On-Boarding in A Virtual World

By: Katie Cummins, HR Consultant

On-boarding is the process used to welcome and train your new employees. Yes, we have clients hiring now amidst it all. Bringing them “on-board” to your organization is critical to their success. In today’s pandemic world, we have a new challenge – how do we on-board a new employee virtually? We get this question often as of late.

On-boarding is the process that welcomes and integrates the new hire into their new position and workplace, so they become engaged and committed to their role in assisting the organization in reaching its mission. This is just one step to inviting the talent to your culture. We cover them all in 7 Steps to a Culture by Design and how you invite talent is step one.

On-boarding is one of the most important elements an employer should invest in, however, many organizations face the daunting task of having to fit processes such as hiring and onboarding new talent into this new environment and often with little to no physical presence.  With no physical office to welcome and connect new employees, how should the on-boarding process adjust to become virtual?

Here are some tips for how to on-board new employees in a virtual work environment while ensuring that they are set up for success and feel like part of the team.

Establish Personal Connections

Traditionally on an employee’s first day, they would tour the office and meet to their new coworkers. Establishing these connections is an integral part of the on-boarding process and should not be forgotten just because there is not a physical office to tour.

Consider a “buddy” program to provide first day and ongoing support.  The buddy might be an existing employee of similar rank, or a friendly face from the office who has gone through the traditional on-boarding process and can advise on how to have a successful start at the company. A virtual mentor is another good resource that can help speed up the onboarding time and allow for more learning and growth. A mentor can be an invaluable resource for advice and feedback and can help define their career path at the company.

Use Technology to Its Advantage

By leveraging virtual meeting tools and on-boarding technology, new hire tasks and welcome introductions can be just as seamless and effortless as they would be in person, allowing new hires to connect and engage with their managers and teammates.  Use your meeting platform to schedule one-on-one meetings or team introductions with your new hire so they can virtually meet the team.

Look into your current HRIS system to see if it has a virtual on-boarding platform that can be added on.  Many on-boarding platforms will assist with electronic completion of paperwork and forms, employee handbook review, and even required compliance training on for day one.

Build an Engaging Virtual Culture

Remote working does not mean company culture goes out the window – in fact, you company’s culture expands well beyond the walls of an office. For new hires, explaining a company’s service ideals and core values as well as organizational behaviors can be difficult when they are not in the office. Believe it or not, they likely assimilated an invitation from you before they accepted the job. The question is, how are you reinforcing it?

Establish ongoing touchpoints and check-ins.  For smaller companies and departments, this can mean office-wide virtual meetings or daily standups; for larger organizations, it could translate to virtual team celebrations, or managers having daily or weekly check-ins with their teams and direct reports. We have been recommending one on one Remote Working With Me Reports with our BestWork DATA® tools and these are FREE right now. Email us at info@hrboost.com if you want one. These are cognitive Assessments tailored to the ways we are affected in remote working environments.  The key is to develop a regular schedule for interaction and communication, so no one feels isolated or alone.

Bring in some fun and encourage new hires to join, even if they have not met everyone involved. At HRBOOST®, we have implemented Motivation Monday coffee chats, Wellness Wednesday challenges, and Fun Friday virtual happy hours as an opportunity to stay connected and get to know new team members. It creates a shared sense of camaraderie and community even though it’s virtual.  We have been virtual for 10 years strong and it works for us.

Design a Roadmap for Success…and Don’t be Afraid to Veer

Establish a roadmap that stretches out several weeks as this can help connect new employees with other individuals, they should know to build their internal networks while remote. This also helps them learn more about the company by talking to employees in other departments and gain a deeper understanding of the roles and responsibilities of their colleagues.

Do not be afraid to adjust the new hire learning journey.  Consider rolling out information and training to new hires at a slower pace. It can be overwhelming to be on-boarded in a completely remote environment. By spacing out learning, you will give the new hire a chance to absorb the information and ask questions instead of inundating them with content all at once. We do this intentionally with our Boosters.

In these unusual times, when many people are responsible for children at home as well as their work, you can add some much-appreciated flexibility. Let your new hire know they can work their way through on-boarding information at their own pace and in their own hours. This is critical now.

What Should You Do Next?

All you must do is move forward from here. At HRBOOST®, we recommend the following steps:

• Evaluate your current on-boarding process, making improvements and changes to adapt to a virtual work environment
• Explore new ways to keep on-boarding interactive, engaging, and personal

A comprehensive on-boarding process plays a pivotal role in kick starting your new hire’s engagement into their new role, responsibilities, and the organization. Even during this unprecedented time, the shift to remote work should not prevent new employees from the traditional experience, and organizations should be prepared for on-boarding more employees in this remote setting. By implementing new practices to support the remote working model, employers will make themselves more attractive to prospective employees, while ensuring a successful acclimating of top talent into their organization.

At HRBOOST®, we can help!  We believe every team and business (big or small) should have support to manage their people challenges.  Let us give you the boost you need.  Give us call, we are always on standby!