A guide to successfully onboarding remote workers
Remote or digital onboarding follows the same process as face-to-face or office-based onboarding, except new starters will be learning about the business, connecting with new colleagues and performing their role remotely. Learn more about how to successfully onboard and engage new starters while working remotely.
Onboarding is all about arming a new starter with the information they need to do their job and feel part of the company culture. A successful onboarding process allows a new hire to understand how the business functions, access the right tools and resources, and build relationships with their new colleagues. Remote or digital onboarding means calls, video conferences and email become core communication channels, to help integrate a new hire into the company, without face-to-face meetings.
Making sure remote workers feel as welcomed and integrated into your business as those who are office-based is essential to maintain a sense of community and company culture – as well as empowering new starters to hit the ground running in their new role.
Top tips on remote onboarding
Watch the top tips video from Totaljobs’ Lauren Bushell, who onboarded a new starter at the very beginning of lockdown. Or, read through our step-by-step guide below.
Support new starters in setting up remotely
Onboarding doesn’t start when a new hire officially joins the business on their first day. You can help your new team member to feel prepared by couriering work items to their home and sharing any relevant business information ahead of time.
Before a new starter’s first day
Send required equipment
For new starters working from home, get their laptop and any other tools sent to their house, along with clear set up instructions, ahead of their first day on the job. This means there’s time to resolve any technical problems that might come with a home set up.
Share a welcome pack
Working remotely could mean that a new starter might not get a sense of the company culture in the same way they would in an office environment. Consider sharing a personalised welcome pack with them, with useful items like branded notebooks, pens and other items that can help make them feel part of the team.
Encourage team building
Book in time for introductory meetings for your new starter’s first few days at work, so they have something in their diaries and can build a better picture of their future team members. It doesn’t have to be all about work – building rapport can be more difficult when working remotely, so consciously putting aside time for informal chats is also key. With this, hiring managers can highlight to other team members the importance of reaching out to the new starter once they’re at work, via email, instant messaging, or other digital channels, to make sure they feel welcomed and involved, even when working remotely.
Assign a buddy or mentor
Consider asking a member of your team, or a colleague in another department, to act as the new starter’s buddy or mentor. This person can be the go-to for a quick question about how something works or can be there for a virtual coffee break and catch up. For new starters, having someone to confide in who isn’t their manager can help them feel at ease and free to ask any questions – even if they might shy away from this in a team setting. Be sure to book in time in diaries, so when your new starter does begin work, they can be introduced to their buddy early on.
Onboarding a remote worker on their first day
With technical set ups sorted, a new starter’s first day can be all about getting to know colleagues and learning more about the business and their new role through set tasks.
Adapt the below to help structure your new starter’s first day.
New starter first day schedule
09:30-10:30 – Welcome call with manager
10:30-11:00 – Team call
11:00-12:00 – Task set by manager
12:00-13:00 – Lunch
13:00-15:00 – 20 minutes calls with each team member
15:00-16:00 – Task set by manager
16:30-17:00 – Debrief call with manager
Virtual team bonding
Being unable to turn to a colleague at the desk beside them to ask a question can mean there’s more potential for new remote workers to feel isolated. For this reason, when approaching digital onboarding, extra steps should be taken to communicate regularly with a new hire – particularly during the first days and weeks on the job.
Video onboarding
Welcome call
You wouldn’t want to keep a new starter waiting in reception on their first day in the office, and the same goes when going virtual. Schedule a welcome call on their first day at their start time and take the opportunity to get to know your new starter. No need to go straight into work chat – this conversation is the start of building a trusting working relationship and learning more about them as a person.
You can also book in an end-of-week chat with them, to get a sense of how they found it, any questions they have now they know a little more about the business, and any feedback they might have on the tasks and meetings they took part in.
Virtual check ins
Supporting your new starter in the first days of their employment doesn’t mean your business-as-usual goes away, unfortunately. Even with effort to make yourself available for questions or discussions, your diary might be packed full of other meetings, and your new starter might want to avoid bombarding you with queries. To make sure you’re still getting (virtual) face time so they can raise anything with you, book in a daily or twice daily catch up over video call to see how they’re getting on.
Digital coffee breaks
As well as inviting your new starter to your team meetings, make sure there’s time for everyone to have regular chats together. Organise one-on-one catch ups with team members, as well as group catch ups, to boost team morale and integrate your new starter into the team. When you can’t pop to the office kitchen for a tea or coffee break, make it virtual.