How Do You Adapt Onboarding for Remote Hires?

How Do You Adapt Onboarding for Remote Hires?

In the era of remote work, human resource professionals have had to reimagine their onboarding processes to effectively integrate new hires from afar. Featuring insights from a Director of Training and Development and a CHRO, among others, our panel of five experts shares their experiences, from intentional engagement and structured schedules to the implementation of a virtual portal for interactive onboarding.

• Intentional Engagement and Structured Schedules
• Digital Onboarding with Virtual Interactions
• Data-Driven Personalized Remote Onboarding
• Outline Expectations and Connect to Culture
• Virtual Portal and Interactive Remote Onboarding

Intentional Engagement and Structured Schedules

The biggest factor in onboarding a remote employee is to be intentional. Often, an employer will apply the same process they have used for an on-site employee, and it doesn't necessarily translate. As with every hire, remote or not, it's key to continue engaging the candidate between the time they accept the offer and the day they start. Send a package of company swag. Send regular emails checking in. Start to introduce the team, etc. Build on the new hire's excitement to start the new role.

On the start date, have a structured schedule that you have sent ahead of time. Have virtual meetings with the team and others that the new hire will be interacting with. Plan a team virtual lunch and have lunch delivered to the new hire. I've established a virtual meeting link that I keep open throughout the day for the first week. This can be with the manager or an assigned buddy. It's like they are sitting next to you, and can chat and ask questions as they come up. The manager and HR should check in throughout the day. Where you might stop by their desk, you're checking in virtually. The key is to help that person feel welcome and included.

Digital Onboarding with Virtual Interactions

As an HR professional, I've adapted our onboarding process for remote hires by implementing digital paperwork, virtual orientations, and online training modules. I've also focused on creating virtual meet-and-greets and shipping necessary equipment directly to new hires. In our company, successful remote onboarding now includes a mix of self-paced learning, virtual training sessions, and regular check-ins with managers and mentors.

Data-Driven Personalized Remote Onboarding

At Deepler, we address the challenge of remote onboarding by adopting a data-driven approach that ensures each new hire receives a personalized and effective introduction to our organization. We begin by meticulously measuring the specific needs of each remote employee through pre-onboarding surveys and assessments. This data helps us tailor the onboarding journey to address individual requirements and preferences, compensating for the lack of face-to-face interaction typically present in traditional onboarding processes.

For example, we recently onboarded a remote hire for a key technical role. By having questions in our survey about this topic, we identified gaps in their familiarity with certain tools and processes. We then customized their onboarding program to include targeted training modules and interactive sessions focused on these areas. Throughout the process, we monitored engagement and progress through feedback loops and performance metrics, adjusting the program as needed. This data-driven approach ensured that the new hire was not only well-prepared but also felt supported and integrated into the team, despite the remote nature of their onboarding experience.

Outline Expectations and Connect to Culture

We always let our new team member know what the preboarding process looks like, what they should expect, and what we are working on to prepare for them. Secondly, we create a New-Hire Agenda that outlines what's in store for the first 4-6 weeks. We have New Employee Orientation on the first day, and their manager, HR, and Training meet with the team member. Most importantly, we instantly connect them to the company vision and culture by scheduling virtual Bridge-Building meetings so they can casually connect with leaders and managers across the company, from all departments.

Virtual Portal and Interactive Remote Onboarding

As an HR consultant, I've seen firsthand how adapting the onboarding process for remote hires can make a world of difference. For instance, with a client, we launched a virtual onboarding portal with interactive modules and videos, which new hires absolutely loved. We also set up virtual meet-and-greets with team members and leadership to help new hires feel connected right from the start. Pairing new hires with a buddy for extra support and organizing fun virtual team-building activities like online coffee/buddy chats were big hits, too. This approach led to a 95% satisfaction rate in our onboarding feedback surveys, showing that even remote onboarding can be engaging and effective! The most important factor when onboarding remotely is to make sure that all the department heads and stakeholders are on board and on the same page. Additionally, preparation is key: send calendar invites early to the new hire and other department heads, provide resources (such as a 30/60/90-day training plan), and consistently check in so the new hire doesn't feel isolated!