Best Practices For Onboarding Remote Employees
An Increasingly Remote Workforce
It’s expected that by the end of 2021, between 25% and 30% of all employees will work remotely. That’s between 1 in 4 and 3 in 10. It’s a sizable sum. A little under half the U.S. population is employed one way or another; that’s 155,000,000+.
That means in the USA alone, there is a minimum of 38,750,000 remote workers presently. But that 25-30% stat is for the whole world. With a population clock that currently puts the global population at 7.9 billion, if you divide that number in half to get an estimate of the total working population, you’re looking at just under or just over a billion people working remotely.
That’s a big number, and it will likely only get bigger as the convenience of decentralized productivity increasingly defines the workplace. As an employer, it’s fundamental to utilize decentralized, remote operations as a means of enhancing productivity and retaining competitive viability.
However, with remote personnel come unique issues. While you won’t be able to overcome all the intrigues defining remote employees, a solid set of onboarding protocols and best practices help; we’ll explore a few considerable approaches to this here.
- Interval Personal Meetings; Casual Zooms Otherwise
Not all remote infrastructure solutions include the ability to meet new hires in person. However, once a month, twice a year, or once a year, there should be some sort of physical meeting. If that can’t be done, be sure there are “casual” zoom calls between management and newly-onboarded staff.
These help build rapport and trust all around. Trust is very important for remote workers because the faceless nature of decentralization can impact mental and emotional attitudes. New hires need to know they’re legitimate employees, they’re valued, and there are real people with whom they’re working.
- Orientation Sessions For Individual and Mass Hires
Specific orientation sessions need to be put together for new hires as regards operational protocols, safety procedures, compliance issues, security, payout, invoicing, and anything relevant to your business. Sometimes such sessions will be for individuals with unique roles, sometimes you can have mass zoom sessions; it will depend on your business. - Put Together Training Specific to a New Employee’s Role
Beyond meeting and orientation, specific training sessions must be organized. Just as new department store employees have to watch half a dozen videos and read some handbooks, the same becomes necessary for remote workers—only it’s easier to get done owing to associated convenience for everybody involved. - Be Sure to Communicate Company Culture
Don’t generalize—that’s pretty easy with a lot of occupational safety materials, or best practices. There is a specific culture defining your company, and that must be carefully communicated to all new hires so they understand what’s expected of them indirectly owing to the “voice” of your company’s brand. - Assure Learning Opportunities Are Always Available
Resources should be easily available for newly hired employees. If they have questions or concerns, they should be able to find answers to those issues very quickly. As employees become more integral to your business, they’ll need to take on new responsibilities. Sometimes learning through other employees isn’t possible.
What’s necessary are remote educational materials that can be explored at the employee’s convenience, or assigned to a particular new-hire group for whatever reason. There’s the digital infrastructure necessary here; a consultation can help you get the balance right.
Remote Infrastructure is Likely Here To Stay
In all likelihood, owing to cost-effectiveness and convenience, operational infrastructure along remote segues will continue to define the workforce well beyond 2021. Accordingly, get the onboarding process right. Be sure to explore this checklist for employee onboarding best practices available through new GoCo offerings. Consultation is also quite helpful.
A few best practices advocated by experts in the field presently include meeting in person when possible or conducting casual zoom meetings, orientation sessions, clearly defining the role of new employees, communicating company culture, and making learning opportunities readily available.
This is the tip of the iceberg on remote infrastructure; keep up-to-date as best you can through the web, consultation, and other relevant resources.
