3 Companies Acing the Remote Onboarding Process And What You Can Learn

Organizations worldwide had to reimagine their hiring processes almost overnight in 2020. As a result, the role of human resource professionals has become increasingly challenging. From optimizing hiring processes to cultivating new remote-friendly company culture, the transformation was unprecedented.

However, as the grip of the health crisis loosens, companies are increasingly acknowledging the value of remote work. Virtual workers are the focus of new policies, strategies, and even processes, even as remote offices move to hybrid workplaces and virtual workers become more important.

But looking forward, human resource teams still have their work cut out for them. There is much to calibrate, and it must be done quickly. And it all starts with a sound onboarding process. In this article, we talk about how recruiters can fine tune their remote onboarding process and leverage the advantages of the new hybrid working culture.


Definitive Remote Employee Onboarding Checklist

According to a Global Workplace Analytics study, businesses lose approximately $600 billion to workplace distractions. It also states that remote workers report being 35-40% more productive than those who work in an office. Understanding what your remote workers need to do their job well is the key to achieving your productivity goals. Here’s the new hire onboarding checklist to help you do just that.


Virtual Paper Work

Paperwork is the bane of HR professionals everywhere. But it doesn’t have to be tedious. Make your HR process agile by using automation technology like e-signature, which lets new employees sign, edit, and view forms. It automatically fills in candidate information across different documents to make the process faster and more efficient.


Logistics

While many organizations could smoothly transition to remote work, some need more planning. For example, if your employees require specific equipment and systems to do their work, you need to streamline the process of delivering equipment and integrating new hires into the new systems

Welcome Kit

Engaging employees is a top priority for human resource professionals today. With remote work, it becomes even more imperative. Include a welcome kit as a part of your new hire’s onboarding checklist. It can provide a sense of direction for new remote workers. Additionally, you can include a company handbook with company information like benefits, points of contact, and maybe a voucher for free lunch.


Buddy System

Fitting into an existing social office system can be daunting for a new hire. A buddy system can mitigate new workplace anxiety to a great extent. Assign a go-to person when onboarding new employees. They will guide the new hire to settle in, ensuring that the new remote worker doesn’t feel disconnected from the rest of the organization.


Orientation

Orientations should continue to be a to-do on every virtual onboarding checklist. Conduct a virtual orientation when onboarding new employees to address the company overview, history, the roles and responsibilities of the new hire, and HR procedures and policies.


Company Culture

Briefing your HR team about onboarding best practices should cover company culture as an essential topic. You want to make new hires feel welcome and align with your company’s culture as quickly as possible.


Feedback

Check with your new hires about their progress and seek feedback about their remote onboarding process. Conducting a survey is a great way to identify pain points. You can then tweak your employee onboarding process accordingly.

“It may sound simple, but we need to listen to our employees in order to be a force for change.”

- Brandy (Rosner) Zimmerman, Vice President of People Operations at TaskUs

 


How Three Industry Leaders Are Using Onboarding Best Practices


HubSpot

HubSpot, a leading marketing software provider, pivoted to a remote onboarding process by developing remote work guides. The company also tracked the live participation of new hires on its internal education system, Learn@HubSpot, to map out learning and immerse new hires in the process quickly.


Vistaprint

As part of their onboarding best practices digital printing giant Vistaprint makes extensive use of live orientation and a new hire social. Also, the company plans to implement a 100-day training program that will provide a remote-first learning experience for new hires.


Salesforce

The tech giant is leading the virtual employee onboarding process, having recruited 10,000 people. Salesforce integrated networking opportunities for new hires to get acquainted with current employees. The organization also has a dedicated business technology team to handle the logistics of setting up remote workers with the necessary systems.


Conclusion: Automating the Employee Onboarding Checklist

The process of onboarding new employees is a time-consuming and expensive task for any company, especially those with a remote workforce. According to Digitate, new hires are twice as likely to look for other opportunities if they had a bad onboarding experience. It is an essential step towards hiring and retaining talent and reducing overall hiring tasks.

Not every component of the virtual onboarding checklist has to be manual. With automation and artificial intelligence, you can streamline the employee onboarding process.


Frequently Asked Questions


What are the most important factors to consider when onboarding new employees remotely?

The most important factors to consider when onboarding new employees remotely are:
  • How well the company knows the new hire before the employee arrives
  • How well the company can assess and train remote employees
  • The company’s culture and how it is expressed in different locations


What is the best way to start a remote employee's first day?

A remote employee's first day is just like a regular employee's first day. First, they should be introduced to the company and the team they will be working with.


What documents should be sent to a remote employee before they start work?

Some of the documents to send as part of your remote employee onboarding checklist include:
  • Employee handbook and contract of employment
  • Processes, procedures, and policies
  • Guidelines on how to use the company's equipment or software
  • Company's intranet site
  • Company's social media profiles
  • Policies on email usage in the workplace

Spotlight

HCS Healthcare

Since 2007, HCS Healthcare has remained focused on a client-centered delivery model pairing standards in healthcare with the very best healthcare professionals that the active and passive marketplace has to offer. Focusing on candidates that are not just in the market but also on the market allows us the flexibility to extend multi-faceted solutions while remaining specialized experts in the healthcare staffing industry.

OTHER ARTICLES
Recruitment & Retention

Listen and act: how to get employee experience management right

Article | February 17, 2022

As the science behind employee engagement evolves, it’s become clear just how much businesses can gain from a happy and involved workforce. From improved performance, to reduced attrition, increased revenue and even a better customer experience, employee engagement is at the heart of business growth. Given these benefits, it’s no surprise that the role of HR departments is moving beyond just managing people and towards managing experiences.

Read More
Recruitment & Retention

5 Things HR Can Do To Improve Employee Output

Article | March 4, 2022

Employees are companies most valuable asset – Without the talent, knowledge and expertise those employed bring to an organisation, it’s safe to say that the business world would be a very different landscape. Human Resources is often held responsible for owning the employee value strategy, where we’re now embracing tremendous improvements in how the value that employees bring, can be achieved. Here we’ll explore how data analysis, learning & development, employee engagement, 360 feedback and flexibility all offer a significant opportunity to improve employee output within every organisation in 2020.

Read More
Recruitment & Retention

6 Reasons To Invest In Employee Onboarding In Your Organization

Article | July 14, 2022

You never get a second chance to make a first impression. This holds particularly true when it comes to employee onboarding. It's a new hire's introduction to the organization and the experience has a significant impact on employee retention. Unfortunately, that's why it's rare to see many employees with years of tenure. Research by Future Workplace found that 91% of Millennials expect to stay in a job for less than 3 years. Companies lose 25% of all new employees within the first year, according to SHRM, but almost 70% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for 3 years if they experienced great onboarding.

Read More

Great training is key to creating a positive employee experience

Article | February 10, 2020

You’d love to have employees working for you who are the type that always want to learn new things and grow, right? Right. Engaged employees spend more of their time working to improve their performance through training and development. They are the type of workers every company wants, and they expect their employers to create a positive experience for them by matching their ambition with effective training. For firms and HR professionals trying to create a positive employee experience, it’s essential that your team of in-house trainers is ready to lead the way.

Read More

Spotlight

HCS Healthcare

Since 2007, HCS Healthcare has remained focused on a client-centered delivery model pairing standards in healthcare with the very best healthcare professionals that the active and passive marketplace has to offer. Focusing on candidates that are not just in the market but also on the market allows us the flexibility to extend multi-faceted solutions while remaining specialized experts in the healthcare staffing industry.

Related News

HR Strategy

Kelly Enters Agreement to Sell European Staffing Business to Gi Group Holdings S.P.A.

PR Newswire | November 03, 2023

Kelly a leading global specialty talent solutions provider, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its European staffing business to Gi Group Holdings S.P.A. ("Gi"), one of the largest staffing companies in Europe, for cash consideration of up to €130 million. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024, subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Under the terms of the agreement, Kelly will transfer its European staffing business within its International operating segment to Gi. Kelly provides staffing services to customers in 14 countries across Europe. The company will retain its managed service provider, recruitment process outsourcing, and functional service provider (FSP) business with customers in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. Following the close of the transaction, Kelly will maintain its global footprint and continue to provide MSP, RPO, and FSP solutions to customers in the EMEA region through KellyOCG, Kelly's outsourcing and consulting group. As a leading global vendor-neutral provider of talent supply chain strategies and workforce solutions, KellyOCG leverages a network of 3,000 suppliers spanning 140 countries – including Gi – to connect customers across North America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA with top talent to grow their businesses. In Everest Group's 2023 PEAK Matrix®, KellyOCG was recognized as a leader and major contender for its MSP and RPO solutions, respectively, with the latter earning KellyOCG star performer status. Everest Group also recognized KellyOCG as a leader and star performer in statement-of-work (SOW) management. said Peter Quigley, president and chief executive officer. The sale of Kelly's European staffing business demonstrates our commitment to taking bold, transformative action to optimize our portfolio and maximize value creation. This transaction unlocks significant capital to pursue organic and inorganic investments in our chosen specialties. Furthermore, it sharpens our focus on our higher margin, higher growth global MSP solutions, global RPO solutions, and specialty outcome-based and staffing services in North America. Together, we expect these outcomes will accelerate Kelly's progress toward achieving a normalized, adjusted EBITDA margin in the range of 3.3% to 3.5% as we shared in August and drive profitable growth over the long term. [Source:PR Newswire] The transaction is the latest in a series of strategic actions Kelly has executed to unlock capital in pursuit of its specialty strategy and further optimize its operating model, which includes monetizing non-core real estate holdings and businesses; unwinding Kelly's cross-shareholding arrangement with Persol and reducing the company's ownership interest in PersolKelly, its Asia-Pacific staffing joint venture; selling its operations in Brazil and Russia; and most recently, implementing strategic restructuring actions which enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Quigley and Olivier Thirot, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will provide additional details about this transaction as it relates to the company's specialty strategy during its upcoming third-quarter earnings conference call on November 9, 2023.

Read More

Workforce Management

UKG Labs Welcomes a Startups’ Cohort for People-Centric Workplaces

UKG | November 07, 2023

UKG Labs welcomes a second cohort of startups from four countries, all focused on enhancing business cultures. Startups Bites, Denim, Hop In Technologies, and Mo were selected for their innovative workforce technologies and commitment to workplace wellbeing. Despite offering a collaborative platform, UKG Labs poses potential risks, including over-reliance on UKG, intellectual property disputes, and a possible compromise of the startups' original visions. UKG, a leading HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions provider, has introduced its second cohort of early-stage companies to its global startup ecosystem, UKG Labs. The selected startups, from four different countries, are committed to creating high-performing, people-centric cultures in businesses. The new entrants include Bites from Israel, Denim from the U.S., Hop In Technologies from Canada, and Mo from the U.K. These companies were chosen for their innovative technologies that add value to the frontline workforce and their commitment to helping people thrive at work. UKG Labs provides more than just capital to these startups. It offers a platform for co-learning, co-creation, and co-experimentation, allowing startups to gain insights into specific market problems where UKG has expertise. The startups also work directly with UKG customers to explore new solutions and shape emerging HR and HCM technologies. Hugo Sarrazin, Chief Product and Technology Officer at UKG, stated that the goal of UKG Labs is to help businesses become great workplaces by building an ecosystem of technology companies that share its vision. The startup founders have completed a three-month onboarding engagement and will showcase their innovations at the UKG Aspire 2023 conference. While the UKG Labs initiative offers numerous benefits, it does come with potential drawbacks. The startups involved might become overly reliant on UKG for resources and expertise, which could potentially stifle its independence and creativity. There's also a risk of intellectual property disputes, and the startups' original visions might be compromised to align with UKG's goals. On the brighter side, UKG Labs provides a platform for startups to co-learn, co-create, and co-experiment, fostering innovation and helping businesses become better workplaces. It also allows startups to gain insights into specific market problems where UKG has expertise and work directly with UKG customers to explore new solutions and shape emerging HR and HCM technologies. This collaboration ultimately serves to enhance the workplace experience for all.

Read More

Workforce Management

Oyster Boosts Workforce Access with New Embedded and API Solutions

Oyster | November 07, 2023

Oyster acknowledges the fact that while global employment and distributed hiring offer immense potential, they also present complex challenges, including legal and compliance issues, tax considerations, local competition, and employee expectations. To mitigate these issues, the company has unveiled a comprehensive range of offerings, such as Oyster Embedded, Oyster API, and integrations with industry-leading platforms like Zapier, Personio, and Slack. With Oyster Embedded, industry partners can integrate global recruitment, payroll, incentives, and employment analytics into their software platforms, enhancing the user experience with customizable web flows and pre-filled data. Additionally, the Oyster API allows partners to incorporate a wide range of global employment features directly into their products. Oyster Co-Founder and CEO Tony Jamous remarked. Global employment distributes opportunities equally around the world. When everyone has access to the best jobs, anyone can realize their full potential—and Oyster is driven to overturn the status quo. [Source – Business Wire] The Oyster API streamlines integration, enabling partners and customers to connect Oyster with their preferred tools. It empowers partners to embed Oyster in their products and customers to customize it to meet their needs, facilitating efficient data transfers, centralized payroll, and automated processes. Furthermore, Oyster's Zapier integration, built upon the foundation of the Oyster API, provides customers with a connection to over 5,000 applications. This integration facilitates the efficient transfer of data, such as time off requests and new hire information, from Oyster to applications like MS Teams, Google Sheets, and Asana. As Oyster Embedded facilitates access to global talent on a broader scale and enhances productivity and efficiency through the Oyster API, introducing new integrations simplifies the process of global employment. With the help of this, people in leadership and HR roles can save time, enhance team productivity, reduce errors, expedite the hiring process, and shift their focus to more impactful tasks. Notably, the integration with Personio allows companies to synchronize records and time-off data. Besides, the Slack integration provides real-time notifications to managers and teams, facilitating swift actions throughout the employment lifecycle, be it monitoring the onboarding progress of a new hire, approving time off requests, receiving reminders regarding expenses and invoices, or tracking terminations, all within the Slack platform. These new integrations with Slack, Zapier, and Personio complement Oyster's existing array of integrations spanning HRIS, ATS, ERP, expense management, and security platforms. About Oyster Oyster is a renowned employment platform that empowers companies to recruit, compensate, and support their international workforce. This platform is a lifeline for growing businesses, enabling them to provide their global team members with a seamless and rewarding employment experience, all while sidestepping the typical challenges and expenses associated with international employment. Its comprehensive services facilitate people-centric hiring on a global scale, ensuring the establishment of dependable, compliant contracts, accurate payroll management, and exceptional local benefits and perks.

Read More

HR Strategy

Kelly Enters Agreement to Sell European Staffing Business to Gi Group Holdings S.P.A.

PR Newswire | November 03, 2023

Kelly a leading global specialty talent solutions provider, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its European staffing business to Gi Group Holdings S.P.A. ("Gi"), one of the largest staffing companies in Europe, for cash consideration of up to €130 million. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2024, subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions. Under the terms of the agreement, Kelly will transfer its European staffing business within its International operating segment to Gi. Kelly provides staffing services to customers in 14 countries across Europe. The company will retain its managed service provider, recruitment process outsourcing, and functional service provider (FSP) business with customers in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. Following the close of the transaction, Kelly will maintain its global footprint and continue to provide MSP, RPO, and FSP solutions to customers in the EMEA region through KellyOCG, Kelly's outsourcing and consulting group. As a leading global vendor-neutral provider of talent supply chain strategies and workforce solutions, KellyOCG leverages a network of 3,000 suppliers spanning 140 countries – including Gi – to connect customers across North America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA with top talent to grow their businesses. In Everest Group's 2023 PEAK Matrix®, KellyOCG was recognized as a leader and major contender for its MSP and RPO solutions, respectively, with the latter earning KellyOCG star performer status. Everest Group also recognized KellyOCG as a leader and star performer in statement-of-work (SOW) management. said Peter Quigley, president and chief executive officer. The sale of Kelly's European staffing business demonstrates our commitment to taking bold, transformative action to optimize our portfolio and maximize value creation. This transaction unlocks significant capital to pursue organic and inorganic investments in our chosen specialties. Furthermore, it sharpens our focus on our higher margin, higher growth global MSP solutions, global RPO solutions, and specialty outcome-based and staffing services in North America. Together, we expect these outcomes will accelerate Kelly's progress toward achieving a normalized, adjusted EBITDA margin in the range of 3.3% to 3.5% as we shared in August and drive profitable growth over the long term. [Source:PR Newswire] The transaction is the latest in a series of strategic actions Kelly has executed to unlock capital in pursuit of its specialty strategy and further optimize its operating model, which includes monetizing non-core real estate holdings and businesses; unwinding Kelly's cross-shareholding arrangement with Persol and reducing the company's ownership interest in PersolKelly, its Asia-Pacific staffing joint venture; selling its operations in Brazil and Russia; and most recently, implementing strategic restructuring actions which enhance organizational efficiency and effectiveness. Quigley and Olivier Thirot, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will provide additional details about this transaction as it relates to the company's specialty strategy during its upcoming third-quarter earnings conference call on November 9, 2023.

Read More

Workforce Management

UKG Labs Welcomes a Startups’ Cohort for People-Centric Workplaces

UKG | November 07, 2023

UKG Labs welcomes a second cohort of startups from four countries, all focused on enhancing business cultures. Startups Bites, Denim, Hop In Technologies, and Mo were selected for their innovative workforce technologies and commitment to workplace wellbeing. Despite offering a collaborative platform, UKG Labs poses potential risks, including over-reliance on UKG, intellectual property disputes, and a possible compromise of the startups' original visions. UKG, a leading HR, payroll, and workforce management solutions provider, has introduced its second cohort of early-stage companies to its global startup ecosystem, UKG Labs. The selected startups, from four different countries, are committed to creating high-performing, people-centric cultures in businesses. The new entrants include Bites from Israel, Denim from the U.S., Hop In Technologies from Canada, and Mo from the U.K. These companies were chosen for their innovative technologies that add value to the frontline workforce and their commitment to helping people thrive at work. UKG Labs provides more than just capital to these startups. It offers a platform for co-learning, co-creation, and co-experimentation, allowing startups to gain insights into specific market problems where UKG has expertise. The startups also work directly with UKG customers to explore new solutions and shape emerging HR and HCM technologies. Hugo Sarrazin, Chief Product and Technology Officer at UKG, stated that the goal of UKG Labs is to help businesses become great workplaces by building an ecosystem of technology companies that share its vision. The startup founders have completed a three-month onboarding engagement and will showcase their innovations at the UKG Aspire 2023 conference. While the UKG Labs initiative offers numerous benefits, it does come with potential drawbacks. The startups involved might become overly reliant on UKG for resources and expertise, which could potentially stifle its independence and creativity. There's also a risk of intellectual property disputes, and the startups' original visions might be compromised to align with UKG's goals. On the brighter side, UKG Labs provides a platform for startups to co-learn, co-create, and co-experiment, fostering innovation and helping businesses become better workplaces. It also allows startups to gain insights into specific market problems where UKG has expertise and work directly with UKG customers to explore new solutions and shape emerging HR and HCM technologies. This collaboration ultimately serves to enhance the workplace experience for all.

Read More

Workforce Management

Oyster Boosts Workforce Access with New Embedded and API Solutions

Oyster | November 07, 2023

Oyster acknowledges the fact that while global employment and distributed hiring offer immense potential, they also present complex challenges, including legal and compliance issues, tax considerations, local competition, and employee expectations. To mitigate these issues, the company has unveiled a comprehensive range of offerings, such as Oyster Embedded, Oyster API, and integrations with industry-leading platforms like Zapier, Personio, and Slack. With Oyster Embedded, industry partners can integrate global recruitment, payroll, incentives, and employment analytics into their software platforms, enhancing the user experience with customizable web flows and pre-filled data. Additionally, the Oyster API allows partners to incorporate a wide range of global employment features directly into their products. Oyster Co-Founder and CEO Tony Jamous remarked. Global employment distributes opportunities equally around the world. When everyone has access to the best jobs, anyone can realize their full potential—and Oyster is driven to overturn the status quo. [Source – Business Wire] The Oyster API streamlines integration, enabling partners and customers to connect Oyster with their preferred tools. It empowers partners to embed Oyster in their products and customers to customize it to meet their needs, facilitating efficient data transfers, centralized payroll, and automated processes. Furthermore, Oyster's Zapier integration, built upon the foundation of the Oyster API, provides customers with a connection to over 5,000 applications. This integration facilitates the efficient transfer of data, such as time off requests and new hire information, from Oyster to applications like MS Teams, Google Sheets, and Asana. As Oyster Embedded facilitates access to global talent on a broader scale and enhances productivity and efficiency through the Oyster API, introducing new integrations simplifies the process of global employment. With the help of this, people in leadership and HR roles can save time, enhance team productivity, reduce errors, expedite the hiring process, and shift their focus to more impactful tasks. Notably, the integration with Personio allows companies to synchronize records and time-off data. Besides, the Slack integration provides real-time notifications to managers and teams, facilitating swift actions throughout the employment lifecycle, be it monitoring the onboarding progress of a new hire, approving time off requests, receiving reminders regarding expenses and invoices, or tracking terminations, all within the Slack platform. These new integrations with Slack, Zapier, and Personio complement Oyster's existing array of integrations spanning HRIS, ATS, ERP, expense management, and security platforms. About Oyster Oyster is a renowned employment platform that empowers companies to recruit, compensate, and support their international workforce. This platform is a lifeline for growing businesses, enabling them to provide their global team members with a seamless and rewarding employment experience, all while sidestepping the typical challenges and expenses associated with international employment. Its comprehensive services facilitate people-centric hiring on a global scale, ensuring the establishment of dependable, compliant contracts, accurate payroll management, and exceptional local benefits and perks.

Read More

Events