day, you should include an IT orientation at the top of the list. This can either kick start their first day or you can send out a training invite the week prior at a time that works for both parties.

Employee Orientation

What is so great about screen sharing and virtual presentations is that employers can still complete the first day orientation and cover all necessary policies and procedures. Utilize your Human Resources Information System to share these policies and procedures, require document signatures and follow virtual onboarding checklists.

Follow up

Send out a follow-up meeting with your new employee at the end of the first week, and once or twice throughout the first few months to gather feedback on how their remote work experience is going. Continued feedback and follow-up sessions are key in building workplace relationships and fostering an open-door policy, even if the door is now a video call button.

By solidifying an effective approach to remote onboarding, you are not only affirming the reason why your new hire wanted to join your team but already making them feel a part of it. Keep in mind all of these techniques can be implemented in person as well!

In addition, join our HR Consulting team on May 18^th, 2022 for a 1/2-Day Delivering Constructive Criticism workshop that is information-packed with real-world, practical examples, and hands-on techniques to help you be prepared for all situations.

Our HR Consulting team offers support in Policy Developments, Legal Compliance, Training Sessions, Recruitment, Performance Management and so much more. To find out more about the wide variety of services the HR Consulting team can provide you with, contact the team at hr@rlb.ca.