Virtual onboarding: How to welcome new hires remotely

A digital warm welcome shouldn't be all that hard!

Recruitment trends have been evolving rapidly, even more so since the world first faced the COVID-19 pandemic. In our recent story, we talked about the trends in digital recruitment. After successfully employing an applicant, hiring managers must move on to the next stage of recruitment: onboarding the new recruit digitally.

There has been much talk about the importance of onboarding. A study from Harvard Business Review has shown that companies that have an effective onboarding process have a higher employee retention rate. Most employees who have experienced a good onboarding process are also more productive and positive in the workplace.

It’s clear that onboarding is a must for companies. But with our current circumstances, it’s even essential to know how to effectively welcome new hires from afar. If you have no experience in virtual onboarding, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to do it.

1. Brief relevant team members in advance 

Before onboarding the new hire, make sure your team is prepared to welcome him/her. Give the team a heads-up of what the role of the new addition will be, so that those who will need to coordinate with him/her can plot out time for orientations and meetings.

2. Email digital copies of necessary documents 

When onboarding a new hire in person, companies have the option to let him/her adapt to the company culture through mere immersion. But when onboarding digitally, things are different. The new recruit might feel less comfortable asking seemingly mundane questions about work. He/she will have fewer chances to find a colleague to interact with.

Given this, it is essential for companies to provide new hires with clear-cut instructions through virtual means. The simplest of them all? E-mail. Make sure to prepare digital copies of company rules and policies, standards and procedures, organizational charts, clock-in procedures, and other necessary documents.

3. Provide guides for software 

If your company is using any particular software, provide guides to the new hire as soon as possible. Let the new hire acquaint himself/herself with the software or apps. Also, provide do’s and don’ts for how to use the software. If feasible, assign someone from your tech team to assist the account set-ups.

4. Let employees introduce themselves 

To promote workplace camaraderie, allow the other employees to introduce themselves and their roles. Encourage them to show their personalities and welcome the new hire warmly. Even a few minutes of introductions will do! Through this, the new hire will also have a glimpse of what the company culture is like.

If your online meetings are a bit stiff, you may want to prepare icebreaker questions for everyone to answer. Allot one to two minutes for a person to share something about themselves and their work, and then proceed until everybody is covered.

5. Send a digital checklist of assignments 

Make sure that the new hire is as effective as can be. Provide a checklist of assignments for the week that he/she should accomplish in due time. Allow at least one week to weigh how much workload the new hire is capable of handling, then adjust the checklist accordingly. After one week, you may assign the delegation of tasks for the new hire to a senior.

6. Schedule a virtual review session 

Expect that the new hire will have questions and clarifications by the end of his/her first day (or week). Plot out a one-on-one session with the new hire to address his/her concerns and feedback.

With a remote work set-up, it is even more important that employees understand what is expected of them. After this session, you may assign the new hire to a senior to whom he/she can direct his/her further questions.

Bonus: Send in a welcome gift 

Expecting work-from-home to continue for a while? Why not allot a budget for a welcome gift? Send in a branded headset, mousepad, t-shirt, mug, or just any product that will make your new hire feel appreciated!

On top of welcoming the new hires warmly, make sure you understand what inspires them to continue working. Having this knowledge will definitely help your company increase employee retention.

To make sure your best employees stay, visit Laws of Attraction — a portal that reveals what Filipino employees of different industries and demographics desire out of a job.