Onboarding is a crucial step in remote work. The keys for an employer to build a thriving business comes down to two simple aspects:
- Treat your customers with respect.
- Value your employees.
If you take your customers for granted, then you eventually will not have a business. The tired trope of one being ‘Self Made’ is based on ego and not reality.
Every entrepreneur relies upon their customers and employees to build their business. Even those who work by themselves still depend on a solid consumer base to stabilize their business and build it towards success.
There is a major distinction between making your employees feel valued and placing value on them. By compensating your employees with a living wage, treating them as equals, and making their work lives fluid will help you build a positive culture within your business.
Starting that culture begins during the onboarding process. If you show that you care about your new employees, they will likely decide to work with your company for an extended period.
This entry will dive into remote work onboarding, including ways to ensure you make your remote workers feel valued during the process. Culture IQ details the importance of the remote work onboarding process.
One of the primary goals of an onboarding process is to help new hires acclimate to the social and professional expectations of their new work environment so that they can proceed comfortably and effectively in their roles.
As more companies choose to hire remote workers, they face the challenge of creating an onboarding process that accomplishes this goal for virtual employees.
Onboarding And Paperwork
Does anybody really enjoy doing paperwork? Unfortunately, it is a necessity even when onboarding remote workers. Instead of forcing remote workers to go through the time-consuming process of using snail-mail in order to sign official documents, rely on useful services which hold the same legal weight.
E-signature applications like DocuSign, HelloSign, or several others make signing paperwork straightforward for all involved. While each e-signature tool has a differing process for adding a signature, each remains intuitive for users.
The United States has some areas which continue to use archaic rules surrounding e-signature, but it remains an option in most states. Integrating e-signature programs into your onboarding will make the process smooth for your new hires.
If They Need Equipment Make Sure They Receive It On Time
Will new employees going through the remote work onboarding process depend on equipment being sent by the company? It’s not a great look to require your new hires to spend thousands of dollars on equipment prior to ever receiving a paycheck.
If they are expecting hardware from the company, don’t make them wait for it. Order for desktops, laptops, keyboards, computer mice, webcams, or whatever equipment they need should be in their possession several days before they begin work. Your IT department, or whoever oversees their training will need time to complete the onboarding stage with each new employee directly.
Receiving equipment late could create resentment and stress among remote workers who will then have to rush through the remote onboarding process. Whatever they need, make sure they receive it in plenty of time in order to complete a smooth transition into their new role.
Note:
You can also introduce them to productivity or project/time management tools to help them settle in for more productive work. Another tool for enhancing communication with you and your remote team is noise cancelling apps. Such a noise cancelling app is called Krisp, which will help remove all background noise while you’re in a remote conference with your team and it will com handy for the onboarding as well.
Make Them Feel Like A Team Member
For those who will have on-site and remote workers, this section is vital for building a culture where every worker feels as if they are part of the team. Greenhouse details how to make remote workers feel no different than onsite employees.
- Make a conscious effort to show remote employees they are still considered part of the team even if they are out of the office.
- Reach out to them personally if there is anything going on directly related to them or relevant to their role, even if it’s just to ask their opinion or give them a heads up that X, Y, and Z will be happening.
- Make it clear that your virtual door is always open and you welcome contact from them at any time.
If your company can make the remote worker onboarding process comfortable for your employees, it diminishes the risk of those individuals feeling isolated or feeling as if they aren’t doing enough.
For companies operating in a completely remote workspace the lessons here also apply. Use the onboarding process to make sure your employees know that you have an open door, you don’t expect more from them than agreed upon, and that they are a key part of your team.
Welcome Gifts
The hard-nosed entrepreneur who solely focuses on their bottom line to maximize profits every quarter may scoff at this idea. On the other hand, those who care about their employees and aren’t motivated by greed will understand the value in greeting their new hires with small gifts.
Developing a care package, welcome crate, or swag bag to welcome in your new employee will make the remote work onboarding process something memorable for everyone.
Will such a gesture make someone a better employee? Make them more likely to stick around? It may. If you show that you appreciate employees before they even begin working for you, it may increase loyalty, making turnover less likely.
It’s not necessary to spend hundreds of dollars on each care package, but something small but meaningful will immediately begin building moral and help foster an environment of open communication and trust.
The welcoming gift can be used to make remote workers feel welcome and show that they are a functional part of the team.
If carried out properly the welcoming even can be used to introduce them to other team members, inform them on where to look to if they have questions, and build relationships which can increase job performance. Therefore, those who are questionable about this tactic should view it as an investment.
We hope this blog entry helps you develop a successful remote work onboarding process which works for your company and remote workers. Do not hesitate to leave us your thoughts and opinions below.
