Virtual Onboarding Process And Tips

In many aspects, Covid-19 has made the business sector more 'Technically Advanced.' People are adjusting to this new normal, and businesses are rescaling their operations, adapting to remote working patterns, and doing everything they can to stay in business. Perhaps this is an unusual period for everyone, and even more unusual to hire a freelancer and train new personnel. The recruitment and onboarding processes have been drastically altered as a result of this, with everything now taking place virtually.

This post will explain what virtual onboarding is and give you some pointers for a successful virtual team onboarding experience.

Virtual onboarding

The process of welcoming and teaching a gig worker to integrate into the organization is known as onboarding. This includes acclimating them to the team, informing them of the company's regulations and norms, and familiarising them with their jobs and the tools they'll need to succeed.

Virtual onboarding is comparable to in-person training, with the exception that it is conducted entirely online, using video conferencing, webinars, online team building sessions, and other online tools.

Temp work agencies like OnBenchMark.com are now working hard to offer such online tools in order to assist new employees in settling in and using these resources anytime they desire.

Without a doubt, this is a difficult procedure because, prior to the pandemic, even the most remote working jobs required some in-person training, and now everything is done over a video call. It's more difficult to decipher body language and facial expressions when there's a lot of it going on. It does not provide a fresher office environment and provides fewer opportunities to bond with coworkers.

To achieve smooth training, a virtual onboarding process necessitates trial and error.

Tips for a smooth virtual onboarding procedure for a remote job:

Introduction to technology for the new employees

Meeting the new employees' logistical demands is one of the most important aspects of the Virtual onboarding process. Without a doubt, today's businesses rely heavily on superior computer technology, and the pandemic has forced everyone to do home-based work. The team must guarantee that the new hire receives the business laptop or computer on time, with all software and configuration installed and operational. They must also send out all relevant documentation ahead of time to complete work without delay.

The perfect foundation

It is critical to creating the proper foundation for new employees in every organization, especially when working from home. The first and most important phase in the virtual onboarding process is for the new hires to meet and introduce themselves to their team, get acquainted with new technology, and feel connected.

Create a training schedule for the first few days or weeks, and learn about the company's history, industry, client patterns, and market position while emphasizing the goals. The staff can also deliver a package of business goodies to the new hires, making them feel more integrated into the company.

Focus on pre-boarding

Pre-boarding should always be the first step in a successful onboarding process. Even with remote onboarding, this is true. Allow your new hire to spend time with their new team on the first day of the process rather than being trapped in a room filling out paperwork. Engage them all in various online games that promote social connection. The faster new team members are acclimated to the team, the faster they will catch up and be able to participate effectively.

Create a checklist

Encourage new hires to take charge of their own onboarding process to lighten your strain. The simplest method to accomplish this is to create a "getting started" checklist for them to follow. By the conclusion of the first week, what tools do they need to have downloaded? What Slack channels should they join? When is it necessary to sign documents? To whom do they need to set up meetings? You may give them autonomy over their onboarding while also freeing up your time by generating tasks they can do on their own.

Assign a mentor

New employees will need a devoted individual to assist them on a regular basis with the utmost patience as they adjust to their new workplace. A mentor in the organization can be someone who is already employed there and has adequate expertise to assist newcomers. It helps new employees to have someone to talk to when they're having problems or just want to learn more about the organization. Furthermore, this allows new employees to meet, communicate with, and learn about other employees as well as the organization's current operations.

The perfect balance between professionalism and warmth

When it comes to welcoming new staff, professionalism and warmth are two important factors to consider. When welcoming new members, the team must be professional enough to ensure that they are aware of the organization's official code of conduct but also warm enough to alleviate any fear during the initial days and encourage them to open up and participate in decision-making and brainstorming.

Existing employees can make short welcome movies for new team members. The team can participate in the online version of office rituals to build and sustain a sense of warmth and excitement.

Define goals

Every person in the company has a role to play in the company's success. The team must ensure that the new hire is aware of the team's objectives and activities and how and what they must contribute to those objectives.

Employees must have clear goals and objectives set forth at the outset and how they will be evaluated over time. Ensure that your communication is as transparent as possible since this will make the procedure more pleasant for everyone in the organization.

Using videos and virtuals to describe procedures

Video/visual SOPs have been really beneficial to us, and we strongly advise businesses to adopt them whether they are going entirely remote or not. It's a terrific technique to both onboard and train new workers by seeing and listening to another colleague complete a task. If you use numerous employees to record movies in order to introduce more of your organization, you'll get bonus points!

Make work fun

The team needs to provide new and competitive ideas and activities to make the hiring process more participatory and entertaining. To make learning flexible and entertaining, it is critical to provide exciting ideas.

This might be accomplished by providing social interaction-promoting online games or team-building exercises. The team must integrate movies and other training methods in addition to the regular online training sessions to make it more engaging to watch and understand.

Create short and welcoming personal videos

These brief 15 to 30-second greetings can be delivered to new recruits through email, text, or chat, producing a virtual hello/handshake similar to how a new hire would be received by leadership on their first day going around the office. Having a channel devoted to internal resources in technology like Slack makes it easier for everyone to find what they need in one consolidated location.

Communicate

The key to making things simpler for when you hire freelancers that are new is to communicate with them as much as possible. Keep in touch with them via emails, video calls, and chat messages, and constantly show them that you care. The team is responsible for guiding them and resolving their concerns, which might be related to anything.