Onboarding When Everyone’s Remote

Usually, an employee’s first day includes tours of the office, face-to-face meetings with team members and management, and maybe even a lunch with their team lead. So how can you onboard employees if everyone’s working from home? It can first be helpful to streamline the process. According to Sapling, the average new hire has somewhere in the neighborhood of 54 activities to complete during their onboarding experience. If onboarding processes slow down a new employee’s ramp-up time or their ability to perform their job, turnover wouldn’t be unlikely. Managers also need to understand that even though you’re not in physical proximity of one another, one-on-one interaction with a new hire is absolutely critical. Nearly three-quarters of employees surveyed by Endboarder said one-on-one time with their direct manager was the most important aspect of the pre- and onboarding process for them. Unfortunately, this aspect is often overlooked by human resources because they assume the company’s leadership already knows that. Education in this regard is key to ensuring everyone is on the same page.