For many managers, handling the onboarding process is a big challenging as it involves new hires to adjust to their role, understanding their tasks and developing their skills.

But this task can be even more challenging in a remote work environment, where in person interaction is limited.

Which is why it’s essential to have an effective onboarding process to ensure your new hires perfectly fit in the company.

In this article, we’ll dive into Onboarding and the best practices to have an effective onboarding process.

What is Onboarding process?

The onboarding process is a structured approach to integrate new hires into a company.

It involves different steps, practices and activities that are designed to help new employees learn about the company, its culture and specific roles and responsibilities.

Furthermore, this process helps employees identify and focus on their gaps to improve productivity and their overall work efficiency.

Relevant Read: How To Build an Effective Remote Work Policy.

Onboarding process is divided into 4 crucial stages:

• Pre-boarding:

Pre-boarding is an essential step to keep new recruits engaged. It typically begins right after the new hire sign the employment contract.

The time between the recruit signing the contract and their first day is crucial, as it allows you to build anticipation and get over busy work.

So your new hire doesn’t have to spend their first day or even week on busy work.

Start by completing the needed paper, including allowing them access to the team online channels, such as Slack and Google calendar.

Ensuring they received all the needed equipment and software for their role, and address questions they may have related to their role and responsibilities.

• Orientation:

Orientation topically begins on the first day and lasts through the first week.

This step of the process involves understanding different departments and their roles and responsibilities.

New hires get to know their new colleagues, including their responsibilities and their positions, to engage in future collaboration, teamwork and joint projects.

It’s also important to educating them over the company’s mission and values, overall goals, their products/services.

Additionally, inform them of all the HR policies and regulations over working and employment benefits.

To clear up all the confusion and give them the clarity they need to be an effective employee.

• Training and development:

After getting to know the team and company, provide your new hire with the necessary training and skill development.

Including online modules for navigating required tools and software.

These tools and software may include project management apps, communication groups/channels and cybersecurity tools to ensure transparency in the working process.

Furthermore, share resources and other role specific training to provide clear instruction on their role and responsibilities to ensure they understand their duties and overall team culture.

• Integration and feedback:

Invite your new employee to team meetings and start assigning them appropriate tasks and projects to help them become a more efficient team member.

Review their performance over the first 30 days and provide feedback on their strengths and areas to improve.

Additionally, discuss their future aspirations and goals to understand their career path and development.

This will help them find opportunities within the company and grow while aligning with the company’s goals.

5 common Remote Onboarding Challenges:

1) Issues with tech:

One of the common challenge remote onboarding face is lack of technical support.

Remote onboarding often face challenges like connectivity issues, slow internet, unresponsive websites or apps.

Consider investing in your tech team with all the needed equipment and software to troubleshoot any technical issue that comes your way.

To support your remote team with reliable tech support and improve your work efficiency.

2) Lack of personal interaction:

Onboarding begins even before a new hire’s first day. It begins shortly after they sign the employment contract.

But many managers cannot maintain contact with their new hire until their first day.

This gap leads to a lack of personal engagement. As your new hire is thrilled and eager to start their new job, but this enthusiasm can go to waste thanks to lack of interaction.

Consider pre-planning your onboarding process in advance to stay in touch with your new hire and keep them engaged with the company to build trust and maintain their excitement.

3) Time zone difference:

Time zones differences can hinder onboarding activities, such as learning, getting feedback or even asking a simple question could take hours of delay.

These delays can slow down important projects and wasting a lot of time.

In such case, consider scheduling important tasks on a specific timetable when everyone is available.

Plan your onboarding strategically to ensure that time zones don’t impact your onboarding process.

4) Not asking questions out of the fear:

Many introverts may hesitate to ask important questions for the fear they might feel silly or are a no-brainer.

This hesitation can lead to information gaps and lack of clarity, impacting their performance and work efficiency. And lead to repetitive task or mistakes.

Encouraging your new hire to ask questions and be approachable without being judgmental.

Ask for their feedback and if they’re struggling with anything, and provide them an appropriate solution.

5) Lack of support:

A lack of access to resources, clear channels of communication and structured training process can hinder a new hire’s productivity and decrease their morale.

Which can be even more challenging in remote work settings and may lead to missed deadline, low-quality work.

To address this, have a clear means of communication, access to all the needed resources and role specific training to increase their work efficiency and overall performance.

Dos and Don’ts when onboarding remotely:

Don’ts:

• Don’t overload your new hire with information or tasks.
• Don’t wait until their first day to start the onboarding process.
• Don’t neglect communication.
• Don’t rush the onboarding process.

Dos:

• Take it slow and ensure that they’re understanding and completing tasks properly.
• Start early and get the busy work done before the starting date.
• Do consistent check-ins.
• Give your new hire time to adjust.

Best practices for effective Remote Onboarding:

1) Plan in advance:

Plan onboarding in advance to save time and make the most out of the pre-boarding period, such as giving early tasks to build confidence and get your new hire to know your team and how they work.

Taking care of busy work early on to focus on main tasks on their first day can save you a lot of headache.

Strategically prepare your onboarding process in advance to make it pleasant and productive.

2) Assign a welcome buddy:

Many companies use a buddy system to make the onboarding process more efficient.

Assign a welcome buddy or mentor to your new hire who they can directly communicate and get guidance from about the company culture, rules and regulations and their projects.

This practice helps new hires, get to know the company culture, build a sense of belonging while learn and adjust through consistent feedback.

So be sure to assign someone who’s easy going and is always open to question, to make the onboarding process easier for the new hire.

3) Create a handbook:

Put together a well-structured handbook for new hires to get guidance from, such as company culture, rules and regulations of the company.

Be sure to provide a proper checklist of their duties and what is expected of them.

Having a handbook can help new hire go through their early employment phase and get blend in the company without much of a problem.

This can save managers or people responsible for new hire, a lot of work, and they can concentrate on their primary tasks.

4) Do frequent check-ins:

Frequent check-ins are essential to monitor your new recruit progress and see if they’re struggling with something.

This allows you to assess their abilities and their weaknesses early on.

To guide or give them proper training and help them become a capable employee.

Another way to ensure proper insight is to ask for their feedback and see where your onboarding process improve.

Just casual conversation over your onboarding process can make them unconsciously talk about the challenges they might have, which might otherwise feel uncomfortable to speak up about.

Relevant Read: How to effectively communicate as a remote team.

5) Consistent training and feedback:

Provide your new hires with ongoing training and consistent support, while ensure they apply that knowledge first hand through proper assignments.

Assess their progress with constructive feedback and where they can grow.

Which will allow them to nurture their skills that can be valuable to the team and contribute to better overall results.

Also, share all the necessary resources and tools for their role to make sure they have everything they need to perform their tasks effectively.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Onboarding process is more than just passing a few tasks.

It’s properly introducing new hires to the team, providing them ongoing support to avoid any confusion, and assessing their progress in order to provide them with proper tools, resources and training to turn them into a valuable member of the team.

By following practices like preparing in advance, offering consistent support and assigning a welcome buddy, you can make the onboarding process easier even in a remote work conditions.