Your new employees’ first day should involve that “love at first sight” feeling. It’s one of those scenarios where first impressions truly matter. This is especially important for remote onboarding, as you can’t simply tour them around the office, highlight all the best spots, and introduce them to everyone all at one.
A smooth first day can set them up for long-term success—and you know what the opposite can lead to. Remote onboarding stakeholders need a well-thought-out strategy.
In this guide, we’ll explore how to perfect your day one for new hires and offer a breakdown of remote onboarding dos and don’ts.
The Dos: Set Your Remote Employees Up for Success
According to 2024 statistics from G2, a “great” onboarding process can improve employee retention and work performance by up to 82% and over 70%, respectively. Just imagine the positive impact it can have on both the well-being of the employee and the entire business.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that remote onboarding has to be complicated, but it does require intentionality.
Here’s how to get it right:
Have a Structured Onboarding Plan
Onboarding remote employees should never be what the HR team decides to do on a whim that day. What eliminates all the guesswork is a structured plan, which should include clear schedules, a pre-boarding checklist, and a warm welcome (maybe a warm cup of coffee, too, or a gift card to order one). You can outline the first week with meetings, training, and regular check-ins, while the checklist should include the following:
- Contracts and other key documents
- IT equipment setup instructions
- A detailed job description and performance metrics that align with it
- Training materials
Assign an Onboarding Buddy
It’s normal for new employees to feel a little isolated on their first day. The best way to combat this is by using a buddy system, where a tenured employee—preferably on the same team—can be the go-to person for any questions related to work and the company.
That’s how informal and insider knowledge can be passed on to new members and make them feel like they’re already part of the team.
The designated buddy can also be assigned simple tasks like daily/weekly check-ins and informal calls to discuss best practices and unwritten rules.
Provide Early Access to Tools, Equipment, and Accounts
Nothing kills momentum like waiting days for logins, IT hardware, or email access. IT and HR teams should always ensure that:
- All logins, software, and equipment are provided before day one.
- Any devices are delivered on time, both ready to use and pre-configured.
- Employees have a simple IT guide to prevent or minimize setup issues.
Make It Engaging
The last thing you want is to bore your new employees, and that’s where remote onboarding can get tricky. Start by hosting simple virtual team lunches, icebreakers or games, and interactive training sessions to make things a bit more enjoyable.
Don’t forget to keep meetings and interactions a safe space where new hires feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. Managers and meeting participants can promote these spaces by actively inviting their opinions, especially on important matters.
The Don’ts: Common Mistakes in Remote Onboarding
Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to slip up during remote onboarding. Here’s what to avoid:
- Overwhelming them with too much information at once: They’ll simply forget everything if you do this. Instead, you can space out training sessions over several weeks, offer bite-sized learning modules, and provide a knowledge hub where employees can accomplish training at their own pace.
- Assuming employees will “figure it out”: Your new hires will appreciate properly assigned points of contact for different types of issues and offer strategized learning pathways.
- Neglecting company culture: It’s not all about game rooms and free snacks. Ensure that new hires are exposed to company values and mission, engagement opportunities, and social channels for more casual interactions.
Most importantly, don’t be afraid to re-onboard.
It doesn’t mean all of your efforts failed, but there can be telltale signs that the remote onboarding was ineffective, such as underperformance, disengagement, and frequent confusion. The key here is to revisit and refine your onboarding process or key steps for better alignment.
As you can see, providing a hitch-free first day can be difficult, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. A productive, more engaged employee will always mean one thing for businesses in the end: better ROI.
Yet, why stop there? You can make remote onboarding even simpler with a better approach to IT asset management (ITAM). Here’s how it can make the process simpler for stakeholders:
- Seamless IT provisioning: New hires get the right equipment on time.
- Security and compliance: Proper access controls protect company data.
- Tracking IT assets remotely: Knowing who has what device prevents loss.
- Elimination of IT and HR roadblocks: Prevents delays, lost assets, and security risks.
Get Remote Onboarding Right
Looking to improve your remote onboarding experience? Improve your remote onboarding and ITAM strategy with Dots for a hassle-free, streamlined process that sets your new hires up for success. Book a demo today!
