Remote workforces rely on computer support. Many business owners are asking themselves right now – is a small workforce right for me?
Access to better talents, a cut on costs, and improved productivity are all possible advantages. On the other hand, candidates enjoy the flexibility, independence, and work-life balance that comes with distributed labor.
When you’re hiring someone to work from home, you’re not just looking for the right job skills; you’re looking for someone who will responsibly interact with your technology. And whether you’re transitioning to remote work for the short-term or indefinitely, you’ll need to produce the best practices for onboarding your staff.
Keep reading for five essential tips on how to onboard remote employees.
1. Build a detailed onboarding calendar
When new hires have a consistent and transparent training schedule, they’ll adapt more quickly to their new role. As a result, you’ll generally get higher attendance.
A well-thought-out training schedule will ensure that anyone who needs to take the learning has access to it at a suitable time and date. It’s easy to manage all training activities with an onboarding calendar. Rather than having your training attendance reports and other important info strewn across multiple files, spreadsheets, and to-do lists, a holistic calendar organizes everything in a single tab.
When you run a remote training online, you manage the content, the environment, and the experience, which is a big responsibility. Creating a checklist or schedule will help you and ensure that you don’t forget any essential steps or any of the tips we’re outlining.
2. Define your necessary tools
Is your H.R. representative prepared to adopt virtual onboarding for remote teams?
Onboarding is the first official impression of a company and typically happens over a series of face-to-face meetings. To that end, you’ll need to organize your customer relationship management (CRM) software, productivity software, file sharing procedures, etc. You can include one-to-one meetings with H.R., direct managers, and members of the leadership team and group meetings with various teams in the organization.
Administrative access is a critical aspect of establishing who will support your new hire experience. At a minimum, have a member of your computer support team on-call. Discuss how to avoid technical difficulties proactively.
3. Maintain an open dialogue
Communication is vital, so don’t be afraid of “over-communicating.” Since you won’t be in an office environment, you should count on a messaging platform like Slack or Teams. Send an email a few days before your first teleconference meeting with any relevant paperwork to sign.
You may also want to show new employees what to expect during the first conference call. You could put together a “cheat sheet” on essential functions they’ll need to use, like muting their microphone, raising their hand to ask a question, or using instant messaging. Send a reminder the night before your orientation event. Follow up a few moments before the meeting to resend an email with the URL.
Additionally, you should check that you can access all required platforms at least one hour before the training starts. Logging on should be a breeze that sets the tone of your session, not a barrier to overcome. It is imperative to have a system administrator ready to resolve connectivity issues.
4. Establish orientation guidelines
You should always set ground rules for your remote training. Explain what your new staff will need to participate in and how to stay interactive.
Here are some common logistical suggestions to consider:
- Establish how to deal with problems like connectivity.
- Keep microphones on mute when not speaking.
- To ask a question, request clarification, or comment, use a “Raise Hand” feature and wait for a response.
- Leave all mobile phones on mute, including vibrations.
- Close your email and other windows.
Because of all the connections involved, you should have a computer support strategy in place at this stage. Form a plan with your I.T. provider to review all the equipment and software you’ll need.
5. Solicit employee feedback
In the weeks after you wrap your onboarding, your onboarding specialist should anticipate feedback. Schedule a check-in to discuss your new hires’ concerns. This step will be a constant avenue of improvement as you expand your workforce.
You could also consider using leaderboards to promote learner engagement. For example, you could reward your employees’ training efforts with milestones or certificates. Employees who graduate from your onboarding program should leave feeling informed and poised for success.
Stay Socially Connected
Connect with Cinch I.T. on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram with the hashtag #cinchit.
About Cinch I.T.
Since 2004, Cinch I.T. has been providing customer-focused I.T. services for businesses of all sizes. Every element of our computer support offers the fastest and friendliest service in the industry. Cinch is one of the nation’s fastest-growing I.T. service franchises with 7 locations and counting. To learn more, visit cinchit.com. For more information about I.T. franchise opportunities, visit cinchfranchise.com.
