The culture of remote working has taken the world by storm ever since it first became necessary in 2020. Today, as much as 99% of the population claims they would prefer to work from home (at least on a part-time basis) for the rest of their careers.
But while there are many mutual benefits that both employees and employers can reap from a remote working model, it can have a complicated effect on other parts of job processing, such as onboarding. Especially when it comes to team-based occupations like software development.
If you are an HR rep, recruiter, or remote developer, you may be looking for some guidance on how to approach onboarding in this new way of corporate life. To help you out, we’ve put together a remote onboarding checklist that you can use as a guide.
How Remote Onboarding Differs From In-Person Onboarding
Onboarding remote employees, as opposed to regular employees who come to the office, requires a completely different approach to the onboarding process. The main difference is a matter of visibility.
Unlike in-person employees, remote employees may often find themselves alone in their new role, causing anxiety, uncertainty, and a sense of isolation. This means there needs to be a much bigger, more impactful implementation phase for new remote working recruitments.
When you join a new company as an in-office employee, you get a new desk, meet your co-workers face-to-face, and have a much more direct link to help or support if you need it.
Furthermore, in-office employees are often put through the onboarding process alongside other new employees, giving them a sense of community and stability in their new role. This can increase confidence and make the employees feel more at ease.
Remote newbies, on the other hand, are handed a very different onboarding experience.
They are tasked with setting up their own office, workstations and technology, building connections from a purely virtual perspective, and navigating their new roles with comparably little direct support from managers.
In the field of development, onboarding is particularly crucial due to the high expectations surrounding technical set-up. New development hires may even need help simply figuring out how to start performing their job, let alone sustain it over time.
It is becoming crucial for those implementing the onboarding process to develop a new program that meets the needs of this unique type of employee. With the following onboarding tips, you can create a streamlined process that helps everyone feel supported.
Your Remote Onboarding Checklist To Survive The 2020s
When it comes to onboarding remote employees, you’re going to need a different strategy than what has been used in the past. Remote working culture isn’t going anywhere, and the sooner adjustments are made to this crucial corporate process, the better.
With this remote onboarding checklist, you can make both your own and your new employee’s lives much easier – now and moving forward.
1. Create A Comprehensive Welcome Program
Emphasis on the “comprehensive”. This is a great opportunity to really review your current onboarding training program and look for ways to extend its potential for employee support.
In addition to the standard onboarding information, a comprehensive program should include:
- Video conference with all team members and superiors
- All-encompassing guide of company history and milestones
- A break-down of the company culture
- Upcoming projects or events to be aware of
Leave no stone left unturned. The aim here is to provide your new hire with as much useful information as possible while ensuring they feel sufficiently included as part of the team.
2. Assign Mentors
Mentorship is a fantastic way to help new employees adjust into their new roles and encourage them to feel supported whenever an issue arises. There are an abundance of benefits that employees will enjoy when they receive support from a mentor, but new hires could probably use them the most.
Being assigned a mentor will not only help them feel more at ease with respect to their job, but it can also play a major role in their mental and emotional self-esteem. Just knowing that there is one designated person they can turn to can make the world of a difference for a remote new hire.
3. Use The Right Tools
If your mission is to become a remote onboarding specialist, bear in mind that you don’t have to do it alone. There are plenty of software tools out there designed to help support this entire process.
There are welcome kit tools, checklist tools, survey tools, chatbot tools, e-signature tools, and so much more available online that you can use to facilitate a more thorough and effective onboarding program.
4. Permit Pair Programming
Pair programming is a great way for new development hires to acclimatize into their new jobs. If mentors are not at your disposal, consider partnering up pairs of new employees to undergo the training process together and work on the same projects as a team.
This approach will help each employee to feel a lot less alone in their role and can help them feel more comfortable asking questions, hopping onto group video calls, etc.
5. Ask For Feedback
When you’re a new hire, asking for help can feel really scary. But if there is an open line of dialogue between supervisors and new recruits, asking for support becomes a lot easier. Holding frequent virtual Q&A sessions with your new employees is a powerful way to show them you care about their transition.
Having a specifically allocated time period to raise important questions or seek information on an issue they are experiencing forms a big part of the modern onboarding coordinator remote system.
Making Working Remotely Work
Having a streamlined remote onboarding process, especially for developers, is critical for the transition into a healthy remote work culture in the current era. Whether you are an HR rep or a development manager, re-evaluating the way you approach onboarding is necessary for making these important changes.
Kunai offers high-end consultation, support, and solutions for companies working in the technological sphere. If you’re looking for ways to improve your internal or external system processes, Kunai can provide you with the direction and input that you need. Get in touch with us today and find out how we can help you.