Virtual Onboarding Tips For Employers

As a company, you’re going to hire people and one of the most important steps in the hiring process is onboarding. Onboarding is the process by which companies get new employees started working as efficiently as possible in the shortest timeframe.  Having a strong onboarding strategy (in-person or virtually) shortly after hiring someone is essential to making sure new employees feel confident and knowledgeable in their new workplace. Given the fact that virtual onboarding is the go-to now, the onboarding process can be a bit trickier. Luckily, we have some tips from professionals who have personally helped employees navigate the virtual onboarding experience:

BEFORE THE NEW HIRE STARTS

The time before a new hire’s start date is vitally important to making sure the onboarding process goes smoothly.

• Communicate with your new hire a week before their start date about what the onboarding plan will entail and the things they can expect to learn. Any important paperwork that needs to be filled out should be sent to them and any equipment they’ll need should be ordered e.g. work laptops, computer camera
• Make sure the new hire knows how to contact the HR department. Have the HR team get in touch and introduce themselves, letting them know they are there to answer any questions or concerns
• Keep new hires in the loop by sending press releases when they come out and any departmental meeting notes so that they are aware of what’s going on before starting 

WHEN THE NEW HIRE HAS STARTED WORKING

The first day and first week are a time to make sure your new hire is feeling comfortable in their role and are having a smooth transition.

• If possible, have a new hire orientation. These can include discussions on company culture, how the company is structured, and going over benefits
• If your team is able to give the new hire a mentor or a “buddy,” that can help alleviate some of the stress of navigating a new company and provide someone who can answer any questions the new hire may have. Encourage new hires to shadow people in other key departments to get a sense of how everyone works together.
• Send a list of activities and projects to be worked on for the first day and for the rest of the week. They should also introduce the new hire to their team. One nice thing to do is to have a virtual lunch, where you have a meal delivered to the new hire’s place and the team can eat “together” and get to know each other
• Don’t overwhelm your new hire with new projects and unfamiliar systems and processes during the first week. Leave some time for them to absorb a couple of new things per week.

FOLLOWING UP WITH THE NEW HIRE

Once your new hire has been working for a few months, it’s still beneficial to follow up with them and get a sense of how they’re feeling at the company.

• Sending out satisfaction surveys every three months, six months, and yearly can provide a more accurate view of how the company is doing overall in regards to new hires