How to Optimize Employee Onboarding for Remote Teams

 

How to Optimize Employee Onboarding for Remote Teams

Get to know them early

The best thing you can do to get your new remote workers engaged right off the bat is to take some time to get to know them. After all, we’re all only human. And if  there is one thing most people love to do, it’s talk about themselves. This is particularly important for remote employees because you lose some of the casual office conversations when you’re not all together in one room. Focusing on team dynamics from the start and arranging early team introductions helps new hires become part of the team and feel connected to their new team members.

So, preparing some icebreakers where they can do just that might be the perfect way to ease those first-day jitters and allow everyone to loosen up before diving into the official training. These activities help build relationships and foster employee engagement among new team members. Try a few of these clever icebreakers to get the conversation flowing on your video call while your new employees enjoy their morning coffee or tea. You’ll find that employees will learn more efficiently and be more engaged in your company and the remote onboarding experience overall.

• Introduce yourself. Start everyone off with a few basic questions about themselves they can easily answer to reduce the pressure and prevent putting anyone who’s a little shy on the spot. Things like, name, age, and what they went to school for (or last job if they didn’t attend higher education) are easy-to-answer intro questions that get the ball rolling.
• Show and tell. Just like kids, adults love to show off their favorite things. Whether that be a pet or the items they collect is totally up to the individual.
• Five favorites. Ask for a list of five favorite things to help you all get to know each other better. You can tie this into a specific topic that you think everyone might have an answer for.
• Two truths and a lie. This classic icebreaker allows people to get creative while sharing more about themselves.
• Virtual events. Incorporate virtual events such as online team lunches, virtual coffee breaks, or remote games as part of your onboarding interactive activities to help new team members connect.

These activities support relationship building and help new team members feel a warm welcome from their new team and team members, making it easier for each new team member to become part of the team.

Clarify expectations and address common challenges in the remote onboarding process

After you’ve gotten to know everyone, it’s time to get into your company’s standard operating procedures (SOPs). This is where you should provide step-by-step instructions for your new employees on your routine operations. Along with SOPs, provide an onboarding checklist to help each new hire understand company processes and company systems. Incorporate a structured company orientation to introduce new hires to the company's culture, values, and workplace environment, ensuring employees understand performance expectations and how they fit into the organization. After providing an overview and additional documentation on your SOPs, make sure to clarify your expectations by setting clear expectations and performance expectations for each new hire, and ask for any questions your employees might have about their own tasks, which is a vital component of a successful virtual onboarding process. Well-structured onboarding processes are essential for supporting a new hire's integration and understanding of their role and the team.

During this time you’ll want to address common pitfalls and challenges that you might face and how to overcome them. Make sure to frequently check understanding throughout this process to prevent issues from arising down the line.

Make them feel connected and engaged

When it comes to onboarding, it’s key to remember to make your new employees feel connected and engaged with your existing staff and the workplace as a whole, rather than just to their position. When you onboard remote employees, it’s especially important to help each new remote employee feel like a valued team member and part of the company's culture from the very start of their new job.

In a remote-first company, it’s easy for employees to feel overlooked and underappreciated; particularly for those who aren’t as extroverted or outspoken as their peers. Although being able to work in the quiet and comfort of their homes is a great benefit, when it comes to connecting with a team, it can become a negative.

How to Optimize Employee Onboarding for Remote Teams