Onboarding remote workers: Tips for success
Aleksandra Sulimko, HR director for TheSoul Publishing, shares some of the lessons her company has learned over years of remote hiring.
As remote and hybrid work models move into the mainstream, companies are also embracing the opportunity to pursue talent regardless of geographic constraints. However, to make the most of this widened talent pool, companies will also have to rethink their onboarding process and company culture and find ways to ensure new employees feel welcome, regardless of where they are located.
Related: A guide to virtually onboarding new employees
TheSoul Publishing was one of many companies that had transitioned to a remote-first experience before the pandemic. Director of HR Aleksandra Sulimko recently shared with BenefitsPRO some insights and tips the company has developed over years of experience onboarding digital workers.
What are some of the challenges companies commonly face when it comes to onboarding?
There are a couple of key challenges that companies new to remote work face when it comes to virtual onboarding.
The first is pretty basic, and can be easily solved with the right digital tools in place – getting the paperwork signed. For most companies in early 2020, on someone’s first day, they’d sit in an office with a representative from the HR team to fill out tax and payroll documents, but that process has completely changed and can be completed easily with DocuSign or other similar programs. Providing access to internal documents, and also making sure that proper IT and security protocols in place are imperative when someone starts at a company. There are so many tools available now that can solve these potential concerns, so by tackling this early on, HR teams can focus on the bigger and, arguably, more significant shifts.
Integrating a new employee into the company culture remotely is, in my opinion, where most employers and HR teams get tripped up. As an HR leader or manager, you want a new employee to feel like they understand the team dynamics, get a sense of each person’s unique personality, and grasp the elements that make your company culture special and authentic.
Something we’ve done is enlist our creative team to design and execute onboarding videos that we can share with all new hires. We’ve gotten feedback from our employees that this is something they love and that helped them understand the corporate DNA of TheSoul Publishing. This video creation is a part of onboarding that feels more natural in a remote work world, and something that makes the experience better than an office tour, directions to the kitchen, and list of names and titles of every other person at the company, which can certainly overwhelm a new joiner. Creating videos allows a company to give new employees a look under the hood and understand what makes the organization special, and – as a result – remind them why they joined.
Your company has been remote for more than five years, which means you’ve onboarded a ton of new hires all virtually. What are some of the lessons you’ve learned in terms of what has worked well and what hasn’t?
There are a few lessons we’ve learned over the past few years that other HR professionals and business leaders should keep in mind:
- Establish communication processes early on. If your team primarily uses Slack, Teams or WhatsApp, make sure a new hire knows that preference. You might have tools that you only use for specific types of conversations, so make sure a new employee understands those nuances.
- Set up “meet and greets” with as many employees as you can, even if it’s not someone that the new hire will work with daily. There’s nothing worse than joining a meeting and having to ask someone who half the people are because you have never seen them before or heard their names. Eliminate this awkwardness by coordinating introductory calls so your new hire has other people they can connect with for questions, brainstorms, or even for a movie reference
Do you think there is value in creating branded video content for onboarding, or do you believe setting up one-on-ones is just as effective?
I believe there is immeasurable value in creating branded content for onboarding. At TheSoul Publishing, we’re content creators by nature, but that doesn’t mean that other companies can’t take a similar idea and put it into practice. Even if you have little or no budget, have someone from your marketing team pull together a quick video that can be used for new hires. Including interviews or videos with leadership and employees across teams and levels can give a new employee a good grasp of the corporate structure, everyone’s roles, their personalities, and how each team and employee is connected.
What happens if onboarding for employees goes awry? How can that impact retention?
Studies show that a negative onboarding process can severely impact retention, and this is something I believe is pretty intuitive. Although onboarding isn’t truly a first impression – every new hire has already gone through the interview process – it’s important to think of it that way.
You only have seven seconds to make a positive first impression, yet missteps or poor impressions take far longer to rectify. Put your best foot forward, and that can be done by providing a new employee with as many fun, engaging resources as you can – from customized onboarding content to a good onboarding partner and beyond.
How can companies create engaging onboarding experiences that match their company culture and industry?
Every company has to develop an onboarding experience that fits who they are as an organization – it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. That said, there are a few considerations all leaders can keep in mind to make sure their onboarding process is a success and fit with the culture:
- Create unique content. This is something I cannot stress enough, and a practice we have found works really well for us. Videos can be created remotely and don’t need to have a high production value. Asking people to record clips on their phones is an easy way to get this done, and makes it feel relatable.
- Set up a buddy system. Give someone a go-to resource they can ask questions of, and make sure to introduce them first-thing (or close to it) on their first day. Having someone to ask basic things like, “what is the password for this tool” or “how do I request PTO” can help pave the way for a natural relationship in the long-term.
- Don’t jam everything into one day. The first day on a job is always overwhelming, so don’t overload a new hire with all the nitty-gritty stuff in just nine hours. Spread it out how you can to ease them into everything. Include intros on day one, but maybe save PTO and expense processes for day three or four.
- Set up achievable goals. Create a probation period plan with concrete objectives and small projects. This small step usually helps managers to review performance and check motivation. You must provide an opportunity to apply skills and design an atmosphere where employees may collaborate with teammates and department stakeholders.
- Organize a team meeting just to introduce them. Do an ice breaker, set up a fun virtual event, and go through everyone’s role so they can get to know each person they will interact with on a regular basis.
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