Tips for Onboarding New Hires Remotely 

Your onboarding process will shape the way a new hire feels about his or her job for their entire tenure. A great onboarding experience can lead to faster ramp-up, higher productivity and long-term retention, while a poor experience almost always leads to turnover within the first year.  

Onboarding can be challenging no matter the circumstances and when a new hire is working remotely, those challenges can add up quickly. However, with the right approach, you can give your new remote hires the tools to succeed – and to love their jobs.  

Prepare Well in Advance  

Send remote employees their new hire paperwork as soon as you receive their signed offer letter. This gives them plenty of time to scan and/or mail documentation for day one. Then, make sure the IT team sets up all logins and credentials well in advance. It can be very frustrating for a new employee to have to wait for system access, and working ahead ensures plenty of time to deal with any potential problems.  

Plan a Video Welcome  

You’d meet a new in-house employee at the door, so do the same with your remote employees. Set up a video call first thing in the morning on their first day to welcome them, go over the onboarding process and then invite the rest of their team to join in and introduce themselves.  

Book Them Solid  

New employees should have a structured schedule for their first week so they don’t have to wonder what to do next. Set a schedule for each day, blocking out time for orientation, training, independent work, meeting with teammates, etc. Don’t forget to add the new employee to all meeting invitations, as well. To inject a bit of fun and help build relationships, schedule a video “luncheon” or happy hour where the team can get together online to chat and make the new person feel included in the group. 

Set Clear Expectations  

New employees need to know exactly what you want from them and how you will be measuring success. Provide clear deadlines for training, milestones and skill–building. Provide them with a list of people who can help when they have questions about specific processes or systems.  

Set goals for day one, week one, 30 days, 60 days and 90 days. Hold regular video check-ins with the employee to track progress for each milestone and find out what they need to achieve those goals.  

Meet Regularly 

It can be very easy to forget about new remote employees as you move through your regular routine. That’s why it’s important to set a regular schedule to check in to see how things are going, offer constructive feedback and monitor progress. This will allow you to keep a handle on how onboarding is progressing and allows the employee to ask questions and provide feedback of their own.  

Do You Need To Hire Remote STEM Professionals?  

In these uncertain times, PEAK Technical Staffing is here for you. We can help you fill job openings quickly, access skilled short-term employees and help you hire remote, full-time employees. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you navigate this new normal.