5 ways to onboard remote employees

The pandemic-era workplace means you may need to adapt your onboarding experience for your new employees.

As COVID-19 continues to keep work practices more flexible and many employees doing some work remotely, your business may need to adapt your HR processes.

According to Australian workplace solutions company Flare, the type of onboarding program you have may improve your new hire retention and increase new-hire productivity.

Here is a five-step process that Flare has provided to help you get your new hires onboarded remotely.

1. Start with pre-boarding

The purpose of pre-boarding is to get your new hires up-to-speed before they start their new roles and prevent them feeling overwhelmed on their first day.

Pre-boarding activities can include:

• Filling out documents such as employment contracts and superannuation information
• Reviewing benefits options
• Collecting personal information to help the team get to know your new employee.

Effective pre-boarding can improve first-year employee retention by as much as 80%, research shows.¹

2. Create a warm welcome experience

Once you have the pre-boarding logistics squared away, it can be a good idea to focus on the welcome experience your new employee will have on their first day. In the absence of being able to greet them in person, it can be important to find other ways to make them feel confident and motivated about their new job.

First day ideas may include:

• Sending a welcome card that’s been digitally signed by the CEO, their manager, and their new team members
• Gifting the new hire with a prepaid card to their neighbourhood cafe
• Hosting a virtual welcome party with the team
• Shipping a ‘welcome pack’ that contains some of the personal information, such as favourite music or snacks, that you have discovered about your new employee during preboarding.

3. Establish a support system

To make sure your new employee feels supported from day one, it’s important to establish who they can turn to if they have questions, need help, or how they can feel more integrated into the company. Ways to set up these systems can include:

• Provide your new employee with a designated buddy as their go-to person if they have any questions, need someone to chat with over a virtual lunch, or simply want to learn more about the company
• Create an employee digital communication for new hires that contains helpful resources and is a dedicated space where new employees can feel safe asking questions
• Encourage the new hire’s manager to check in with them frequently during the first 30 days to make sure the transition is going smoothly.

4. Run induction sessions

Virtual induction sessions can be helpful for your new employee to understand the different aspects of your business. It can allow them to meet with different leaders within the business, put faces to names, and better understand how your business operates.

These induction sessions can also help your new employee develop a clearer view of how their specific role contributes to the broader mission of your company, recognise that they’re a valuable part of the organisation, and find greater meaning in their work.

5. Collect feedback

Remember that your onboarding process doesn’t end after 30 or 60 days. Through surveys and listening to your new hires about their experience, you can continuously improve your processes as well as keep your employees engaged.

We’re here to help

We aim to help make your super obligations easy and support your new employees with their superannuation. Whether you are after a printed pack or digital resources to support your onboarding process, we have information available that can be easily included in your program.

Please give our Employer Support team a call on 1300 367 845.

1. Zhang, H and Feinzig, S, July 2017,IBM Collaboration and Talent Management Solutions, Should I stay or should I go? Global insights into employees’ decisions to leave their jobs, at ibm.com

The opinions expressed and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the QSuper Board. No responsibility is taken for the accuracy of any of the information supplied and you should seek advice for your circumstances.