5 Tips to Successful Onboarding of Virtual Employees with 25+ Year Plastics Recruiter Tim Frick
First impressions are important. During onboarding and orientation, the speed, tone, and culture you set has a major impact on your company’s success. With an effective onboarding process, your new employees will feel comfortable, capable, and become more productive within a shorter period of time.
Most onboarding and orientation processes focus on copious amounts of information and paperwork. While this information is necessary, demanding this kind of attention to detail from your new hires for multiple hours typically results in immediate burnout and disengagement. At worst, this could even be enough for some new hires to leave the company. Effective and engaging onboarding can be the key to retaining your top-tiered new hires.
Implementing onboarding and employee orientation best practices can do more than boost morale– they can increase your business’ profitability. According to the Aberdeen Group, organizations with the best onboarding and orientation processes see a “60% greater annual improvement in revenue per full-time employee and a 63% greater annual improvement in customer satisfaction.”
Practice Lead of the Plastics Division Tim Frick reveals his 5 Tips for a successful onboarding including, how it is absolutely crucial to maintain regular contact with new hires between the time of their offer-acceptance of and their first day of work:
1.) Provide them with the proper technology. Make sure that your new hire’s technology is set up early and efficiently and provide them with access to their company email, company platforms and all other processes. Also, be sure they have access to videoconferencing and chat tools so that they can easily collaborate with other workers as they integrate into the company.
“Our fear of the unknown: It’s a totally new environment to them, different people, and different procedures than what they’ve been accustomed to”.
2.) Simplify access to information. Ensure new employees have easy access to the applications and data they need. Offer single sign-on to make it simple for them to access online accounts without having to remember complex passwords. Leverage technology to help them complete administrative paperwork. Also, create a virtual folder with company background information, team materials, a diagram of your organizational structure, healthcare and benefits information, and other important materials so that employees can find everything they need from a centralized place.
3.) Create virtual orientation sessions. Create a layout for your new hires first day. This should include videoconferencing sessions introducing them to the organization, their co-workers, and company leaders. Include training sessions about the company’s history; its mission, vision, and goals; its products and competitive landscape; and company policies. Provide new employees with the training they need to set up their laptop, use your organization’s technology, and troubleshoot any technology issues as they arise. As you develop this plan, try to make it personalized to the new hire and what will make them most comfortable.
“There’s a major chance that their previous employer will make them one or more counteroffers”.
4.) Set them up with a virtual buddy. Pairing your new hires with a virtual buddy or mentor gives them the opportunity to ask all of their questions, no matter how small. It also helps them learn more about the company culture, while speeding their time to full productivity. Make sure the buddy you assign proactively touches base with the new employee on a regular basis. They should also have the availability to quickly answer messages and jump on videoconferencing calls when needed.
“We’re creatures of habit who like our comfort zones so at times, candidates start second-guessing if they’ve made the right decision especially when there is a relocation and family involved that they have to uproot and move to a totally new area where they don’t know anyone”.
5.) Help them build connections. Working remotely makes it more difficult to build the relationships that naturally occur while present in a physical office. Help your new hires integrate into the company by making room for them to introduce themselves at team meetings and interact with their co-workers. Assign them projects that enable them to connect with others within the company. Also, create regular virtual team lunches, online happy hours, and other social events to encourage them to get to know their peers.
Bonus:
Solicit their feedback. Employee feedback can be a godsend as you adapt your onboarding program to a remote work environment. Survey your new hires at different intervals during their first 100 days on the job to understand what worked and what didn’t during their onboarding experience. And consider making these surveys anonymous so that you obtain candid responses. By gathering input from new hires, you’ll be able to accurately evaluate your remote onboarding program, fine tune your initiatives, and test out new ideas that can improve the onboarding experience over time.
To discuss your unique hiring needs and onboarding strategy for virtual hires, please fill out the Request an Employee form via this link
Sourcing information came from HERE
Founded in 2002, AllSearch is a privately held direct hire recruiting firm. AllSearch recruits and places skilled professionals on a direct hire basis in the fields of Manufacturing, Building Products & Construction, HVAC Sales & Mechanical Services and Industrial Sales & Management. AllSearch has a national reach, recruiting and placing skilled professionals in nearly every state and major market in the US, as well as internationally including Canada.
Contact: Jason E. Connors, Principal
Phone: 888-427-2977 x106
Website: www.AllSearchinc.com