Remote onboarding in lockdown

The saying “You only have one chance to make a first impression” holds true in many situations, from job interviews to sales calls.

Making initial judgments and forming opinions have evolved over millennia, as our human brains are wired to influence us, to create these feelings for survival.

Similarly, first impressions in the workplace can often shape long-term reputations and perceptions quite easily, especially in the first few weeks. So it is important to make sure these encounters are as positive as possible.

With the shift to remote work, traditional work cultures are being tested, so creating a remote work sub-culture where employees have an unconditional feeling of connection and support should be a priority, especially in remote on boarding during a lockdown. Without human face-to-face contact, incidental ‘water cooler’ moments and learning through osmosis; remotely onboarding new starters to any business can be disastrous, if it is not implemented correctly.

As I have recently remotely onboarded two new recruitment consultants into my team during a lockdown,  I’ve jotted down my thoughts on how to be as effective as possible:

• Technology – 1 week before start date, send out IT hardware, manuals and a welcome pack of company branded merchandise (if available) to the new person.
• Welcome letter – before the first day, the Manager to send a letter welcoming them to the business.
• Preboarding – Collaborate with the IT department, remotely set up their home office and IT equipment, making sure all logins are activated and working effectively before their first day.
• Training program - Create a comprehensive 2-week training schedule with the commitment from the existing team to deliver the training. Tailor the training program depending on the experience for each new position. Share, set up and prioritise all these training sessions and stick to the allocated time slot to create a good impression.
• Communicate – You can never underestimate the power of communication and making yourself available for a new starter by offering ongoing support. As a minimum, the Manager should check in at the beginning and end of every day to set expectations.
• Social – Use video to introduce the team and ask existing team members to complete incidental check ins to create personal connections.
• Start small – Give your new team member small goals to achieve during their first two weeks of training. Do not overwhelm them with large deliverables before they are trained up to do the job.
• Checklist - Have a checklist of tasks with estimated completion dates and actual completed dates so both the Manager and new team member can both track progress.
• Feedback – Often training can be one sided, with the trainer talking ‘at’ the new starter when delivering content. Be careful not to fall into this trap.  Give the new starter an opportunity to engage, ask questions and ask for feedback.

A careless onboarding process creates a negative first impression and overall onboarding should be seen as an investment in the long-term success of new people. Those who have a positive experience whilst being onboarded will have increased tenure, be more productive and collaborative, and have a better impression of the organisation that they have chosen to join.