When we talk about our first day of work, most of us would recall it as a day of anxiety, adventure, and much more. Many of us are thinking about the challenges that we would face in the time to come. On the other hand, many are eager to meet the new people they are going to meet. All in all, it is a day filled with mystery, anxiousness, and curiosity. Now picture if your first day was from a remote setting. It can mount up and add more pressure on the people just joining in.
With the new advancements and technologies, companies can now hire remote team from anywhere in the world. Since the model offers them multiple benefits, they are embracing it with open arms. However, remote working might be something that many of your employees might experience for the first time.
On your first day of joining, a face-to-face interaction reduces stress and tension for the new joining. Unfortunately, that privilege is not there in a remote setting. Though video conferences are a good alternative, they can replace the feeling of having personal interaction.
Regardless of an onsite setting or a remote setting, there is no doubt that the first day is a bit difficult for the majority of us. Therefore, companies need to welcome new hires to ease some pressure on them. And in this article, we would be covering the five ways to welcome your employees after bringing them on board.
1 – Create A Proper Remote Onboarding Plan
Without proper planning, the majority of the things in this world are bound to fail. The same is the case when creating an onboarding plan for new remote employees. By developing an onboarding plan, you would make it much easier for you and your employee to know each other.
Once you hire a remote team, then that is the time that you need to develop a plan. To make your new employee give a feeling of respect and recognition, you must prepare for their digital orientation beforehand. You need to establish a program to support them to fit into the team and become familiar with their duties.
The plan should be built by taking considerations from HR and the relevant department head/manager. Also, it needs to include all the roles and responsibilities of the new employees. Moreover, you can add the expectations that you have from the new employee.
It will work as a benchmark for your employee that he has to achieve. It would give him clear guidelines regarding the work that you want him to do.
2 – Have A Video Call to Introduce Them to The Team
Sometimes you need to do more than by just simply sending an email. It is essential to foster connection among the team to work with harmony and cohesion. And that is possible only by conducting a video conference.
Since your team would be working remotely, the new employee can’t have physical interaction with other employees. But this does not mean that you can’t introduce them to the team. Conducting a video conference can be an excellent way of introducing them to the team.
Doing this would help the new worker add a face and a personality in the minds of his team. It is vital since they would be working with the rest of the group. Though you can’t bring the entire company to the call, have a small conference with the relevant team.
You can schedule calls with the other departments as well that would have a link with the employee. Little actions like this will go a long way toward helping a new hire feel welcome. It would develop the feeling that they are a part of the community.
3 – Arrange Meetups for Employees
Though it would be difficult to arrange a meetup for the entire team, you can always get some of your employees to meet. You can always ask your remote employees that are closer to the new employee to meet them. If they are in the same town or city, then you can arrange a meetup between them.
A simple lunch would do the trick for you. By organizing fun activities for remote employees like these help new hires feel like they are a member of the group. Moreover, it will allow your remote colleagues to meet in person. So, it would be better if you seized the opportunity to foster cooperation among your remote employees.
4 – Arrange Some Fun Activities for Remote Employees
As mentioned earlier that arranging a lunch between your remote employees can be a great fun activity for the new remote employees. But there are many other fun activities that you can set for your remote employees.
Since the majority of the people are working remotely, there would be no team bonding activities. Even a small chat around the water cooler would be something missing. And all of this is necessary for the new employee to blend with the team.
Therefore, the need to have activities for remote employees is something you should focus on. Employees must be willing to enjoy the experience of working with each other, even if it is virtually, to perform at their best.
The best activity could be having a happy hour to talk about things apart from work. Also, you can even play the truth or dare game virtually. Each one of your employees can get a turn to choose from doing to a dare or tell the truth. It will aid in the development of inside jokes and the creation of a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere for your remote staff.
5 – Feedback on The Onboarding Plan
Though you might think you have the best onboarding plan, there can still be room for improvement. Also, there can be a few areas where you lack or were not able to perform expected. So, what best way to find those weaknesses is through taking feedback from your new employees.
You can check on them about the flaws in the entire plan or what they think were missing. It will help you in the future to keep in mind when creating an onboarding plan. If you begin to receive identical reviews and suggestions from many recruits, it’s likely time to make changes to enhance the orientation and training procedure in the future.
That’s All, Folks
And there you have it. These are the five ways to bring onboard your remote employees. With the ever-changing working environment, one thing is for sure that remote working is the future of work. Many companies are now adopting the model considering the benefits that it offers.
For many, it has come as a blessing in disguise. Employees now don’t have to worry about commuting to the office daily. They can save money and time, which they can spend with their families. So, this indicates how remote working can be beneficial for both the employees and employers.
As a business, if you still haven’t incorporated remote working, then now is the time to start thinking about it. New technologies and tools make it much easier to hire remote team from any part of the world.
And if you need help in building a remote team, you can always take the help of remote agencies. Many remote agencies can help you make an agile and robust team in no time. All you need to do from your side is to let them know about your project requirement, and they would hire a team for you. So, if you want to save yourself from the hassle, then partner with a remote agency to elevate your business.
