Remote working | Onboarding in a hybrid workplace

Onboarding in a hybrid workplace requires adapting traditional processes to ensure new hires feel integrated and supported, regardless of their location.

Onboarding is a critical process that can set the tone for an employee’s entire time working at your organisation. However, with the hybrid work model now firmly established across the workplace, onboarding can be an even greater challenge for HR teams. Let’s consider some of the ways in which HR can effectively onboard employees when operating with remote and hybrid work models.

The HR team should aim to create a customised onboarding plan that includes a mix of virtual and in-person elements. A successful hybrid onboarding plan should include virtual orientation, virtual training, virtual team building, and in-person socialisation. HR teams must ensure that every employee receives the same level of training and support, regardless of whether they are working remotely or in-person.

Virtual onboarding is a critical component of a hybridised onboarding plan, and the HR team can leverage technology to deliver orientation and training, provide virtual tours of the office, and facilitate virtual team building activities. HR can also utilise video conferencing tools to conduct virtual orientation and training sessions and may consider the use of virtual reality to provide immersive office tours. Online collaboration tools, such as Microsoft Teams, can be used to facilitate virtual team building. Whether Teams (or similar) calls are organised for the purpose of everyday operations or as a simple virtual coffee chat, scheduling regular check-ins is vital to employee well-being. Getting together over Teams will also enable managers to assess integration and address any challenges. Every opportunity should be taken for remote employees to feel connected and engaged.