Blog > Onboarding

Remote Onboarding Tips from the Crowd

Mar 23, 2020
Remote Onboarding Tips from the Crowd

A huge number of employers have been forced to switch to 100% remote work environments. For some this transition is easier that others. Onboarding new hires remote is uncharted territory. We at HR Lancers scoured the socials last week to see what people were saying on how they were coping. Hopefully you find this roundup insightful.

Michelle Fivel from the law firm Major, Lindsey & Africa said on LinkedIn: "There is a tremendous desire in the legal recruiting community to connect and to hear what their counterparts are doing at other firms; Firms are onboarding new attorneys remotely and the process has been running seamlessly with platforms such as WebEx, BlueJeans, Zoom and DocuSign; Firms are continuing to interview candidates and the whole process is being conducted virtually; Firms are beginning to assess what practices will be most sought after by their clients in this swiftly changing market."

Tim Salau; CEO of Guide says onboarding remote employees does NOT have to be a hassle. Here are some ways to make your new employees feel welcome:

1. Send a welcome package in the mail.

2. Assign them a peer mentor during onboarding.

3. Implement a chatbot to address simple questions.

4. Provide a training schedule. Bringing on new employees in a remote team can still be supportive even if it’s done from a distance.

Alex DiMango, Innovation Leader for Limehome says the majority of their tech team was already "remote first" and offer a fully remote onboarding experience. "We have all of our onboarding materials in a digital format, on Asana, Gitlab Wiki or Gsuite. We also have a Day 1 welcome where the whole team that is dedicated to providing support via Slack, Email, and calls during the early part of on-boarding. The feedback from our new employees has improved significantly as a result of this approach."

ZX Ventures wrote about their remote onboarding experiences on LinkedIn as well. Two of those tips are below.

  • Assign them a "Buddy": At ZXV, our new hires are matched with Z-buds, who serve as a resource and sounding board for the new hire, answer any questions about working at ZX Ventures, provide helpful tips and tricks, and offer insights and perspectives as the new hire acclimates. Buddies can schedule weekly virtual coffee breaks with their new hires.
  • Team Lunch/Happy Hour: Consider sending your team credits for alcohol delivery services (like Minibar, Drizly, Hopt, BeerPods etc)  then host a virtual happy hour to welcome your new team member.

Keep in mind your new employee's first experience will be an important virtual one. Here's what Doist says to keep an eye on: "Rather than stepping into an office, your new team member will login through your company’s team communication tool. This is their first introduction to the wider team, so ensure your team’s conversations are organized to make catching up easy. This way, new team members can go back and get up to date about what’s transpired at a company before they began."

MORE TIPS FROM TWITTER