Remote employees have many benefits. They can be less distracting, more productive, and have lower overhead. These benefits may not be realized if you don’t put your remote employees through a structured onboarding process that will make them feel included and engaged from Day 1.
Many companies simply give new employees logins, introduce them briefly to the team, then call it a day. This approach might work in a physical office but it is not recommended for virtual work arrangements. Remote employees cannot absorb company culture and knowledge through osmosis.
Remote workers can present challenges that you must acknowledge and address during the onboarding process. These are some of the challenges:
Isolation. People are generally more difficult to motivate and engage when they work alone.
Insufficient face-to-face interaction. Remote employees may work with people they have never met in real life and may not meet again soon. It’s easier to trust and rely upon people who are only contact names in the chatroom than it is with those you actually see every day.
No “water cooler effect”. Random chit-chat at the water cooler can have a huge positive impact on team morale. Your remote employee won’t have the chance to mention that their 4-year old just learned how to ride a bicycle without training wheels.
Cultural differences. Remote employees may feel more alienated if they encounter a different work style than the rest of their team.
Daxx has helped over 65 clients around the globe to build and maintain successful remote software development teams. We know these challenges.
You can create a well-thought out on-boarding process for remote hires that addresses the issues we have just mentioned and helps them feel like part of the team.
Here’s our top advice for how to do it:
1. Plan ahead.
ADP estimates that more than 50% of organizations don’t have a formal onboarding process or use a solution that doesn’t work in a digital environment. According to HR specialists, only 19% of the remaining half execute on-boarding very well.
You might have ever wondered what you should do with your new hire when they arrive on your first day. It’s time to put some structure into your on-boarding process. This is the key to ensuring that your new hire joins you on their first day.
A general on-boarding checklist should be created that covers all the steps every new hire will need to take. It should be tailored to the role, responsibilities and skills of the new hire at least two days before they start their first day.
Finally, be sure to introduce your new employee to other areas of the company as well as provide information about the company’s history and culture.
2. The interview can be used to determine if the candidate is a good match.
Extroverts may thrive in a physical workplace, but they may struggle to perform well in a virtual environment. An introvert, who may not be able to work in a corporate environment, may make a great addition for a remote team.
Ask your potential hires strategic interview questions to ensure they are self-starters and can work independently. Ask them if they are willing to travel hundreds of miles from their coworkers.
3. Use on-boarding software
There are many on-boarding tools available that can automate your process and make it digital-friendly. We recommend these:
Blissbook lets you create an interactive employee handbook that you can use to teach your new hires about the company culture and values.
