Remote work has become common, and it changes the nature of onboarding. When a new employee starts remotely, onboarding can't rely on hallway conversations or spontaneous help. A well-planned and executed onboarding process is key in making the employee feel welcome, understand their role, and quickly get up to speed with their tasks.
In this blog post, we share tips on how to design remote employee onboarding and what remote onboarding can include.
Good onboarding reduces work-related stress and uncertainty, accelerates the transition to productive tasks, and increases engagement. To ensure successful remote onboarding, create an onboarding plan.
Set clear objectives for the onboarding. These can include:
Compile a clear onboarding material containing essential information for the employee's role. Include details such as organizational structure, employee's responsibilities, tool usage guidelines, processes, and common practices.
Tailor the onboarding to the employee's roles and needs. A personalized approach can improve the onboarding's effectiveness. Build a clear onboarding path from the materials to guide progress.
Plan the program for the first weeks: schedule events and send calendar invites. Emphasize community and social elements.
Define what the new employee should know and by when. For example, the goal might be that the employee understands the organization and their responsibilities within the first week and completes the onboarding path within six months.
Define the persons responsible for the onboarding, such as HR or team lead, and possibly a mentor. Define the responsible person for each area of onboarding, such as employment matters or technical training. Use onboarding checklists in learning platforms.
Define the resources that are needed for a successful onboarding and make sure they are available. These can include for example:
Remote onboarding can leverage various technological solutions.
Video conferencing platforms, such as Teams or Zoom, are ideal for virtual welcome sessions, trainings, and getting to know the team.
Communication tools, like Slack or Teams chat, enable quick communication and team bonding. Explain your organization's communication practices in the onboarding materials, such as which channels are used for different types of messages and expected response times (e.g., email vs. Slack). This can lower the barrier to reach out when needed.
Digital learning platforms, like Vuolearning, can be used to share the onboarding materials. When courses and resources are available online, employees can access them anytime and progress at their own pace. A digital learning environment also streamlines and standardizes the onboarding process and provides visibility into what is expected from the employee in the coming months. In Vuolearning, you can create role-specific onboarding paths that include general materials, team practices, role-specific theory, calendar events, training sessions, task lists, and feedback discussions. You can define progression order and target schedules for each step. A clear path that includes onboarding activities that are scheduled over a longer period of time guides the employee through the onboarding process, ensures consistency, creates a sense of achievement, and makes learning and progress visible.
Example of remote employee's learning path.
Organize a virtual welcome session: Invite managers, the team, and possibly the entire organization. Create a warm reception for the new employee and introduce key people.
Self-paced online courses can present the organization and its history, operations, values, goals, and culture, as well as cover employment details such as contracts, working hours, vacations, and salary.
Courses can also introduce the team, the manager, and other colleagues. Explain who to contact for different issues, or include short introduction videos from team members (if a full-company Teams meeting isn’t possible). Courses may also include group discussions for introductions and summaries of team practices.
Invite the new employee to team meetings where they can meet colleagues and learn about workflows. This helps them integrate into daily routines quickly.
You can also encourage employees to introduce themselves in Slack or Teams chat or arrange short video calls with different team members to build familiarity.
Training on tools and processes can be provided through online courses that include instructions or guides or via video calls where the new employee is taught to use necessary tools and systems.
Organize virtual team meetings and social events regularly. These can include:
Even after onboarding ends, support for remote employees should continue. To ensure ongoing support, schedule regular virtual meetings with the onboarding mentor. During the first few months, these can be weekly, then less frequent, such as monthly, depending on the employee or team’s needs. Set recurring calendar invites to maintain connection.
Create dedicated Slack or Teams channels for topics like knowledge sharing or feedback, where employees can exchange ideas and provide input.
Offer continuous training and development opportunities. Provide courses and other learning resources, and ensure access to a comprehensive digital learning library.
Learning platforms can also be used to store notes from discussions. For example, Vuolearning’s conversation notes feature allows you to record key points and agreed goals from development discussions, feedback sessions, or mentoring meetings.
Remote onboarding requires careful planning and effective use of technology. Clear goals, a tailored and scheduled onboarding path, and designated responsibilities create a strong foundation for success. Digital learning platforms, video conferencing tools, and communication channels support the process and foster community. Continuous support, regular check-ins, and development opportunities ensure remote employees remain motivated and engaged.