With 98% of employees saying they’d prefer to work remotely, at least some of the time, it’s clear that the desire for remote work remains strong. 

However, a remote workforce is not without its challenges, and one of the biggest can be creating a successful onboarding experience.  

If you fail to help new remote workers settle in, build relationships, and feel part of the company culture it increases the chance that they won’t stick around long. In fact, some studies suggest one-fifth of employee turnover occurs within 45 days of starting a new job.

A solid virtual onboarding process for remote team members will boost retention by ensuring the employees you hire will want to be a part of your company for the long haul. That’s why developing an effective onboarding plan is so important.

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My Own Remote Onboarding Experience

Since we are a global and remote-first company here at Remofirst, the onboarding experience has been a top priority for new hires. 

We want to ensure every new employee (or contractor) can feel comfortable, excited, and informed about how the company operates. 

When I first joined the company a few weeks back, I immediately had direct communication with our people team. And my manager gave me a warm welcome in our Slack channel to the entire organization, which was a nice introduction to the team. 

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While these things seem like common sense, you’d be surprised how broken the onboarding process for remote employees can be still. 

Now, let’s get into some tips and remote onboarding best practices to help your company provide a smooth onboarding experience for any new employees.

1. Send a Welcome Package

Set employees up for success on their first day by shipping a welcome package in advance of their start date. 

This shipment should include all of the tech hardware your new employee will need to get started on day one, such as a computer, monitor, mouse, keyboard, cables, laptop stand, adapters, etc. 

To start integrating new hires into your company culture the package should also include company swag, like a hat, T-shirt, or coffee mug. If you really want to go the extra mile, include some fun extras, like snacks or a bag of coffee.

Before the new hire’s first day, alert employees in your internal communications tools, such as Slack, that a new hire is joining the team and encourage them to give the new employee a warm welcome. 

The introduction should include some background information, such as name/role/location, but also some more personal details, like hobbies and interests. This will make it easier for employees with similar interests to reach out and virtually connect. 

2. Make it Easy to Set Up Tech

Avoid first-day delays by ensuring remote employees receive their passwords and credentials for email, the company intranet, and other essential platforms or apps in advance, such as an HRIS platform like HiBob or BambooHR or project management systems such as Jira or monday.com.

Even the most tech-savvy employees will likely have questions about setting up their equipment. To make the remote onboarding process as smooth as possible, have someone from IT on standby to help the new hire troubleshoot any technical issues. 

3. HR Orientation 

Schedule a call for new remote employees to connect with a member of the HR team as part of your onboarding program. 

Employees can use this time to provide any necessary documentation, such as an ID, fill out tax forms, direct deposit details, etc., and ask questions.

During this meeting, HR should provide employees with a link to the employee handbook, as well as an overview of: 

• Payroll schedule
• Holidays
• Benefits, such as health insurance and retirement plans
• PTO request process

Thoroughly outlining HR policies during onboarding is crucial for global teams employed across borders, especially as they will likely vary by country. 

4. Welcome Call With the Manager

The employee’s manager should schedule a video call with their new team member for their first day. 

This meeting should offer the onboarding employee a casual space to get to know their supervisor, discuss the employee’s role on the team, and answer questions.

It’s also helpful to hold regular check-ins throughout the onboarding process. 

For example, if an employee starts on Monday, schedule a check-in for Wednesday to see how things are going. Managers should also encourage employees to reach out through more informal channels, like Slack or Microsoft Teams, with any concerns.

After that, managers should schedule weekly one-on-one meetings with the new employee to stay connected, offer support, and answer questions.

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5. Introduce the Team

Within a day or two of their start day, schedule an introductory Zoom or Google Meet call so employees can virtually meet and greet their new colleagues and start to get a sense of everyone’s role. 

Ask new hires to schedule individual one-on-one meetings with their coworkers so they can get to know each other better, even if they work in different time zones. These introductory one-on-one meetings shouldn’t be limited to the immediate team.

Encourage the new employee to also meet with key stakeholders in other departments and in upper management.

Ask team members to stay in contact during the employee’s first few weeks to say hi, ask how they’re settling in, if they can answer any questions, etc. This will go a long way towards helping the new hire feel less lonely, more connected to their colleagues, and reduce anxiety about being “the new kid.” 

Assign someone from the team to act as a mentor/buddy that the employee can go to with questions as they learn the ropes of their new role.

Frequent communication is an invaluable way to build company culture and effective, supportive teams. One-on-one and team meetings are vital to making this happen in a remote environment. 

6. Set Communication Expectations

Share company best practices for communication, including expectations for response time, especially if your team works across multiple time zones. 

It can also be helpful to create a messaging communication guide.

For example, specify that employees should use email for client communication and formal internal updates, Slack for day-to-day discussions with colleagues, etc. This guide should also set expectations around when and how to let colleagues know about any impending out-of-office time. 

Another way to help connect remote employees is through social channels. For example, you could create Slack channels where employees can share photos of their pets, recipes, travel tips, etc.

7. Create Employee Goals and Milestones

To support new employees as they learn their roles, provide them with a roadmap with time-based goals and set clear expectations, such as:

• First day: Complete orientation and HR paperwork; meet with manager.
• First week: Schedule introductory calls with team members; confirm access to any necessary software, watch any mandatory training videos, such as IT security processes and anti-harassment policies.
• 30 days: Set performance goals with their manager and start to become a more integral part of the team.
• 60 days: Review and discuss the employee’s first two months of work and set longer-term goals.
• 90 days: Increase autonomy, encourage active involvement in team projects, and begin to think toward future development. Ask for any feedback on the onboarding process, and how it could be improved.

In addition, the first 30 days should include setting clear expectations regarding the employee’s responsibilities and deliverables. It’s also the time to go over any standard working norms already in place with your team.

8. Encourage Engagement 

Once your employee is fully integrated into the team, continue to provide opportunities for them to connect deeper with the company and its mission, such as:

• Continuous Learning: Promote chances for professional development and growth, such as attending webinars, online courses, training sessions, and conferences.
• Social Connections: Organize virtual social hours, icebreakers, meals, or team-building exercises like trivia nights or a speaker series to help remote employees connect, and improve their mental health.

Onboarding Remote Employees Made Easy 

For companies hiring a global remote team, onboarding new employees can be challenging. 

Setting up tech across borders, managing a global payroll in multiple currencies, and staying compliant with international employment laws can be complicated, not to mention confusing.

But it doesn't have to be challenging or expensive to navigate!

Partnering with an Employer of Record (EOR) like Remofirst makes the process much easier. An EOR acts as the employees’ legal employer, which includes shouldering all the human resource tasks for remote hires that can make managing global teams a challenge.