Procedures for Onboarding Remote Employees During COVID-19

Best practices for welcoming remote employees and setting them up for success

Great employee onboarding can improve retention by 82%. Companies that make employees feel welcome, enact smooth procedures, communicate openly, and establish goals early will have a greater chance of success with new hires.

Many organizations are currently forced to onboard remotely, which poses unique challenges for everyone involved. Here are some actionable tips for improving the process and giving remote employees a better experience:

Remote onboarding processes:

• I-9 verification: Employers are required to verify an employee’s identity and authorization to legally work in the U.S. within three days of hire. The Department of Homeland Security allows this process to be done electronically for remote hires. However, there still needs to be an authorized representative who can “physically examine” and verify the employee’s documents. In light of the current pandemic, however, there are temporary changes to the policy to accommodate in-person delays.

• Introduction and establishing goals: New employees should always meet with their direct manager on their first day in the office, and a remote first day should be no different. Set up a video conference to officially welcome them to the team and establish goals for the first week. These objectives should include introductions with the team, reviewing company policies, and training on specific applications.

  72% of employees say that individual time with their manager is the most important part of onboarding. So, establish regular one-on-one meetings to check-in and provide regular feedback. These conversations should be more frequent for the first couple of weeks to address any questions as quickly as possible.

• Team intros and mentorship: Set up regular group video conferences, so offsite hires feel connected and get to know everyone. Make sure they have access to any shared workspaces, project management software, and chat applications so they can easily communicate.

  55% of employees turn to their peers when learning something new, so consider setting the new employee up with a mentor. Having access to someone who knows the ropes will rapidly increase their proficiency and make the transition much easier.

• Communicate the culture: Getting remote employees acclimated to the company culture is one of the most challenging aspects of onboarding from afar. Many organizations send new hires a welcome package that includes items they’d typically give to an in-house employee on their first day. Essentials include a company FAQ sheet, information about the core values and mission, and essential contact information or directory resources.

  Send an email to the company welcoming the new employee as well. Encourage everyone to reach out, introduce themselves, and try to make the new team member feel at home.

• IT support and technology: Send your new hire the hardware they need about a week in advance so they can hit the ground running. Use FedEx or a similar provider, so you have a tracking number and estimated delivery times. If you are not providing equipment, a virtual desktop infrastructure can allow the employee to use their own hardware to access your company's systems and files securely. For more detail on these options, read our previous blog on remote onboarding tech tips.

  Give new hires sufficient guidance on setting up their logins and profiles in the appropriate applications. Set up a call with IT on the first day to make sure things are running smoothly.

Onboarding remote employees successfully requires creative processes and solutions. Stay tuned for more tips on onboarding and managing remote workers. And, again, check out our specific guidance on valuable technology resources for new team members.

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