How to Successfully Onboard New Remote Workers

The managerial and HR side of things presents unexpected challenges and onboarding can certainly be one of those hidden pitfalls.

15:22 29 November 2021

Starting a business is a trial-and-error experience like nothing else in life. Ask any entrepreneur about how many times they failed before striking success – it’s just the way of the world.

 

But trial and error go beyond building and selling products.

 

Oftentimes, the managerial and HR side of things presents unexpected challenges for young business people, and onboarding can certainly be one of those hidden pitfalls.

 

Onboarding is not only important for the smooth and seamless expansion of your teams, but it can also make or break the development of your entire business as you scale your operations to new heights.

 

Let’s talk about how to handle the onboarding process the right way, and learn some useful tips directly from business leaders who have done it all before.

 

Onboarding Fast and Slow

When building a business, time is your most precious asset, even more so than money, in some cases. That’s why companies are so eager to onboard new employees and hit the ground running, but this sometimes comes back to bite them.

 

“Stop trying to rush when onboarding new people, because that excess pressure usually ends up having the opposite effect than you intend,” said Alex Czarnecki, Founder and CEO of Cottage. “Time is the best investment you can make in someone, and just giving them the support they need in that ramping period is crucial. It’s not going to be perfect, but you will end up with a well-adjusted teammate you can rely on for the long haul.”

 

Other schools of thought suggest that businesses should accelerate the onboarding process for employees and just throw them into the fray.

 

“Get them up and running as soon as possible,” said Jean Gregoire, Founder and CEO of Lovebox. “It’s important for them to be able to dive right in and get acclimated to your company and their coworkers. If you’re on Slack, add them to the important channels, so they can get a sense of how you communicate, as well as understand what is going on. This will allow them to ask questions and start strong right out of the gate.”

 

Whether you choose the slow burn or the trial-by-fire method for onboarding, there will come a time where the rubber hits the road and new employees will have to pull their own weight.

 

“Try setting a date in the near future for when you expect a certain result or deliverable from a new employee, because this helps to put things in context for both of you,” said Dylan Trussell, Co-Founder of Culprit Underwear. “With your sights set on an objective, you can lean into the challenge and draw more from your resources and capabilities.”

 

Every business will have a different approach to onboarding, but these variables are a good place to start in terms of crafting or tweaking a policy from the ground up.

 

Onboarding Systems and Resources

Being available and eager to help is essential to onboarding employees for any role, but the world’s best businesses have systems firmly in place that accelerate and streamline the process from the very start.

 

This could mean providing resources, introducing new technologies, or connecting with other members of the staff to facilitate strong relationships out of the gate.

 

“Successfully onboarding a new remote worker is about speed and comfort, which requires eliminating uncertainty,” said Woody Sears, Founder of HearHere. “Make sure the technology required for their job is ready before their first day and provide a point person to guide them through the process. Combining a completed set-up with a human connection will lessen the stress, making them feel part of a team rather than an outsider in virtual space.”

 

For small companies, many of these resources are still in the works, or not yet available. This will result in some on-the-job training and a willingness to try out new things.

 

“In the startup world it’s all about making it work with what’s available to you at the time,” said Ann McFerran, CEO of Glamnetic. “You’ve got to provide as much information as possible to new employees, but also be okay with having them figure things out on their own. When you offer more leeway, some employees will thrive, while others may shy away from the extra responsibility. Go case by case and know when to offer more support if needed.”

 

An official onboarding process will need to come together at some point, so why not fake it ‘til you make it with a set of documents or charts that you find useful?

 

These resources may not be polished or 100% clear, but motivated employees will be able to sort through it all to find those relevant nuggets of info.

 

“Assemble a set of Google docs, PDFs, reports, or anything else you’ve accumulated over time that offers a picture of the company and department missions,” said Alvin Oommen, Founder and CEO of OXFORDhill. “Walk them through the workflows you use to get things done, and explain aspects of the process that aren’t obvious. Be okay with hand-holding for a time, and remember to be open to questions as they come up. The more positive dialogue you have, the quicker they’ll adjust and thrive.”

 

Keep Culture at the Forefront

Since companies are generally focused on the bottom line, they can forget about the positive atmosphere that brought the business success in the first place.

 

When onboarding new workers, managers and leaders must harness that original sense of enthusiasm and convey it to great effect.

 

“We reinforce our culture every chance we get,” said Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase. “Our business principles are at the forefront of everything we do, and we need to make these principles part of every major conversation at the company – from the hiring, onboarding, and training of new recruits to town halls and management meetings to how we reward and incentivize our people.”

 

Everyone has their own style and approach to navigating a new workplace, of course. This means that communication is a top priority when onboarding someone, learning more about who they are and how they work.

 

“Some new employees are super eager to shake hands with everyone in the place and are outgoing beyond belief,” said Cody Candee, Founder and CEO of Bounce. “Other folks are much more reserved and like to hang back and observe the space before they assert themselves in any meaningful way. As the person guiding the onboarding process, it’s your job to gauge the vibe of the individual and guide them through it smoothly.”

 

When culture starts to decline, so does the onboarding process. A shaky onboarding could mean it’s time to go back to the drawing board and get to the root of a persistent problem.

 

“Effective onboarding is ultimately a function of attention to detail and truly caring about the other person and the organization as a whole,” said Michael Hennessy, Founder and CEO of Diathrive.

 

“If those things begin to slip, you’re going to see ripple effects throughout the workplace, and new employees won’t be enthused or empowered as they should. Therefore, onboarding is one of those keystones to culture we must all account for.”

 

A strong onboarding policy will generate momentum for the company as well, infusing a new burst of energy and fresh ideas into the environment with each new hire.

 

Conversely, a company with poor onboarding will struggle to even get off the ground as new employees continue to struggle to get up to speed.

 

“Working remotely can feel isolating, so using a buddy system for new hires can help them feel more connected during their onboarding process,” said Nathalie Walton, Co-Founder and CEO of Expectful. “Assign another employee who has been with the company for a while to help guide them through their first few weeks. This can help new hires have a mentor to talk to about issues they’re encountering or how they’re feeling about the onboarding process.”

 

Any successful entrepreneur will tell you straight up: onboarding matters more than you think!

 

Track, Improve, and Refine the Process

High-performance companies are always on the quest for improvement, from product research to marketing and sales. Onboarding is yet another business component in need of evolution and refinement over time.

 

After every new hire is initiated, managers should review the onboarding process from front to back to assess metrics like speed, efficiency, use of tech, and information retention.

 

The more quickly a business improves its onboarding techniques, the faster it will be able to recruit promising new candidates from the pipeline to productive contributors.

 

“Effective onboarding has a measurable ROI,” said Tawni Cranz, Chief Talent Officer at Netflix.

 

“The return comes not only through decreased turnover costs but by increasing employee productivity and improving customer satisfaction. Furthermore, studies have shown that companies that invest in onboarding experience 2.5 times the revenue growth and 1.9 times the profit margin of companies that don’t.”

 

There is also a huge interpersonal aspect to onboarding that can’t be forgotten. Team leaders should open up discussions with new hires to hear their feedback about the onboarding process and get every possible perspective.

 

“New employees can often end up teaching you things you never knew, or reveal glaring flaws in your business that needed to be addressed,” said Justin Chan, Growth Manager at JuneShine. “Never ignore feedback from new employees, because they often have the sharpest insights.”

 

Don’t let another quarter pass without improving your business’ onboarding methods and resources! This is one aspect of your company with an outsized potential for real results.