A great onboarding experience is crucial. It can improve employee retention by 82%, and help new hires feel more committed and connected.
But the game has changed. Remote and hybrid working are more commonplace. And this new way of working brings with it a number of new challenges, including how to onboard employees effectively remotely and get them engaged from day one.
Why Most Remote Onboarding Processes Don’t Work Well
Lack Of Pre-Boarding
In the interim between offer and start date many organisations don’t do anything more than send over a contract and a few forms to fill in. Which isn’t anyone’s idea of fun.
Pre-boarding is a great time to introduce new employees to their teammates, provide them with information for their first day, and share materials such as your employee handbook, benefit guides, and policies.
Poor Organisation
Remote onboarding relies on technology. While you can’t anticipate every problem, it is possible to make the process as efficient as possible.
A big part of this is making sure new starters are given account log-in details straight away. They should also know how and where to access everything they’re going to rely on, as well as a clear schedule for their first week.
A great way to do this is to put all of this content in one place. That way, they’ll have access to everything they need and you can focus on building a relationship with them, rather than spending hours setting up new accounts while they twiddle their thumbs!
No Support
In a physical office, new employees can easily ask questions and get quick answers from the people around them.
Communicating remotely, however, is a lot harder. They have no idea who they can approach for help, and probably feel a bit awkward about calling someone new, ending in them feeling a bit lost and a lot isolated.
One of the best ways to prevent this is to give new employees a buddy they can contact at any time, as well as scheduling regular one to one meetings with them to address any niggles.
Onboarding Your Remote Employees
If you want to get the most out of your remote workers, it’s time to put your best foot forward. A successful onboarding strategy isn’t just about boxing off paperwork. It’s about welcoming your new starters into the team and equipping them with everything they need from day one.
HulerHub is a digital workplace platform that can be utilised at every touchpoint in the employee journey. For pre-boarding, it can provide new hires with a personalised dashboard of information, resources and tools they can draw upon before day one to keep them engaged and informed. It can also be used to measure engagement, flag up important relevant internal comms, and provide employees with a one-stop-shop for all the tools and information they need.
