Remote onboarding - how to make virtual onboarding a success
Definition: What does remote onboarding mean?
Remote onboarding means that the induction of new employees is not carried out on site but, at least in part, physically separated from the office. Instead, the employees are in the home office or in remote work in general.
Remote onboarding is necessary in various situations:
- In the days of Corona, onboarding in many companies was forced to take place in the home office, as visiting the office was not possible. This presented many companies with major challenges, as the processes that were often in place anyway were limited and not designed for virtual onboarding.
- In companies that rely on the hybrid work model or entirely on the concept of remote work, onboarding must also be adapted to the location-independent work of their new colleagues.
Using digital opportunities for virtual onboarding
Digitalisation has also found its way into HR and many companies, not least driven by the Corona crisis, are increasingly using digital onboarding solutions to optimise their HR processes. Numerous digital software and app solutions are now also available for the onboarding phase. With these, the workload can be significantly reduced and made more interactive. But especially for virtual remote onboarding in the home office, digital solutions are elementary in order to design a meaningful onboarding process.
The possible uses of digital tools are as diverse as the onboarding tasks themselves. Possible areas include, for example:
- Onboarding software that can be used to digitally map the entire onboarding process
- Company wiki to make general information about the company and processes centrally accessible
- E-learning software to teach contents on occupational safety, hygiene regulations, etc.
- Interactive product demonstrations showing the use of internally used applications
Tips for virtual remote onboarding
Due to the physical distance, virtual onboarding differs in some respects from classic onboarding. This fact should also be taken into account when developing the onboarding concept and the different requirements should be taken into account.
We give you some tips to make remote onboarding a success.
Communication is King
Well equipped - even outside the office
To ensure that the new colleagues are fully operational from day one, they should be equipped with everything they need for working in a home office or remotely from day one. On the one hand, this includes high-quality office furniture, above all ergonomic desks and office chairs. What else is needed to work productively (e.g. table lamp, mobile pedestal or similar) should be decided by each employee.
Besides an ergonomic workplace, the most important thing is the technical equipment. This usually includes a laptop, an additional monitor and a keyboard and mouse as basic equipment. What else is needed depends on the area of responsibility and must be clarified individually. The technical equipment includes all the necessary software programmes, such as the classic office programmes, video conferencing software and collaboration tools. In the best case, these are already pre-installed so that the "newcomers" can get started immediately.
With Lendis OS, equipping new employees is child's play. Using the software solution, your new colleagues select their desired equipment from a product portfolio defined by you with just a few clicks. Lendis then takes care of everything else and organises the equipment set-up, delivery and furniture assembly on site. You don't have to do anything else.
Personal Onboarding Buddy
Teaching how to deal with remote work
Not everyone is confident in dealing with remote work. For some, video conferencing and the digital exchange of information are still unfamiliar territory. But in a hybrid working world, meetings and digital collaboration can only be effective if every employee is familiar with the most important tools.
Accompanies new colleagues throughout the onboarding process
Of course, the topic of communication should not be limited to the initial period. Even if the first days have been successfully completed with many impressions, there should be a regular exchange with the new colleagues at every stage of onboarding. In the context of remote onboarding, it is advisable to hold discussions at shorter intervals.
Supervisors in particular should take the time to discuss open questions or problems in short pulse checks. This shows the new employees that they are noticed and are an important part of the team.