The first impression you make on your new employee is crucial, especially when they are working remotely.
As remote work becomes more common, you need to adapt your onboarding process to a virtual format that can still help your employees adjust to their roles.
At Esevel, we have experience in onboarding remote employees across 6 countries in the Asia Pacific region, and we want to share with you the best practices we’ve discovered.
12 Steps to an Efficient Remote Onboarding Process
To set your new joiner up for success, you can take the following steps:
Step 1: Welcome email to kick off the remote onboarding process
A week prior to their joining date, you’d want to send your new employee a welcome email confirming their start date and time.
You can also take this opportunity to send them your employee handbook or mission statement and ask them for any paperwork they’d need to submit in advance.
This important step helps ease any confusion or concerns the new joiner may have as their first day of work approaches.
At Esevel, we automate the process by sharing a Notion page with the employee with a simple welcome message and a list of items to read and to set up on their first day of work.
🌟 Bonus
Welcome email template:
Subject: Welcome to [Company Name] – Your Remote Journey Begins!
Dear [New Hire’s First Name],
Welcome to the [Company Name] team! We are thrilled to have you on board as a new member of our remote workforce. Your journey with us promises exciting challenges, opportunities, and growth.
As we embark on this remote adventure together, we want to ensure you have a smooth and inspiring onboarding experience. Here’s a brief overview of what to expect:
🌟 Important Details:
Start date: [Insert Date]
Start time: [Insert Time]
Orientation date & time: [Insert date & time] Virtual Meeting Link: [Insert Link]
To make your transition into the team as seamless as possible, we have assigned [Buddy name & contact] as your buddy who will guide you during your first few weeks.
We understand that remote work comes with unique challenges, and we are committed to providing you with all the support you need to excel in your role. Please check out these tips for staying productive and maintaining a work-life balance.
Once again, welcome to [Company Name]. We’re excited about the contributions you’ll make to our team and the fresh perspectives you’ll bring. Get ready to embark on an incredible journey with us!
If you have any questions before your orientation date or need assistance with anything, please don’t hesitate to reach out to [HR Contact Name] at [HR Contact Email].
I look forward to virtually meeting you and having you as part of the [Company Name] family.
Best regards,
[Your name]
[Your title]
Step 2: Ensure the new joiner has the necessary equipment
It’s crucial that your new joiner has the right equipment on or before their first day of work.
Your new designer really does need that MacBook Pro to do his work. Failing or being late to do so can mean he or she is prevented from completing other aspects of the onboarding process.
And with the fluctuations in laptop stock due to supply chain issues, you’d want to prepare for this well in advance. At Esevel, we are able to help with this – more on that later.
Procure employees’ devices remotely with Esevel’s marketplace
Step 3: Send a remote welcome gift pack or home office stipend
If you have company swag, it adds a nice touch to send your new joiner a welcome gift pack. It’d make them feel welcomed and part of the company.
Many companies also allocate a small stipend for the new employee’s work-from-home setup. A laptop riser or external keyboard can make a world of difference to their comfort and productivity.
But rather than asking your new joiner to purchase first and reimburse them later, you can improve the employee experience by using a platform like Esevel to allocate a fixed WFH stipend for your employee to purchase from.
Step 4: Set up employee access
To complete the onboarding process, your employee will need access to their email accounts, collaboration tools, SaaS applications, video-conferencing and other resources on their first day. If you use VPNs, they should also have VPN access to your network.
A digital onboarding tool like Esevel will be able to help you auto-configure their profiles and streamline this process.
Step 5: Assign a buddy
How do I apply for leave? Who should I approach about HR policies?
Rather than asking their new supervisor, most employees prefer to have a peer to help them navigate their first few weeks.
You can assign a more experienced employee to guide the new joiner through the onboarding process, introduce him / her to other colleagues and generally make sure they are settling in well.
At Esevel, we assign each new joiner a buddy who schedules friendly check-ins with the newcomer during their first month.
Step 6: Schedule virtual coffee chats
As a remote or hybrid team, spontaneous in-person interactions become rarer, especially between colleagues who rarely work together. This could potentially affect company culture.
That’s why at Esevel, we organize 1-1 coffee chats between the new joiner and the other team members during their first month.
During the coffee chats, they are encouraged to talk about everything outside of work – their family, their background, their hobbies. This helps them get to know each other better as individuals.
Step 7: Schedule training
As part of your remote onboarding process, you’d want to set up training sessions that help the newcomer understand what’s expected of them in their new role, educate them on company policies, and teach them how to use software systems that they are unfamiliar with.
Step 8: Schedule weekly 1-1s with the manager for the first month.
It’s particularly important for managers to check in with their new joiners during their first month. This is when they’d be settling into a new company, getting to know their new colleagues and trying to understand how the system works.
At Esevel, every manager schedules a weekly 1-1 with the new employees. During this session, new joiners are encouraged to ask questions and provide feedback.
Step 9: Create a 30-60-90 day remote onboarding plan
Creating a structured 30-60-90 day plan with concrete goals and milestones helps set out a clear course of action for new joiners during their first 3 months. It also helps empower them to take the initiative and accelerate their transition into your company.
Step 10: Manage change
Poor communication about the role of a new hire can cause confusion about roles and responsibilities. So you’d want to ensure that you communicate clearly with the rest of your team about your new hires.
Keep your team updated about hierarchies, roles, and responsibilities, so that they’re more receptive to change and create a positive environment for the new joiner.
Step 11: Gather feedback about the onboarding experience
Once your new remote employee settles in, ask for their thoughts about the onboarding process. This feedback helps improve future onboarding experiences. You can create a feedback form, have a virtual checkup meeting, or just simply chat with them.
Step 12: Celebrate achievements
Recognize employees’ accomplishments even from their first few months, whether work-related or personal.
This is a powerful way to kick off a positive and vibrant workplace culture. It not only boosts morale but also fosters a sense of belonging, confidence, and loyalty among employees, ultimately contributing to the overall success of the organization.
How Esevel Can Simplify and Enhance Your Remote Onboarding Process?
Esevel can help you simplify and automate your virtual onboarding process in the following ways:
Automated onboarding workflows: You can create consistent and customized workflows for all your onboarding requests with Esevel. Just enter the new hire's profile and let us take care of the rest.
Device procurement and provisioning: You can choose from over 2000 models of laptops and IT peripherals from 8 countries in the Asia Pacific with Esevel, at no extra cost. We will deliver and set up the device for every new hire, wherever they are located.
Centralized tracking and management: You can monitor the progress of your employees' onboarding with our dashboard, so you always know the status of each task and delivery.
Are you ready to modernize your remote onboarding process? Get in touch with us now to find out more.