Your Guide for Remote Onboarding In 2025 + Free Checklist
A negative onboarding experience makes it twice as likely that a new hire will soon look for another job, according to a report from Deloitte. Addressing any challenges that come up can quickly become time-consuming for both employees and the organization. However, good organization and strategic use of technologies, such as robotic process automation (RPA) and autofill forms, can trim down the time needed to complete the steps. It is important to remember that while both on and off-site employees can form part of the same team, they do not all share the same experience of working for a particular organization.
You must establish a space for new employees to ask questions and address their concerns. Hiring managers must be adequately trained and attuned to the nuances of remote onboarding. An initial in-person gathering can also strengthen the quality of all the inevitable virtual meetings and communication going forward. E-signing helps streamline onboarding, whether remote or in person, but it’s especially important for remote onboarding as a way to cut digital fatigue. « The average new hire has far too many activities to complete during their onboarding experience, » said Renato Profico, CEO of Doodle AG, an online scheduling vendor based in Switzerland. « Overloading a new hire with too many onboarding tasks could create a roadblock for them in getting familiar with remote onboarding best practices the business and understanding what’s expected of them in their role. »
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This can look like clearly stating what their key functions and deliverables are, ensuring they know when to attend key meetings, and sharing any working norms your team has established. According to the 2019 HubSpot Remote Work Report, 35% of remote workers report feeling lonely two to three days per week. For those who are adjusting to a new work environment, these feelings could be amplified.
- Remote onboarding may be the new norm, but conveying all of what you used to do in person through a screen can still be challenging.
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- A quick video call with the CEO or another top leader also helps drive home the feeling of inclusion and the importance of the work.
- Tell them about their new colleague, what their statement of work will be, and share their start date.
- Making the most of preboarding helps you focus on higher-value aspects of onboarding on the employee’s first day.
Effective Tips For Onboarding Remote Employees
During training, if a new hire gets stuck or has a roadblock, they should be encouraged to ask questions and give their feedback on the process. To start, a new hire Slack channel is always a great idea for everyone to get to know one another, but fun channels can include a place to talk about pets, movies, TV shows, music, and more. Talking about shared interests is a great way to foster connection among your remote employees.
Best practice #7: Include collaborative learning
They can share pictures, talk about volunteering, and give ideas to your company on how to build a volunteer program. Another great channel to build community could be a volunteer group where you share volunteer opportunities with your employees in the areas they live in. This will help them get more involved in their local community, plus with your volunteer community on Slack. Salespersons are often motivated by external factors, whether it’s money, prizes, or written milestones. The accountability will also help team members get up to speed in the time frame that you’d like. You’ve probably heard of the Calm app, but did you know there’s also Calm for Business?
Start onboarding early
After the happy hour, send a follow-up email or have a video chat to finish onboarding remote employees. This message should remind them that you have an open-door policy that invites them to ask questions or address concerns. Moreover, you should continue to check-in periodically to see how everything’s going.
So if you’re struggling to make new employees feel like they’re part of the team and company culture, use these tips and suggestions to streamline the remote onboarding process. One of the biggest challenges that remote employees will face during the onboarding process and, in some cases, during their tenure at the company is a feeling of isolation. Any successful remote onboarding program should address this issue and work to create a sense of belonging as soon as possible. « The beginning stages of the remote onboarding process take no more additional time than the in-person onboarding process, » said Johanna Jackman, CPO at Airtable, which makes a low-code platform for building collaborative apps. « Resources are given to our managers before and after their new hire starts, addressing topics such as resiliency and adapting to change in order to support them as they adjust to leading remote teams. » A clearly defined onboarding plan makes it easier to have standardized virtual onboarding practices for every new team member at your company.
