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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

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