Onboarding In A Virtual Environment

A first hand account of a successful remote onboarding

The labor market is continuing to dig out of the hole created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite 22 million jobs lost in March and April, the U.S. economy is slowly increasing hiring. With that, comes the challenge of onboarding new employees who will continue to be remote for the next several months, or, in the case of major companies such as Twitter and Microsoft, permanently. 

Onboarding in a virtual environment not only puts pressure on HR departments and managers who are responsible for keeping new hires happy and engaged, but also presents unique challenges for new employees who are accustomed to meeting and interacting with colleagues and managers face-to-face. I have experienced it firsthand.

I accepted my role with Workhuman in early February, and I was set to start in the office on March 18, 2020. On the Friday before I started, I got the call that everyone was going to be working from home indefinitely and I would be getting my computer mailed to me. A package arrived a couple days later with instructions on how to get my “work station” set up and on March 18, I was sitting at my kitchen table ready to go. 

Nearly nine months later, I have yet to meet many of my colleagues in-person. While it’s been a hard position to be in, particularly as my job is in communications and revolves around telling Workhuman’s stories, it has also presented a unique bonding opportunity with my colleagues. I understand that those bonds are probably stronger in-person, but, at the same time, we had this unique situation that bonded us in a way that not many people can say that they have.

Despite being remote, my onboarding process was smooth: Workhuman coordinated a full week of video meetings with all of my new colleagues and some other humans from around the organization to help us establish these human connections and start building relationships. We were given a full download on all aspects of the business and encouraged to ask questions and seek additional information throughout the week. 

Yes, I want to know 3-D people, rather than just by Zoom. I want to make those connections, I want to hear someone talking in the hallway about something cool they are doing and be like, ‘Wait, tell me more about that.’ I’d say the hardest thing about being remote is that I’m not able to build those relationships as strongly as I could if I was in the office. Luckily, I work for a company that is a power user of its products – and I truly feel that through using our social recognition and continuous performance management solutions, I am building relationships and engaging with my colleagues in an incredibly positive way. 

Although the new world of remote work and social distancing means fewer in-person connections, human-focused technologies are playing an essential role in keeping employees engaged, most prominently when it comes to performance goals, recognition and feedback. 

While virtual lunches and happy hours have attempted to recreate the relationship-building that happens naturally in-person, Social recognition and continuous performance management are the best ways to build trust among new, remote workers and encourage communication and collaboration. For new employees in particular, having frequent check-ins and providing regular feedback and values-based recognition are critical to helping employees feel appreciated, heard, and connected to a company’s values, goals, and mission. These tools also boost employee engagement and retention. According to a Workhuman report, employees who are recognized in their jobs are more than 2x as likely to see a path to grow in the organization. 

Remote work is here to stay, which means employee onboarding, retention, and overall job satisfaction will depend on leaders adjusting their management styles to make sure new employees are feeling appreciated and supported. The onus is on organizations to give their leaders and employees the tools they need for success and continue to empower and engage new hires and all employees to do the best work of their lives.