How To Onboard Employees Effectively In The Remote Work Era

3 ways companies can onboard remote employees productively

Over the past year and a half, many companies have been scrambling to adapt to the most significant cultural transformation they’ve ever experienced. Covid-19 pushed companies to transition to a fully remote workforce overnight, and while some employees have returned to the office in recent months, distributed work will remain the norm for the foreseeable future. 

This has significant implications on how employees work, but it has also permanently altered the onboarding process.
 

Consider how different the experience of joining your company is today than it was in the fall of 2019. When the process of welcoming new employees, teaching them about roles and operations, and facilitating the relationships they need to be successful takes place remotely, it’s essential for companies to make interactions organic and productive while fully leveraging the digital tools at their disposal. 

This means creating and adapting onboarding materials for virtual learning, inviting open and frequent communication, asking for feedback, and ensuring that employees have all the resources and support they need.
 
While the shift to remote onboarding comes with plenty of obstacles, it also offers several advantages – from the adoption of increasingly sophisticated and user-friendly digital collaboration tools to the flexibility and autonomy provided by remote work. As long as companies observe the best practices outlined below, they’ll be in a strong position to onboard remote employees quickly and productively. 

1. Emphasize Communication at Every Step of the Process

Effective communication is always crucial for maintaining the productivity and engagement of remote workforces, but it’s particularly important for new employees. From the establishment of clear expectations right at the outset to building strong connections between employees and their teammates, communication should be at the center of the remote onboarding process.
 
According to a survey conducted by Gartner, 76 percent of HR leaders said employees’ top complaint immediately after shifting to remote work was managers’ concerns over productivity and engagement. 

Instead of idly worrying about these issues, managers should take action. For example, they can create virtual “office hours” for employees by reserving specific times for questions and feedback. They can also make employees feel welcome by announcing new hires to the entire company, and they can facilitate the development of healthy relationships by providing the space for informal interactions, making introductions between team members, who will be working together, and asking employees to turn on video during meetings to build personal connections.
 
The onboarding process should begin the moment a candidate signs the offer letter. A lot can happen between that moment and the employee’s start day: their current employer could present a counter-offer, they could get nervous about the move, or they could change their mind for many other reasons. 

This is why it’s critical to reach out to new hires with encouraging messages that reinforce the decision to join your team (you can ask other employees to do the same). From simple “can’t wait to see you” emails to deliveries of company swag and other gifts, little touches make a new employee feel welcome and confident right from the start.
 
One of the most critical elements of employee onboarding in the remote work era is cultural and operational alignment. This means new hires need to know exactly what their roles are, as well as how those roles fit into the company’s broader mission. 

When employees are clear on the company’s values, team objectives, and duties as early as possible, they’ll be able to integrate with your workforce quickly and productively. 

2. Focus on Employee Engagement

A lack of employee engagement has always been a pressing issue for companies, but the severity of the problem has become unsustainable. According to the most recent ‘Gallup State of the Global Workforce’ report, 80 percent of employees are not engaged or actively disengaged at work – a fact that costs the international economy a staggering $8.1 trillion in lost productivity every year.

Gallup has found that key components of engagement include the perception that employees’ opinions count at work, a clear understanding of expectations, recognition and praise, personal and professional development, and a company mission that makes employees feel like their jobs are important. 

Some of these components are especially important for remote workforces: positive reinforcement and the acknowledgment of employees’ contributions are ways to combat the feelings of alienation that remote workers often experience. The solicitation of consistent feedback is vital in times of uncertainty when managers don’t know what employees will need from week to week. 

Regular one-on-one meetings remind employees that they’re an integral part of the team and allow them to discuss their professional goals and concerns.
 
Beyond the importance of keeping employees engaged at work, the strategies outlined above are also indispensable for the development of a healthy culture that will attract talent to your company. When companies build their cultures on unfettered communication, mutual respect, and goal orientation, they’ll keep morale and engagement high while demonstrating why talented job seekers should give them serious consideration. 

3. Make Sure New Employees Have the Resources They Need

Companies have to be more proactive than ever about making sure new hires have the tools they need to get up and running right away. All training content, employee handbooks, and other onboarding materials have to be digitized. This will ultimately save managers time and effort, as it allows them to track progress more easily and address any issues employees might have as soon as they arise.
 
By making investments in the resources employees need to do their jobs well, companies will see significant long-term benefits to morale and productivity. For example, new hires should have high-quality monitors and other hardware, ergonomic chairs and desks, fast and reliable WiFi, and other tools to help them work comfortably and effectively. 

One effect of Covid-19 has been the rapid adoption of new technologies – a McKinsey survey found that the pandemic hastened this process by several years. Employees should be introduced to all the digital communication and collaboration platforms your company uses right away, which will help to familiarize them quickly and boost their productivity. 

Finally, critical information (from organizational charts to contact information to performance targets) should be as centralized and accessible as possible. This will help new hires find whatever they need quickly.
 
The process of joining a company has changed dramatically over the past year and a half, but many of the most important elements remain unchanged: make new employees feel like a part of the team, establish norms of transparency and healthy communication, and give them the resources that will help them succeed. 

Alex Giannetti is Head of People at Enable.