Episode 44. 3 Tips for Virtual Onboarding During COVID-19
Staff Researcher: Kacie Byard
Virtual Onboarding Is Tricky
How do you connect with new hires that you’ve never associated with physically? Never gave an office tour to, never stood in the same room as never shook hands with, and have never even met face-to-face? Onboarding during a pandemic has presented a new set of challenges for businesses.
Despite COVID-19’s negative effect on the job market, sixty-percent of companies have hired at least one employee since the beginning of the pandemic according to new research from The Manifest (Manifest, 2020). You are not alone, CEO! It may feel like a strange time for growth, but you are adaptable. In the next few minutes, we’re going to uncover a few key tips for successful onboarding during COVID-19.
COVID has created uncertainty and chaos across a variety of businesses, which means having a clear and structured onboarding process is more important than ever before. Today, I’m going to walk you through the key tips necessary to ensure a smooth, seamless, and successful virtual onboarding process. Let’s dive into the most crucial tips for successful virtual onboarding during COVID.
TIP 1: MAKE IT COUNT, LITERALLY
Virtual onboarding should never be a “one-and-done” video session or phone call (Maurer, 2020). Onboarding should take place in bursts over a workweek in order to fully immerse employees and to answer any and all questions. Make it a memorable, positive experience for new hires. Educate them on the voice of the company, its values, and where you’re headed. Allow new hires to feel heard and seen, even behind the screen! A major concern during the remote onboarding process is that new hires may feel neglected by their new company. A thorough, detailed onboarding process will help avoid that situation.
TIP 2: STRESS THE STRUCTURE
Consistent messaging and structure are key. Create a scheduled calendar of training sessions, set up one-on-one meetings with management, develop an-all team presentation, and possibly a virtual happy hour so new hires can mingle with colleagues in a more casual setting. This will help new hires feel organized, connected and familiarized with the company. Make sure the training sessions are broken into bite-size segments with plenty of breaks, as multi-hour training sessions may not translate well over videoconferencing (Onboarding, 2020). Structure will instill confidence in new employees that your company has its stuff together and that new hires are a priority. Structure also addresses being well prepared for trainings, including having technology and paperwork in place and ready to go. Strive to give off a professional and polished aura.
TIP 3: DON’T PUT NEW HIRES IN THE CORNER
The importance of follow-up is crucial in a remote setting. Employees can slip into the abyss while working from home if there is a lack of communication. Schedule check-ins so management can follow-up with new employees and continue to answer questions and provide guidance. Provide new hires applicable online resources including the company website, company mission, vision documents, etc. so they are able to review, digest, and come back to management with thoughtful questions. Setting 30-day goals is an innovative way to motive new employees to hit the ground running. Also, put thought into how the new hire can best help the company right now, based on the organization’s mission and current priorities (Onboarding, 2020).
Onboarding should be a lengthier, more memorable process for virtual employees rather than a “one-and-done” grueling day filled with an abundance of information. The key to virtual onboarding is to ensure new hires are informed, connected, and engaged. Be present, validate, and answer their questions and provide them the tools needed to spread their wings.
Plan an engaging and all-encompassing training schedule, create trainings that are organized and informational, and develop follow-up sessions with employee or department-specific goals to boost morale and drive
