Societal and business shutdowns resulting from COVID-19 have triggered a sea change in the workplace.

As lockdowns proliferated in the spring of 2020, companies across the United States shifted employees from in-office settings to in-home work. Even as lockdown restrictions have lifted to varying degrees around the country, many companies that can have employees work remotely are continuing the practice as a precaution against viral spread.

Indeed, research from Gartner found that 74% of companies that responded to a recent survey said they expect some of their employees to continue working from home after the pandemic ends. That could be well received by workers, 99% of whom responded to another survey saying they’d like to continue working remotely at least part of the time for the rest of their careers.

The proliferation and staying power of remote work has benefits, but it also presents potential challenges to successfully onboarding a new hire who’s located off-site. To get remote onboarding right, human resources experts say you need to take a highly focused, strategic approach. Here are some of their best tips.

Provide an onboarding manual: Have this in digital/downloadable form. Stephanie H. Nelson, founder and managing consultant of Chicago-based human resources consulting firm BlueFire HR, says the manual could include a detailed job description; an outline of 90-day goals; an overview of the new hire’s department and goals; organization and strategy for the year; calendar of important dates, holidays and more; checklist of who to meet with and deadlines; a 45-day check-in benchmark; and details on other processes and procedures unique to the organization. “We develop these manuals for all our clients,” Nelson explains. “The manuals allow for the new hire to be a bit more autonomous from the start.”  

Stephanie H. Nelson, BlueFire HR

Communicate regularly: “Quality, consistent communication is the number one criteria in onboarding,” says Nelson. “If a new hire or even a current employee isn’t being communicated with regularly, they could feel isolated and unwelcome, which never bodes well for retention. You can never reach out to a new hire enough.”

Create an onboarding schedule: To ensure proper communication and training occur, Jeanette Rhodunda (pictured on the right) suggests that you stick to a clearly defined schedule for onboarding the employee. Companies should create a full two-week training schedule that’s filled with trainings, meetings, downtime, daily one-on-one check-ins and other relevant activities, says Rhodunda, executive director of ASI University, part of the human resources department of the Advertising Specialty Institute (Counselor’s parent company and the largest membership organization in the promo products industry). Each day should be mapped out between the 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. timeframe, she says.

“Avoid too much down time,” says Rhodunda. “And, don’t leave them hanging. As a manager, be sure to check in with them each morning and afternoon to seek feedback and provide support.”

Beyond that two-week plan, managers should have 30-, 60- and 90-day goals for new hires. The objectives should be made clear to the employee, and there should be benchmarks for checking in on progress along the way. “There is no excuse to not outline at least 90-day expectations or weekly/daily objectives,” says Nelson. “There are so many project management tools that allow for teams to be aligned – that truly give direction to the individual and organizations/departments.”

Use digital communication tools: Of course, interaction with a remotely located worker is going to have to occur through digital channels. It’s essential that onboarders are experts in using the programs/tools through which they’re going to be conducting training, check-ins, meetings and the like with the new hire. Rhodunda says that Microsoft Teams, Facetime, Skype or another method of video communication are useful for digitally interacting with remote employees.

Ensure documents are digital: For onboarding a remote employee, it’s essential that an organization digitizes its documents, Nelson says. “Whether handbooks, guides, manuals, employee files, forms or something else, you cannot be remote without digitizing documents,” she adds. For help with this and more, Nelson notes that some companies choose to go with HR-specific solutions such as Zenefits, a cloud-based software-as-a-service that helps companies manage human resources, including streamlining onboarding. Another option is Gusto, a company that provides cloud-based payroll, benefits and human resource management software. 

Make introductions and socialization a priority: While the employee is situated remotely, they’re still part of a team – and it’s imperative to make them feel that way. As such, Rhodunda recommends that you host video introductions with as many co-workers as possible to ensure the new hire knows who to turn to for specific needs – and so they can establish rapport with colleagues and build up their comfort level. It’s not all about work interaction, though. “Make time for socialization,” says Rhodunda. Plan virtual “team luncheons and happy hours to allow for the new hire to get to know their co-workers on a personal level.”

Help the new hire with best work-from-home practices: “The biggest pitfall is assuming the remote worker knows how to work remotely,” says Nelson. “Some employees are fabulous at it. Others need guidance.” Provide employees with defined expectations on everything from work hours to how to stay focused, manage time, disengage from work and more.